Terraces in Ibiza are much more than mere respite from big room sounds, they rival the interiors as an audience draw. There's Space's famous version of course, but the terraza at Amnesia is also a beguiling island institution.
Colonising it on Tuesdays are the workers and several thousand friends of the wonderfully camp (but not necessarily gay) White Party, a locally grown show that shares equal billing with lord of the trance, Armin Van Buuren, who put on what must surely be the last opening party of the 2004 season, Armada. (27th July)
The Dutchman was in churning out his reach-for-the-lasers anthems in effective fashion, but the roving Ibiza-Spotlight crew left him to it for half an hour as we popped out the back to the dancers' locker room area for an interview with amiable Austrian and White Party resident dj, Paul Lomax.
A focussed professional, Herr Lomax was not distracted by the constant procession of nubile flesh, tho he obliged our prurient desires by calling over a few of his friends for a photo call.
Here Paul explains how they've been a victim of their own success and why they moved to their current night from Fridays:
“The move was because we had a lot of problems with the organisation of Made In Italy. They said ‘We don't like to work together with a homosexual party. This is no good for an Italian party'. Sometimes the terrace was packed and inside was not full. Made In Italy got scared and close the terrace. They have bodyguards, and close the doors in between. So they kicked us out, but we are happy that we change to Tuesday.”
The straight-talking, country-hopping White Isle vet also took us through his musical and lifestyle philosophies, and came across as a tireless promoter of Ibiza in general and good times at Amnesia specifically.
How did your radio show go tonight?
It was funny because I made my first day interview in Spanish, and my Spanish is really not good. So I was talking to them like, ‘If you talk slowly in Spanish, we can do it in Spanish'. This was really funny.
Which station?
Flaix FM on every night from 9 o'clock to 11pm. The frequency is 105, the show is called People from Ibiza. Every day is the resident djs and the guest djs from Amnesia. I was playing on the radio station because today there are two big parties, the Armada opening and the White Party. Markus Schulz [a fellow resident dj] was playing and then the second half of the show I make promotion for the White Party. It was my first time on the show.
Have you played other radio stations here in Ibiza?
Not in Ibiza, but I have own radio show in Germany, one time of the month for a show called Big City Beats [www.bigcitybeats.com] on Big FM, a really big radio station which can reach up to 50 millions listeners.
Jesus.
The last two weeks we have two and a half millions of listeners. We started in March - I have two hours by myself and for one hour I always choose like a Def Mix dj or an Amnesia dj to bring the information and the music from Ibiza to Germany, every Saturday night.
What do you prefer, radio, playing at the club, or something else?
I like everything because everything is a different feeling. Like I play in the Jockey Club at Salinas on the beach, two times a week for like five or six hours. This is the best way to go with music to the people. On the beach you just lay down, you go to the water, you have dinner and listen to the music. So if somebody has a request or they like the music, they come to the dj box. But this is not possible in Amnesia because you are closed in. On the beach it is really different, it is more relaxed and you don't have to bring the people to dance. You just play what you want, any style of music that is relaxing. Amnesia is different because you have to make a party out of it. You have to bring the people to dance, this is the difference. Radio show is also different because you just try to make your own style.
So what do think of CDs?
I only play vinyl, because I think it is old school style. For me the dynamic is different. Like on CD, you have a machine, you cannot see inside, you cannot touch it, you can't see when the break is coming, nothing. So I think it is better to play vinyl because (with cds) you can go on the internet and download the songs and everybody else has the possibility to download the same songs. This kills the old school. I keep playing the vinyl for sure.
How would you describe the kind of music you play?
I play everything. It is like going to dinner. I don't go every day to the same restaurant to eat Thailand food. I go to musicals, I go to classic concerts, I go to rock concerts. I don't say ‘I play house'. I play music. There's good techno, there's good trance, there's good deep house, there's good music in every direction. I don't care where it comes from.
But on the terrace here at Amnesia, it's probably more housey, would that be right?
Yep, it's house. The most is tribal, the Balearic style is always with a little bit of tribal inside. But it depends the time you play. Because if you play earlier you play deep house, you make a warm up get the people into it when they arrive. When you play the final set, you play more hard.
How did you get your job here?
They asked me. Because I work in the Bar Mambo in town, I knew the organiser. At first I was only playing the warm up and then I was lucky when the main dj came two hours too late, so I got in the main set and the organiser, the dancers and everybody liked it. Now I play like three till five, five to seven.
What's the pay like?
You have to run after it like everywhere in Ibiza, but it is ok.
What did you think the first time you came to Amnesia?
Amnesia is my favourite club, definitely. It is the party place. You can get 6,000 people inside and you still get the warm atmosphere with the wood and the rocks and the different floors inside. The VIP I like, because it's big. You go to Pacha or Privilege VIP and you have to take bottles. You have to pay minimum 1.000 euros to get in the VIP. Here, no. I like the atmosphere.
You're Austrian?
Yep. From a little country that looks like a chicken leg.
How different are Austrians from Germans?
In every country is always the same - there's nice people and shit people. What you mean maybe is the mentality. Germany is much bigger. I was living in Frankfurt, there I make good experiences, also many bad. In hotels or clubs or when they go to ski resorts, the mentality of the Austrians is much more warm, much more open. Austrians they come to you say ‘Hello' and after five seconds you are in a good mood with them. Germans are sometimes a little different. But I have a lot of German friends, a lot of Austrians. It really doesn't matter where you come from.
Where else have you played in Ibiza?
I play Jockey Club, Salinas, two days a week. Thursday and Sunday, the whole day from like 2, 2.30 to sundown. I play Bar Mambo in Ibiza Town, in the puerto. It is a promotion bar so you're there two hours. It's a contact place - you tell the people where to go this night, where the good parties are, where the good restaurants are or which time to be where. And I play the afterhours in Lucifer, in Marina Botafoch and the Manumission Carry On at Space one time a month.
That must be a pretty crazy party.
Ooohhhfff. I play with a friend of mine Sin Plomo, the resident there. He's a good friend so we always make a four hour back to back set. For me Carry On is the best because is a real afterhour. Like Sunday at Space is not an afterhour, the people go to sleep and come four o'clock in the afternoon. At Carry On I play the first record at 8 o'clock, by 8.30am it is full.
Where else is a good crazy party?
It depends. It's like if I'm in a good mood, or with some friends, I have a party anyway. It doesn't matter which place or whether it's good or shit or not I don't care. The party's always yourself.
Do you play all around the world?
I never play out of Europe. In September's my first time out of Europe.
Where are you going?
New York. I go to New York for play. I play for Pioneer, a private party. I play for a new high society club in Manhattan, for Crobar and for people who make the Mercury Club in San Francisco who have moved to New York. I have four gigs in one week, then I go back. I'm looking forward to it.
Anything else you want to add?
The first three years I always said to my girlfriend ‘This is my last time in Ibiza'. And I know many people have the same problem. They say ‘You never see me back in Ibiza'. The next year you go the opening party and everybody's back again. At the moment Ibiza is not for sure like before or during the Millennium like the hype. Like in 2000 when I came here for work, like on the television was always Ibiza, it didn't matter which channel. This is gone but still the good people come here. People go like Croatia or Mykonos or these places, and they go there and it's nice because it's cheap and there's nice parties. But everywhere they say it's never like Ibiza. There will never be a place like this.