Thomas Ferrare from France also known as Tommy Kid who came out on top in the burn Residency competition this year. He’s living the dream in Ibiza this season and has his second EP release coming out on the 15th of September on Sounds of Sumo. Pulse talks to Tommy Kid on what the island life has been like, where he sees himself in a few years time and what he’s been working on…
How was the competition building up to winning? Firstly the competition had a very fair approach to select the mix off finalists in each country by listening to all the 5000 mix selections. Unfortunately most other online DJ contests are based on amount of plays or shares on social medias.
In February I saw the ad on Mixcloud. I had loads of new music to play at that moment, especially Trap music which I thought could be the kind of new music that would work here in Ibiza.
Then, among the 5 submissions that had been selected in France, an additional round of listening and judging was done to find the best mix and choose which French contestant would go through to the bootcamp in Ibiza.
In comparison to other countries, there was no mix off event in France. I really don’t know if this would have made a difference, but I think my mix was chosen because of its freshness and the wide selection of electronic music I played (mainly different genres of bass music).
Once on the island I met some really great people amongst the contestants, especially my Bosnian friend El Karinho, a great music lover and digger. The team in charge of the event (Popshop) and the production (Vice and NOA) were lovely, supportive and always available for us. It was a really good (and actually unique) feeling to be cared for by people because of your passion and your commitment in this program. That’s a feeling that I had never experienced before: being recognized for my music. I think this also contributed to my decision to leave my current job at the time; an account executive in an advertising agency.
I was playing Hip Hop, Dubstep, UK Funky, Jackin’ House, Drum’n’bass, ghetto-tech, Bmore Club music…etc. I also got some precious points on production skills with my track being selected by Solomun as one of his favourites and also by winning the Maceo Plex remix competition.
Ibiza is the party capital of the world, how has the island been treating you so far? Since my first day at bootcamp, I have had the feeling that this island has a magnetic pull on me. I now know that I have a special, mystical relationship with this island (at least not as physical as Robinson Crusoe had when he was in the heart of his island…). It’s now a kind of second home. I had already been to Ibiza twice before, and each time was under special circumstances. I count on it to be the start of a big change in my life turning now that I am fulfilling my passion. So far I have experienced some great moments during the bootcamp and afterwards with the two winning residents and the other people I have got to know.
What people don’t usually expect of Ibiza is that 70% of the island is a kind of wild land with amazing landscapes and peaceful places. I have already done some quad motorbike rides around the island and discovered some great local restaurants and paradisiacal beaches.
What have you been working on? I had to work on mixing with different supports. The standard DJ set up in Ibiza is a CD player, so whenever I couldn’t get vinyl turntables, I had learn more about, and get very familiar with, CD decks. But it’s actually quite easy and fast to become at ease with them.
I have been, and am still working on, adapting my sets to the context of the place where I’m playing. For instance, we have a regular afternoon slot at Café Sands, which is a beach bar so we have to play chill out music. It’s actually a really great exercise to play different music whilst making sure it’s still coherent with the usual music you play. For instance, I usually play bass music in clubs but at Sands, or during my afternoon residency at Ibiza Rocks hotel, I play a kind of chill out music 2.0 such as Ryan Hemsworth, Ta-Ku, James Blake, Flume… etc (which is actually the main music I used to listen to on my iPod).
Are there any parties you have played at recently where you learnt something new or experienced something amazing? The last party I played was Together at Amnesia and it was the most amazing slot I have had so far. It’s been such a big step to share the decks with artists that I’m a huge fan of, such as Bondax, Katy B, Redlight or Rudimental. These are big names and I played right after them. I also experienced the DJ booth of Amnesia’s Main Room, which is just an amazing place, and also said to be one of the best venues on the island. I feel very lucky and proud of that.
How important were the mentors in the bootcamp to winning the residency? Every mentor, from the big DJs to Valentino Barioseta or James Rand, influenced us during the bootcamp. They all talked about their personal history and obviously none of them are similar which made you understand that your difference, your personality, is your key to success.
Regarding the mentors in detail, I liked almost all of the masterclasses, but I really enjoyed the Fatboy Slim one. This guy was a part of my teenage years; he definitely blasted radiowaves with anthems like "Rockafella skank" or "Right here, right now". It was really unreal to personally get to know his story and see what a huge contribution he has made to electronic music. This was the most "symbolic" masterclass for me but I would say that the more production-dedicated classes from Joe Goddard and Maceo Plex were the most helpful and concrete.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? Any plans now that you have this platform to launch your career and anything else related? I will try to take as much as advantage as I can of this season in Ibiza. So far, I’ve met big DJs and have now got some visibility among them and promoters. I will keep doing that until end of September. I really hope that after this I will get more dates in the world (indeed Ibiza is definitely a place for global opportunities). I also have this project to launch a label, called Resources, with my friends in October. So I’ll try to combine my musical tastes, communication/advertising background and network in order to develop this.
Words and Interview by Hayley Illing
Tommy Kid Mix For Pulse radio by Tommy Kid on Mixcloud