Last Wednesday night debuted Limited Edition, the brand new concept from Ushuaïa Ibiza that negates the need for a single resident and instead showcases an all-star line up of headliners, each with two or three dates over the summer. Opening the show is Hardwell – and although it’s a big night to open, we had no doubt that multi-award winner would do it justice. We caught up with him on opening night to see how he was feeling about setting the tone for Limited Edition, and what we could expect from his sets over the summer.

Hello, Hardwell! Can you tell us all about the new song, We are one?
Hi! Well, I just did a new collaboration with a Chinese singer called Jolin; it’s called We Are One. Actually, it’s an instrumental that I’ve been playing for a long time in my sets, and then we just came across Jolin and she came up with the whole idea of the vocals. It’s especially for the Chinese market and I’m really happy to do something new in there, because Asia is really blowing up when it comes to dance music.

And will We Are One form part of your set tonight?
Yes! Because the original instrumental song has been a part of my set for two years, and a lot of my fans keep asking when I’m going to release it as a song: so since we added the vocals it’s obviously different from the instrumental, but it still really works for me.

So there’s no designated headliner for Limited Edition but, instead, a number of big names – and as the opener, you’re setting the bar for the rest of the season. Are you happy with that responsibility?
I love it! Why not? All the guys are great, you know, like Diplo, Axwell ^ Ingrosso, DJ Snake and Alesso – they’re all brilliant DJs so there’s no reason to set a standard, it’s not a competition. The way we’re sharing Limited Edition makes it feel like a festival lineup.

And what should we expect from tonight?
It’s going to be a great night, I have some of my favourite artists with me for Limited Edition: Don Diablo; Chocolate Puma; and Funkerman as well as myself. I like having all the housey guys in front of me so that I can play a little bit more groovy – because you have to; it’s Ibiza! I’m going to play a lot of new stuff – I’ve had a residency here in Ushuaïa Ibiza for the last three years so if you’ve been to one of those nights you basically know what to expect. I always try and create the best night possible.

Your Ushuaïa Ibiza residency the last three years has been really popular and big. What prompted the decision to step away from that one residency this year?
Well, when Ushuaïa Ibiza asked me to be part of Limited Edition, I was really excited to share more of a festival-like lineup – especially as it will give me an opportunity to look more forward and change things up a bit. Without one residency, I can go to Hï Ibiza which I’m looking forward to experiencing. I also have two shows in Amnesia, which is a completely different vibe – I’ve been a fan of Cream for a long time, and I’ve been playing Cream in the UK for ages. I like to change things up and this was a great opportunity for me, I always like the opportunity to do something different.

Obviously, Ushuaïa Ibiza has really upped its production in the last few years. What does it feel like to be in the middle of all that?
It’s amazing. And what I really like about Ushuaïa Ibiza – it’s probably my favourite venue on the island – is that it’s the only outdoor venue that offers a festival-type stage setup. You’re in Ibiza, you’re on vacation, it’s summer time and you want to enjoy the weather – so for me, as more of a big room house DJ, I love to be here and play this sort of set.

You’ve played all over the world – what do you love about Ibiza?
What I love the most about Ibiza is definitely the education of the people – their knowledge of house music is next level. I always call Ibiza the Mecca of dance music; the history of dance music on this island – you can actually feel it. So if I played a couple of house classics tonight, nobody would stand there thinking ‘hey, what is this song?’ – everyone would recognise it. It might be because it’s more of a European crowd and people grew up with dance music, and everyone, no matter where they’re from in Europe, knows that Ibiza is the party island, so DJing here is the best!

You and Ushuaïa Ibiza have obviously been working together for a few years now; what’s been your highlight?
Oh, that’s a hard one! After all these years? I’ve had so many great nights on this island, especially at Ushuaïa Ibiza. We had great afterparties here, let me say that! But last season, the closing night, all my friends from my home town flew over and my family was here as well, 200 of my nearest and dearest, and we had the best time of our lives. Playing here with your family and friends, experiencing a closing night like that, was definitely one of my most memorable nights here on the island.

Thanks, Hardwell! We can’t wait to hear what you’ve got in store for us!