Defected In The House Ibiza '11 Mixed By Simon Dunmore by Defected Records

Now, with the start of the 2011 season just around the corner, we caught up with Simon Dunmore to discuss the island’s new developments, creating the perfect Ibiza experience and how a trip to the White Isle can help you cope with the pressures of modern-day living.

What’s your general feeling about this year’s season? What are the things that are going to stand out for you?

I have very positive feelings for the season coming up. People make the effort to go out and enjoy themselves when times are a little bit tough. I think that we’ve had two years of tough recession and I think that letting off steam is ever more important to people so Ibiza is one of those destinations where people feel that they may be able to forget about the crap that they have to deal with in their life. Last year everyone was saying “it’s going to be tough”, but it wasn’t it was an amazing season?  This year, I think people are going to feel a little bit more confident about spending money so I’m predicting a bumper season.

What are the things that are going to stand out?

If you have pocketfuls of money then I think the new restaurant in Ibiza harbour which was El Divino and now been taken over by Pacha. I had a look at its construction and it looks pretty phenomenal. It’s the best vista on the Island at night, so if you’re feeling a bit flush that’s definitely the place to check out.

Also I think the buzz on the Island is about the Ushuaia hotel; they’ve spent a phenomenal amount of money, rumour has it something like 22 million Euros on the hotel. The pool looks absolutely incredible and I think that they’re going for the daytime VIP jetset kind of crowd. They’ve got some great DJs playing I know Luciano’s doing the opening party which gives it great credibility and I think it’s going to be a great place to go and visit.

On a more negative note, apparently there’s a war going on between Space and Amnesia at the moment. I just think that people should focus on their own strengths and believe in themselves rather than trying to undermine someone or disrespect someone. Just focus on the positives of what you do rather than having your eye on everybody else.

Are there any lesson’s you learnt last year that you’re going to put into practice this year?

Yes, think Big! It’s a really competitive island and  if you go into your shell you’re going to get squashed, so think big and compete; have the balls that you know your there for good reason and compete.

Have you heard any tracks that are particularly standing out for you already this year?

As with most other people I’m only going to talk about our records , but in fairness I think we have a few records and producers that were working with that I think are really going to come to the fall this season. We’ve signed an act called Human Life from Los Angeles who have got a track called ‘In it Together’; they have delivered a great record and a great video, which not many acts have the conviction to do, so I’m really excited about that.

We’re again working with Bob Sinclar who’s got a new record called ‘Far L’Amour’. We’re yet to see whether it’s going to be released on Defected but I think its Bob’s best club record for several years. And then all the producers; ATFC, Chocolate Puma, The Shapeshifters, Copyright, and Rae are all super-productive all with records coming out who represent our sound really well musically and as DJs.

Would you say that Pacha is the closest thing we’ve got to Studio 54 the Garage?

In as much as I think it’s a mixture of VIP, creative fashion people and pure clubbers. I think it’s the club with the most extreme mixture of people; Space is an amazing club and it’s well subscribed and attended but it’s one type of clubber, Amnesia again I think is another type of clubber. I think Pacha is a lot broader in the people that walk through the door so I think that gives it a lot more variety and makes it personally for me a lot more interesting. In terms of Defected, we have a great selection of artists and a great selection of DJs that know how to rock a crowd on a Saturday. It’s something I’ve always said; ‘we are a great Saturday night out’ – that’s our calling card.

Your Ibiza mixes are pretty legendary…tell us about the overall vibe and feeling of this year’s mix…

I’ve always said that house music is not a specific sound; labels that just release a specific sound or a specific genre of house just limit themselves, just as DJs that play a specific sound limit themselves. I think that the best and most experienced DJs are way more eclectic, take way more chances and are far more comfortable doing that. You can’t just go on and just play the fifteen biggest records, that’s not what DJing is all about – that’s just being a jukebox and anyone can do that. The albums reflect the diversity of the labels that we are involved with, the producers we are involved with, our taste in music and the different scenarios in which house music can be played. Sure it’s meant to be played in a club and to make people dance and go crazy. It also transcends that it can be a bit more deep and melodic and a little bit more sensual and moody, and I think that’s reflected on the album.

What would be your ideal day in Ibiza, from start to finish?

For me, it’s best if you can wake up early to get the early morning sun when it’s really fresh and not peeling your skin off. All of the beaches around Santa Eularia where I stay I think are amazing, they’re all really under exploited  not touristy and still have some sort original Ibiza flavour about them. Cala Martina, Cala Pada, Nui Blau are all amazingly great beaches and you can just kick back and enjoy yourself and not be surrounded by thousands of people trying to find a spot on the beach. There’s room and everybody’s kind of chilled and I love that. There are also plenty of restaurants and places where you can just go grab some sangria and Paella at any stage which is pretty important for me!

Defected In The House Ibiza ’11 is out 23^rd May  - click to listen & pre-order