Jon Rundell has been a consistent producer and DJ for well over a decade. Constantly adapting and evolving, he's proved himself an experimental, versatile and consistent performer, releasing on numerous labels including Desolat, MB Elektronics, Respekt Recordings, his own label Etch and the acclaimed Intec Digital, which Rundell runs alongside Carl Cox. Ahead of his final few dates at Space this year, we caught up with the man himself to discuss his top five moments at the iconic Ibiza club.
1. “Number one would have to be the first time I played at Space. I can't remember the year but it must have been at least nine or ten years ago! That was on the inside terrace for Carl's, ‘Party On Tuesdays'. I was quite nervous - being a young lad I wanted to do well. But it seemed to go alright - people there seemed to enjoy it, and of course it was very busy because Carl's nights always are. So yeah, that would be my top one”.
2. “When I ended up playing the main room for about four and a half hours. I was due to play anyway and I think on the line-up was myself, Carl and Fatboy Slim. Carl was really unwell but he still wanted to play, so he suggested that we swap our sets around. So he opened the main room, which I was supposed to be doing originally, and I played his set! So as you can imagine I was brickin' that one, but for me it was a top moment because Carl believed in me enough and trusted in me enough to do it - to hold it and carry it on. Afterwards, I knew I had done it but I couldn't tell you anything that had just happened. It was so intense that there wasn't one moment that I could say was the pivotal moment in the set, or which tracks went down really well; it was just pure concentration from start to finish. Afterwards, I just went into a quiet corner. There was quite a few people I knew at the party that wanted to come up to me and pat me on the back. I just sat down on my own sweating with all this adrenaline rushing around me. It was quite a weird experience - it took quite a while for that feeling to subside.”
3. “Witnessing my first Carl and Loco Dice back to back one morning. It got to about nine o'clock in the morning and I was right down in the front of the dance floor when Joe Smooth's ‘Promised Land'. That was quite a big moment, because I love that record anyway, but to hear it on that sound system and in that environment, at that moment in time was quite special”.
4. “I would say doing ‘Intec' parties. We'd spent a few years rebuilding the label, so to then go and do events of our own at Space was really something. We did two events in the end - on the inside terrace on a Tuesday - and for them to be busy, considering we hadn't done any events as a label ever on the island. We could bring the artists over, they could play to a good room, on a great sound system, where the atmosphere was really amazing. The videos are all up there for people to see on our YouTube channel and you can tell how well those nights went - it was a very proud moment”.
5. “I guess that'll be tonight! I'll look back and think to myself, how lucky I've been to play at such an influential club that's had an impact - not just in Ibiza but all over the world. I think of the amount of places I've been to and everybody knows about Space. The fact that I've played there so many times, and will again in its final year, is quite phenomenal. Reflecting on what has been achieved by the people that run the events; Carl sticking his neck out to do the event in the first place, all the DJs that have passed through those doors and played and he's given the opportunity to. I just feel very lucky to have been one of those people and to have done it so often. I think I've played in every single room in that club that's ever existed in one way or another over the years - it's just being a part of something so much that it's in your blood!”
WORDS | David Fleming
