Selected by: Pete Gooding
1. Where are you from?
Shirley/Solihull.
2. When did you first come to Ibiza?
Though I came to Ibiza with my family when I was young, the first proper time was in 1998 with a group of friends, when we partied for two weeks solid, going to every club night possible. It was the best kind of rollercoaster/clubbing/partying experience I've ever had in my life!
3. Where did you first play in Ibiza?
The very first place was Bay Bar in San An – I'd been hanging around and pestering people to play and giving out CDs and eventually I filled in for someone. Then I got my first residency at Itaca.
4. Tell us about some of the places you've played in Ibiza?
Playing at Café Mambo has left me with some great DJ memories, just through having the freedom to play so many styles that touch people in different ways. Then I've played places like P.Diddy's birthday party on his boat (where he needed to borrow my decks!), where I certainly didn't have to worry about needing a life ring if the boat sank because there were enough fake tits to keep the boat afloat! Villa parties are all a blur, and then I've had some amazing times playing at Space for We Love, where it's a totally different, up-for-it clubbing crowd. I also love playing at the stunning El Chiringuito, it takes my breath away and is a beautiful place to play music to such a diverse crowd. And of course, there's Pacha…
Andy with Trevor Nelson (middle) and Nigel G at Mambo some years ago
5. Where is your main residency on the island now?
Pacha. It's been my main residency for nine years now, playing in all of the many choices of rooms. I feel at home in all of them!
6. What's so good about there?
It's still a family-run business that pulls together and delivers amazing clubbing experiences to people from all around the world. Being a year-round Pacha resident also allows me to see the world by traveling to many faraway places for tours, because the brand is such a lifestyle influence not only in Ibiza, but also across the globe.
7. Which other DJ has been the biggest source of inspiration in your career? (ibiza or not)
An unsung hero from Birmingham, by the name of Patrick Smoove. I've known Patrick since around 2000, when I was first starting out on the bar scene in Birmingham and he passed on what he knew to me and gave me the encouragement to come to Ibiza.
8. What have you been up to during the winter?
I have been working really hard on my weekly radio show for Ibiza Sonica, which is called The Fix and airs every Friday night at 11pm (Ibiza time). It's been great fun, scouting new and unsigned music and finding tracks for the season ahead (I'm also an A&R scout for Defected). I've been on a lot of great tours including Brazil, New York, Miami and Rome and I'm just about to head off to Marrakech and London too.
Check out Andy's latest show on Ibiza Sonica
9. Tell us about your production plans at the moment.
I'm really happy and excited to have been teaming up with many of the great talents from Ibiza, including Mr Doris, Alex Wolfenden, Jason Bye and Tom Peppe. We're all from really different walks of life, so each collaboration has a really different sound… we'll be smashing them all in the summer!
10. How can DJs who are residents in Ibiza avoid just being DJs who are just residents in Ibiza?!
I think for some people, being a resident in Ibiza is a dream! But to me, I think it's important for Ibiza residents not to get too settled and to display their sound and talents around the world, as it is a unique and advanced flavour of sound, and one that can influence as many people globally as possible.
11. Which Ibiza resident Dj should we feature next?
I would have said Pete Gooding, but since he already picked me, I'm gonna go with Willie Graff. He has such a strong history on the island, he was born here and he has firm roots in the evolution of Pacha's Funky Room. He also plays some really special sets at DC10 – just amazing music, which comes from so many years of crate digging here in Ibiza and in New York, where he spends the winters, with a residency at Cielo… a good example of an Ibiza resident who's not just an Ibiza resident!
More on Andy Baxter:
djandybaxter.com
facebook.com/andybaxter
twitter.com/andybaxteribiza
soundcloud.com/andybaxter
