www.xpander.nl
Loco writes...
As it becomes increasingly unpopular to apply a limiting descriptive term to the electronic dance music we consume, Smokin' Jo and Tim Sheridan's unlimited genre of Nastydirtysexmusic is strangely gaining momentum. Xpander's own incisive columnist Mr Cusick recently remarked on the semantic shift saying, "the term 'tech-house' is so funny and stale now". However, an equally eloquent gentleman with a just as sharp tongue and sizzling wit is Mr Sheridan, and his team aren't simply playing house or techno in Ibiza - one size fits all - they're living Nastydirtysexmusic!
Anyway, as we reported last week, Jo and Tim's born free beach party had been rocking the Ciao Rosina Italian joint on Talamanca Beach near Pacha in Ibiza since June, but was thwarted when they were issued with a 'denuncia' by local police. Everything isn't cool, something has definitely happened, but what's going on? We wanted to find out more, as no doubt you will. So read on as Xpander delve deeper with Tim as he expands on his police visitation and the 'denuncia'... What was the problem, why all the fuss?
Sheridan starts at the beginning...
"I should explain to those who don't know what a 'denuncia' is, as it'll explain a lot about how the 'disco mafia' operate in Ibiza. It's a very special place, but people are people wherever you are, they are a basic design on a crappy theme. Essentially you denounce with a 'denuncia', which is what we call 'grassing' in the UK. You go to the police station, you fill in a form and grass on your noisy neighbour's budgie for instance, they then have to go check it out under Spanish law. The old bill hates it - it's a tool for hate, and they become the tool, which makes a tough job even harder. Anyway, I very deliberately chose (during about a year of research) a place and time that had absolutely no competition. We were straight after DC10 and before Manumission on a Monday evening, at about 9pm or 10pm until about 2am or 3am. Very short for an Ibiza night out, but this was intentional as I knew we would get busted eventually, maybe in high season (August), but I hadn't reckoned on how incredibly small minded people can be. It wasn't noise volume, as there are no neighbours, or even any sound bleeding a few metres from the building. It wasn't the traffic, as we employed a mate to park up everyone tidy. The poor coppers who came were dead sorry, they told us it was 'a major Ibiza club' who had grassed. I mean, how did we affect or hurt them? We were told later by a major mafia figure that they just don't like anyone on their island without their say so. Plus we were making far too much 'noise', as in we had a massive buzz and press. These days, column inches, 'celebrity' and word of mouth are far more valuable collateral than actually cash money.
"Anyway, to get off the negative stuff for a bit, we were having the best parties. I mean myself and Smokin' have been around the scene for a very long time so it takes a lot to impress us, but in the winter I went to a little party on Talamanca beach just down the hill from where I am based, and the little place set off all the bells in my head. It was a small beach bar, officially a restaurant called 'Ciao Rosina' and at this party there was maybe 40 people in the dead of winter, but I had what alcoholics call 'a moment of clarity' and saw it as a kind of Bora Bora summer beach party. I was fed up with Manumission, I was getting further and further away from what I thought 'Ibiza' was, and needed something 'real'. We kicked it all off really underground, I mean we printed some 'el cheapo' black and white flyers, hired a sound system (the best one on the island as it happens), and all went down to the last hour of the DC10 opening and gave some flyers out to our mates. An hour later there was a thousand nutters in our 350 capacity venue going ape-shit and we never looked back. We asked Joe Upton to join with us, a local face; he's a young guy with a lot of energy that let's everyone and their mother know when a party is on. We had the ingredients, but the key was the music. After the opening parties Ibiza was dead, really low on numbers, all the clubs were suffering, but we had a serious advantage with our music. People just kept coming back and kept talking, I mean between Smokin' and I, we have like 40 years of DJ experience! When we go one on, one off it's quite a meeting of minds. She'd never played back to back with anyone, ever, but after a couple of goes it just clicked. From an anal DJ perspective, what happens for maybe the first time is that you break out of whatever 'pattern' or method you have, and while the other person is playing their tunes you actually really think about your next move. I'm not saying we, or other DJ's, never usually think, but you do have 'your way' of doing things. This way you really get to stand outside of the moment a bit and consider matters. Plus there is a little element of competition, in the sense that you want to do something at least as good as what the other person is doing and vice versa. Back to back f***ing rocks! I think it's ego that stops people doing it more often, it's definitely a better situation for the crowd. Two DJ's are better than one, now I've seen it in nearly every situation...
