For the first time in five years, Solardo return to Ibiza without a weekly residency. Instead, the famed British DJ duo are playing a variety of coveted venues for some of the biggest parties the island has to offer.
A refreshing prospect for the in-demand Mancunian duo, 2023 it's an opportunity for them to rediscover the island independently; an opportunity to adapt their sound to the style of each party.
Full of energy as always, we caught up with them on the rooftop of the two-time winner of DJ Mag's Top 100 Clubs poll, Hï Ibiza.
Before their first gig of the summer at the ANTS opening party and ecstatic for the season ahead, the excitable twosome are as primed for the summer as the rest of us.
Hi guys, how are you? What are you looking forward to most this summer? You don't have a permanent residency this year, but you're playing multiple times across Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza, is that right?
Mark: "We're playing quite a few ANTS, elrow, and Paradise."
James: "This is the first time in five years that we haven't had a residency. So, for us its been quite exciting that we can go and play for different parties, and play different styles of music.
Obviously, with a residency you've got to live up to an expectation for the people that come and see you every week - at the same time, at the same club, for 15 weeks on the bounce. You know its quite a lot of pressure, this year it feels a lot more free.
We've got our summers back a little bit to do what we want."
Mark: "This year is going to be refreshing. We're playing a lot of parties, where we can showcase our musical diversity. You can play a big stage, big drops and you can then go to the more underground clubs."
Which party are you most looking forward to?
Mark: "I always like playing at Hï Ibiza. For us, it's the best club we get to play.
Ushuaïa is great, but when we moved from Hï Ibiza to Ushuaïa, we appreciated what we were leaving behind. We play like a lot more harder, darker club music. We are dark rolling House guys, and Hï Ibiza is a great place for us to do that."
How was last summer with Dave and Mike (CAMELPHAT)?
James: "We had a really good summer, and obviously it was the first year post-pandemic. However, this week is the opening party and the island is absolutely rammed in comparison to last year. The difference is mental."
Which room do you prefer playing in at Hï Ibiza? The Theatre or the Club Room?
James: "That's a super difficult question. For me personally, we started our residency at Hï Ibiza in the Club Room, and we proper made it our own.
We held residency in that room for two years and packed it out every week. After Eric Prydz left at the end of 2018, we moved into The Theatre with Dave and Mike and FISHER moved in the Club Room. BODYWORKS was incredible."
Mark: "I prefer The Theatre."
James: "I don't know, because the Club Room was formerly Space's Terrace!"
Mark: I'd never been to Ibiza before I started playing here. So I only started coming here around 8 years ago, so I was a little late on it all.
You're playing back at Jamie Jones' Paradise this year. Tribesman was one of your big breakthrough tracks, released on Hot Creations. Will you be making a return to that sound to coincide with the reunion?
James: "One hundred per cent. I've already started my Paradise playlist. We know the Jamie Jones sound. When we were coming through the ranks, that's who we were inspired by. I know the sounds he's playing at the minute, I've got it nailed, even though it's ages away."
I go through so much music every day, and when you come across records that you think will suit that moment, you have to drag and drop into that playlist.
Jamie's just launched his Paradise label, which epitomises his sound."
Have you got any new productions underway, anything coming out soon?
Mark: "Loads! we've got a new tune called Welcome To Reality out on 16 May. It's a bit of a Techno tune with a cool little vocal. The video shows our reality."
You did a collaboration with Idris Elba. Are there any more collabs in the works?
James: "We've got a couple..."
Mark: "We're doing collabs all the time, but we don't know what's going to get released. We try to work with people you wouldn't expect us to. We cant really say who though."
James: "Think about our last collaborations: Tiësto, Calvin Harris, Alok. There could be another twist."
Mark: "Just because the tracks are made, we can't say they're definitely coming out. We make tunes all the time and don't release them.
We've done collabs with the biggest of the big, but if we can't see ourselves playing it out, then we won't release it. It has to be right on both sides. If you're going to make a collab out of your comfort zone, it has to be something that you're going to play out."
James: "Don't sell your soul for the sake of streams and listens and likes. That's our mantra."
You guys have probably got a lot of Ibiza stories. But what would you say your fondest memories are?
James: "I know mine! I'm going to show my age here, but the first time i came to Ibiza was 1997. I used to work at Manchester airport. The lads that worked there were all going, and someone dropped out, so a place came up, and they said, 'do u want to come to Ibiza?'
I wasn't old enough to go. I was 17. They were like, yeah, just come. We went to MANUMISSION. I walked in and there were 12,000 people, people having sex in the middle of the stage. I was 17, like, what the hell is going on here? That is my fondest memory for sure."
Mark: "Mine was when I brought my two little kids to Ushuaïa when we played there.
They're not allowed into the actual club area, but they were allowed into the outdoor area of the restaurant. They were jumping around, bouncing. We've had lots of cool Ibiza memories, but to have your kids there was special. They were three and four years old at the time."
What's the latest with your label, Solä?
James: "We've got loads of sick releases coming up from new artists. Because of this new school, like, resurgence of this Trancey sound, which is taking over the UK right now. Its spun around 20 years. UK Garage, Trance is back at the forefront.
We've signed a couple of records that are Trance-infused stuff, which I truly believe are going to go full on radio play, all by new producers. We've always aspired to push the new generation of talent and try to bring people through. We're doing that now."
What's a track at the minute that you're playing in all your sets?
Mark: "Welcome To Reality! We may be biased, but we do play it a lot. It fits in everywhere. You'll hear it tonight."
Out of you two, who's the last man standing?
James: "I don't know now. It used to be me, but Mark has recently come into his own. He's had a late insurgence."
Mark: "A new lease of life. I'm living healthier, it's giving me more energy. I can stay up and do a lot more stuff."
Apart from Ibiza, where else are you jetting off to?
James: "Across the summer, all the major European cities. We just got back from South America, and were doing multiple North American tours. We're trying not to play too many club shows in the UK right now, just festivals: Parklife, Creamfields, WE ARE FSTVL.
We're trying not to over saturate the market, because we're coming onto eight, nine years of touring. We want it to be special when we play. In Manchester especially, we want it to be monumental, like Warehouse Project main stage - bang!"
What's your favourite UK venue or festival to play?
Mark: "Probably Warehouse Project."
James: "Glastonbury, without a shadow of doubt! Always. I'm gutted, we're not going this year, but we've done it for like, the last seven years. I've probably been to most festivals in the world, but Glasto will change your life. Its a tester!
I don't care what you say, your Burning Mans, your Lost Villages, all the rest of them in the Australian outback. Listen. Go and experience it properly and you will come back a different person. I'm in a group chat with 150 people, who have been training for Glasto for six months. They're still training now. It's a serious week, mate."
Solardo play ANTS at Ushuaïa on 1 and 29 July. Head here for more info and tickets.
Solardo play FISHER on 12 July and The Martinez Brothers on 22 August. Please follow the links to either for tickets and further info.
For all other Solardo dates, please head here.
