Danny, first off, how are you and how’s your summer been?
I’m great thanks! Summer’s been mad, a residency at Pacha, BCM, sets at Global Gathering, Bestival, Mint festival, the Radio 1 Big Weekend, a #1 Dance Anthems Ibiza album… Safe to say, 2014 has been one of the best!
Good stuff! We attended the live Radio 1 in Ibiza shows recently at Ushuaia, Café Mambo and Privilege and thoroughly enjoyed them! How were they for you?
Pretty unreal to be honest! This is my third season in Ibiza and it’s still a big ‘pinch me’ moment every time I get to play at one of these iconic venues. The Radio 1 weekend was brilliant – the line-up was out of this world and we couldn’t have asked for it to go any better than it did. Next year is 20 years of Radio 1 in Ibiza so I’m excited already to see what will be happening.
Brilliant! You have a new mix CD ‘Radio 1 Dance Anthems Ibiza mixed by Danny Howard’ currently available, give us the lowdown on that!
I certainly do, it hit the #1 position on the iTunes dance album chart straight away and we’ve been getting some amazing feedback from everyone! It’s two CDs, the first one is all the big room anthems that have been hitting the spot and the second mix takes things a bit deeper and would be perfect for any poolside retreat… I tried my hardest to condense the spirit of the summer into two mixes and I think I just about managed it 😀
What’s your 3 biggest tracks in your recent sets?
– Watermat – Bullit (Always a great way to end my sets at Pacha)
– NEW_ID – Aero Games (Great energy from the dutch duo!)
– Duke Dumont – Won’t Look Back (Dub Version) (The dub is perfect for the club… with hints of the vocal to keep the crowd happy!)
We love Watermat – Bullit also! You’ve been playing at Pure Pacha at Pacha here in Ibiza, how’s that been going?
It’s coming to the end of the season now and I’ve been playing the closing slot most weeks so it’s a tough spot to fill in order to keep everyone going until 7am but it’s all about the energy! It’s been an amazing experience and an absolute honour to play the club I always dreamed of playing… Roll on next year!
Talk to us about your Ibiza history! When was your first time/gig on the island? What were your initial thoughts?
I first came here with some mates in 2008 and the moment I experienced Green Velvet at Space, I was hooked! My first gig was when I came with Radio 1 in 2011, I opened up the party at Ushuaia which was one of the biggest moments of my life and not a bad first gig on the island!!
Great gig indeed! What is it you love about DJing in Ibiza – how does it differ from clubs elsewhere?
It’s just such a care-free and hedonistic place where everyone is here for the same reason: the music. You can be a bit more creative with the music that you play because there isn’t the expectation to just play the big tracks – I love playing it a bit deeper here, it’s a lot different to the sound I’ve been known for this last few years.
What do you like to do in Ibiza other than DJing? Do you have a favourite place/beach/restaurant?
Café Mambo has to be one of my favourite spots – their chicken strips are out of this world. Give them a try! Also I really like KM5 and Bambuddha Grove to eat or if you’re in San Antonio, give ‘Tapas’ (That’s the actual name of the restaurant) a try.
If you get the opportunity, get across to Formentera… the best beaches I’ve ever seen in the world!
Great shouts! And finally, what’s the wildest night out you’ve had on the island?
Well it started at Ushuaia on a Sunday night… I think the fact the first drink we had was a jager bomb tells the story of how the night went. The next morning (afternoon), we woke up having lost car keys, house keys (We broke into the villa so we could go to bed) and our dignity!
Locksmith booked, tow-truck on the way (I’d left the car in Playa D’em Bossa)… me and my mate Alex thought we’d have one last look for our stuff (Police & Taxi companies hadn’t found anything) and of all places, we found all our belongings in a………. chicken shop!! Only in Ibiza!
Haha! Cheers for your time Danny!
Thanks!
Danny Howard & Futuristic Polar Bears – Romani is released 10th October on Spinnin Records
https://soundcloud.com/spinninrecords/danny-howard-futuristic-polar-bears-romani-original-mix