"So in answer to the question 'what was the problem?' we still don't really know, other than we pissed off the wrong rich people, which is a global phenomenon these days. One law for some, a different one for others, plus of course I have to confess we were totally illegal (although unaware) in the sense the venue didn't have quite the right license, but we've now learnt hardly anyone on the island does! Since then we've moved the party around a bit..."
Indeed, so what about the rumour Xpander had heard that the team are going to play at Space on Sundays in a new room upstairs - a nice little set up perhaps?
"Yes, we basically got 'head hunted' by Space," Tim explains, "they wanted a piece of our vibe and we needed to get in bed with someone powerful to gain legitimacy. It's an ancient story of selling your arse! We needed a powerful papal patron as it were. They have a new room upstairs called Caja Roja or Red Room as it is in English. We needed a little area to ourselves, as musically we are a bit different and also we have our own crowd by now. Space were experiencing a small problem, where people were coming for the last bit of the Terrace and then leaving. We are helping to keep people in the building. I have to confess I never go inside at Space but they've done it up lovely and the main room's system is awesome now. The place is full and vibey all the time, right up until 6-7am Monday morning! We had a plan to take Nastydirty somewhere else and it had to be purely a fun thing, if people like it then they'd decide for us if we'd take it further. The people have now spoken, we worked really hard on it and always DJ well, so it seems to have a life of it's own now... a momentum. Someone described it as a bit like Xpress2. We have our own thing, and come together to do Nastydirty..."
So did Tim have any other news on island music matters/future Nastydirtysexmusic to declare? We thought he might...
"In the future we will all have weird pets, silver jumpsuits and hover cars," he speculates wildly. "No, we are taking it to the Ministry of Sound to see if it can translate outside of a free party vibe. The music is strong and it should be fine. We'll see; Ministry did some nights with Saville Row, the label I started with Dave Chambers and Jon Carter. I was pretty impressed with the refurbishment, their attitude of making Ministry cool again and a tough line on only having great music on Saturdays. Also much of the music we play is our own production, once the industry is off its arse we hope to release some of our Nastydirtytunes, plus we have a small world tour. Not bad for a free beach party! So we're giving it a shot. Come and check the sound..."
Nastydirtysexmusic at Space, Ibiza on Sundays and still bubbling way beyond!
Loco writes...
As it becomes increasingly unpopular to apply a limiting descriptive term to the electronic dance music we consume, Smokin' Jo and Tim Sheridan's unlimited genre of Nastydirtysexmusic is strangely gaining momentum. Xpander's own incisive columnist Mr Cusick recently remarked on the semantic shift saying, "the term 'tech-house' is so funny and stale now". However, an equally eloquent gentleman with a just as sharp tongue and sizzling wit is Mr Sheridan, and his team aren't simply playing house or techno in Ibiza - one size fits all - they're living Nastydirtysexmusic!
Anyway, as we reported last week, Jo and Tim's born free beach party had been rocking the Ciao Rosina Italian joint on Talamanca Beach near Pacha in Ibiza since June, but was thwarted when they were issued with a 'denuncia' by local police. Everything isn't cool, something has definitely happened, but what's going on? We wanted to find out more, as no doubt you will. So read on as Xpander delve deeper with Tim as he expands on his police visitation and the 'denuncia'... What was the problem, why all the fuss?
Sheridan starts at the beginning...
"I should explain to those who don't know what a 'denuncia' is, as it'll explain a lot about how the 'disco mafia' operate in Ibiza. It's a very special place, but people are people wherever you are, they are a basic design on a crappy theme. Essentially you denounce with a 'denuncia', which is what we call 'grassing' in the UK. You go to the police station, you fill in a form and grass on your noisy neighbour's budgie for instance, they then have to go check it out under Spanish law. The old bill hates it - it's a tool for hate, and they become the tool, which makes a tough job even harder. Anyway, I very deliberately chose (during about a year of research) a place and time that had absolutely no competition. We were straight after DC10 and before Manumission on a Monday evening, at about 9pm or 10pm until about 2am or 3am. Very short for an Ibiza night out, but this was intentional as I knew we would get busted eventually, maybe in high season (August), but I hadn't reckoned on how incredibly small minded people can be. It wasn't noise volume, as there are no neighbours, or even any sound bleeding a few metres from the building. It wasn't the traffic, as we employed a mate to park up everyone tidy. The poor coppers who came were dead sorry, they told us it was 'a major Ibiza club' who had grassed. I mean, how did we affect or hurt them? We were told later by a major mafia figure that they just don't like anyone on their island without their say so. Plus we were making far too much 'noise', as in we had a massive buzz and press. These days, column inches, 'celebrity' and word of mouth are far more valuable collateral than actually cash money.
