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Despite one of the most intensely competitive Ibiza seasons in recent memory last year, ANTS at Ushuaia became one of the island’s few new nights to succeed. More new parties than ever popped up last year, and while most are likely to be relegated to faint (or messy) memories in the coming summer, ANTS is now expanding its reach globally, launching parties in Sankeys Manchester and Miami in the coming months.
But aside from inviting big-name underground headliners (which just about every niche party does), including Joris Voorn, Nic Fanciulli, Deetron, Hot Since 82 and ONNO, why was the party such a success? We caught up with ANTS resident DJ, ONNO, whose productions have landed on labels like Desolat, Moon Harbour, Saved and Suruba, and who has played venues like Panorama Bar and Watergate, to find out why. Read on, and don't forget to check out ONNO's exclusive downloadable mix below.
Hi ONNO. Thanks for talking with Pulse Radio today.Hola! Thanks for having me on the site!
First off, ANTS turned into one of the big success stories of the summer here in Ibiza, even with the huge amount of competition on the island last year. Did you expect the party to take off like it did? New projects like this are always a gamble, especially in a market as crowded as Ibiza in the summer. Nonetheless, I was pretty confident this could be pulled off. Roberto, Leslee and the rest of the team really did an amazing job. The preparation and promotion early on in the season created a huge buzz, which made people curious to see what all this ANTS talk was all about. Seeing the huge amount of people that came to the opening was a sign of good things to come for the rest of the summer.
What do you think lead to its success? I think it's a combination of things. First of all, the team of residents, combined with an exciting array of guests, proved to be a winner. Furthermore, I think although Ushuaia is a big venue, we managed to keep the party quite intimate, and in a way, low key by using the small DJ booth for most of the day, which turned out to be perfect for a daytime event like ANTS. It gave the party such a different feel than the big venues like Amnesia and Space, and I think people where pleasantly surprised by this. A final thing that really made a big difference is the support from the island. We had a lot of support from the locals. We gave workers and locals the chance to party with us for free, and with this gave something back to the island instead of only taking from it. A bit of karma goes a long way sometimes.
ANTS will now be touring globally. Will you be able to bring the spirit of an Ibiza outdoor poolside party to nightclubs and other venues? Or does the spirit of ANTS lay in something deeper than just the venue? I definitely think we can, yeah. I think the whole thought behind the night, bringing quality music and having fun without overcomplicating things can be applied to a lot of different situations, including dark night clubs all over the world. In the end, ants do like to hang out in the dark as well, don't they?
Do you have any global ANTS parties lined up that you can tell us about? There are a few exciting things planned for the coming year, yeah. The first ANTS outside of Ibiza will be in Manchester at Sankeys. Also there will be a big ANTS invasion in Miami for WMC. Plenty of more stuff is coming, watch this space!
Your production style is very funky, sleazy and bass heavy, a bit like Loco Dice if I can say; whom I know had heavy hip-hop influences. Were you influenced by any hip-hop growing up, or are you just naturally drawn to those types of rhythms? I think that description is about right, yeah! And as a matter of fact I was. When I was younger I listened to a lot of hip-hop, both East and West Coast stuff (and still do now). I think especially the old East Coast stuff like Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang and early Biggy is still very much an influence in my music today. What appeals to me in this music most is the attitude towards the production, more so than the lyrical message it tries to bring across. Everything has this "I don't give a fuck" mentality, which translates into this rough, sleazy, stripped, and to the point sound that is perfectly suitable to house and techno as well. Also, the creative use of sampling and recycling old bits of music into something fresh, which hip-hop is known for, is something I love doing in my own music as well.
Who have been some of your other musical influences, and do you take inspiration from other sources when you’re in the studio, such as art or nature? Hearing great DJ's play can be an influence for me. But when I am not producing or playing, I tend to listen to a lot of non electronic music, which unconsciously influences you as well of-course. Also, I tend to take inspiration from a lot of different things, be it (music) documentaries, travelling, discovering new cities and meeting new people. In the end, everything and everyone in your life influences you, so it's important to surround you with good people and good things!
You’ve had a very successful few years, playing top parties and festivals around the world, however I notice you continue to collaborate with talented young artists like Camiel Daamen and Chad Andrew, who you have an EP coming out with sometime this month. Is this something you go out of your way to do, and do you think it’s important to work with younger artists? To be honest, it's not such a thought through decision. The people you mention are first and foremost my friends, and what’s more fun to collaborate with friends on the thing you love? Also, both Camiel and Chad are very talented producers, and what I love about collaborating is that you always learn new tricks and ways of doing things – it keeps you fresh and on your toes!
Can you tell us more about your upcoming releases, and what you have planned for the beginning of 2014? There is quite a lot of stuff coming actually. I just released my EP on Quartz Music, which is doing really well at the moment. Next up are releases on Avotre, Catwash, Earlydub, Digital Traffik and Disc Over, Tim Green's new label. Also, since I am back in Amsterdam I am working on a lot of new stuff, including a collaboration with Francisco Allendes from Desolat, which is turning out rather nice!
I understand you moved to the island last summer for your residency. Many artists find it challenging to get into the studio over the summer in Ibiza. Were you able to find the balance? What can I say, it is challenging finding and dedicating time when the sun is out and there are good parties everywhere, any time. Still, I managed to do quite a lot of music during my time there. I think the distractions are a curse and a blessing in that sense. Although it keeps you from doing a lot of hours in the studio, they actually give you a lot of inspiration, make the hours you do spend in the studio that much fun and productive.
And finally, do you know what ANTS at Ushuaia is going to look like for 2014? Any big surprises or changes you might know of that you can tell us about? Some top-secret information? (laughs). I cannot tell you much about at the moment apart from "bigger, better, stronger"! What I can say is that I think the concept is really strong, so I think it will mostly be a case fine-tuning what's already there. As I said earlier, it fills a gap in the clubbing landscape on Ibiza, and it this sense it will stay unique as well.
Thank you for your time, ONNO, and see you this summer! Thanks! ciao!
Catch the first UNITED ANTS party with Andrea Oliva and South Africa's Black Coffee and more at Sankeys Manchester on January 31st. Head to the Facebook Event Page for more details.
Listen to ONNO on Pulse Radio.