"Anyway, to get off the negative stuff for a bit, we were having the best parties. I mean myself and Smokin' have been around the scene for a very long time so it takes a lot to impress us, but in the winter I went to a little party on Talamanca beach just down the hill from where I am based, and the little place set off all the bells in my head. It was a small beach bar, officially a restaurant called 'Ciao Rosina' and at this party there was maybe 40 people in the dead of winter, but I had what alcoholics call 'a moment of clarity' and saw it as a kind of Bora Bora summer beach party. I was fed up with Manumission, I was getting further and further away from what I thought 'Ibiza' was, and needed something 'real'. We kicked it all off really underground, I mean we printed some 'el cheapo' black and white flyers, hired a sound system (the best one on the island as it happens), and all went down to the last hour of the DC10 opening and gave some flyers out to our mates. An hour later there was a thousand nutters in our 350 capacity venue going ape-shit and we never looked back. We asked Joe Upton to join with us, a local face; he's a young guy with a lot of energy that let's everyone and their mother know when a party is on. We had the ingredients, but the key was the music. After the opening parties Ibiza was dead, really low on numbers, all the clubs were suffering, but we had a serious advantage with our music. People just kept coming back and kept talking, I mean between Smokin' and I, we have like 40 years of DJ experience! When we go one on, one off it's quite a meeting of minds. She'd never played back to back with anyone, ever, but after a couple of goes it just clicked. From an anal DJ perspective, what happens for maybe the first time is that you break out of whatever 'pattern' or method you have, and while the other person is playing their tunes you actually really think about your next move. I'm not saying we, or other DJ's, never usually think, but you do have 'your way' of doing things. This way you really get to stand outside of the moment a bit and consider matters. Plus there is a little element of competition, in the sense that you want to do something at least as good as what the other person is doing and vice versa. Back to back f***ing rocks! I think it's ego that stops people doing it more often, it's definitely a better situation for the crowd. Two DJ's are better than one, now I've seen it in nearly every situation...
"So in answer to the question 'what was the problem?' we still don't really know, other than we pissed off the wrong rich people, which is a global phenomenon these days. One law for some, a different one for others, plus of course I have to confess we were totally illegal (although unaware) in the sense the venue didn't have quite the right license, but we've now learnt hardly anyone on the island does! Since then we've moved the party around a bit..."
Indeed, so what about the rumour Xpander had heard that the team are going to play at Space on Sundays in a new room upstairs - a nice little set up perhaps?
"Yes, we basically got 'head hunted' by Space," Tim explains, "they wanted a piece of our vibe and we needed to get in bed with someone powerful to gain legitimacy. It's an ancient story of selling your arse! We needed a powerful papal patron as it were. They have a new room upstairs called Caja Roja or Red Room as it is in English. We needed a little area to ourselves, as musically we are a bit different and also we have our own crowd by now. Space were experiencing a small problem, where people were coming for the last bit of the Terrace and then leaving. We are helping to keep people in the building. I have to confess I never go inside at Space but they've done it up lovely and the main room's system is awesome now. The place is full and vibey all the time, right up until 6-7am Monday morning! We had a plan to take Nastydirty somewhere else and it had to be purely a fun thing, if people like it then they'd decide for us if we'd take it further. The people have now spoken, we worked really hard on it and always DJ well, so it seems to have a life of it's own now... a momentum. Someone described it as a bit like Xpress2. We have our own thing, and come together to do Nastydirty..."
So did Tim have any other news on island music matters/future Nastydirtysexmusic to declare? We thought he might...
"In the future we will all have weird pets, silver jumpsuits and hover cars," he speculates wildly. "No, we are taking it to the Ministry of Sound to see if it can translate outside of a free party vibe. The music is strong and it should be fine. We'll see; Ministry did some nights with Saville Row, the label I started with Dave Chambers and Jon Carter. I was pretty impressed with the refurbishment, their attitude of making Ministry cool again and a tough line on only having great music on Saturdays. Also much of the music we play is our own production, once the industry is off its arse we hope to release some of our Nastydirtytunes, plus we have a small world tour. Not bad for a free beach party! So we're giving it a shot. Come and check the sound..."
Nastydirtysexmusic at Space, Ibiza on Sundays and still bubbling way beyond!
