Disco Doesn’t Have To Be Retro

Words: Lena Kochetkova
Images: Hrvoje Slebur & NIcJ.

When Glitterbox landed on Saturdays at Booom! Ibiza, inviting Dave Lee, aka Joey Negro, to become a resident was a very natural decision. The artist has made a name for himself by playing and producing disco and soulful house – exactly the type of sound Glitterbox is all about. In fact, back in the 1980s he was one of the first producers to incorporate disco samples into house tracks, and a bit later such tunes of his as ‘Must Be The Music’, ‘Make A Move On Me’ and ‘Can’t Get High Without You’ became true classics of the genre. Kelly Rowland, Mariah Carey, Royksopp, Roisin Murphy, Sugababes, Diana Ross, Pet Shop Boys and many others commissioned remixes to Joey, while such artists as 911, Robbie Williams and Shayne Ward entrusted him the production of their songs. His own label Z Records keeps churning amazing pieces of classic house and disco, staying faithful to the most danceable and jolly sound that is ageless. Now this kind of music has finally arrived to Ibiza for a weekly residency and is firmly taking roots in the blessed soil of the island’s nightlife. We talked with Joey Negro about his Glitterbox residency and his previous gigs in Ibiza, and discussed why disco doesn’t necessarily have to be retro…

How did you get the invitation for the residency at Glitterbox in Booom! Ibiza?
Simon Dunmore contacted me saying that he was about to launch a new night in Ibiza, focused on classic house and disco. As far as I remember, I was in Australia at that time, but we met up as soon as I got back to discuss this opportunity, and this is how it all got started…

You didn’t play in Ibiza too much in the last couple of years, did you?
I used to play on the island in the beginning of the 2000s a lot, all in all some 50 or so gigs in different clubs. I was resident DJ for Miss Moneypenny’s in El Divino around 2001/2, also I played for Milk N 2 Sugars and some other nights at this club. I played in Pacha for Defected and Ministry Of Sound as well back then. As for the last year, I had four gigs in the new Ocean Beach Ibiza in San Antonio, and I’m coming back this summer a couple of times as well. The thing is that I’m mainly known for disco and soulful house, whereas Ibiza has always been a bit more about techno/ deep house or the much more commercial end of things. I do play some deeper or more housey stuff within my set but it’s not what I’m associated with, which is maybe why I have never been booked for certain nights/ places.

Do you believe that now the crowd in Ibiza has become more receptive to the kind of music you play?
I think it has always been receptive – when I used to play El Divino, it was generally pretty cool. I’ve had good and not so good gigs in Ibiza, but it’s just like anywhere else in the world. For example, you can play in Miami one time and everything goes right, and the next time when you play it just doesn’t click. So I don’t think it’s much better or much worse now. I generally believe that if you play good music and put it all together well, it normally goes on ok unless there are some very big problems.

To your mind, which is the most appealing thing about Booom! Ibiza?
It has a very good location in Ibiza Town and a cool sound system. It’s a new club, so obviously it will take some time for it to become an establishment on the island. Take Pacha, for example, or any other big disco – they have been around for so many years… But I think Booom has a good start. For me, as a DJ, the most important thing is that the DJ booth is cool and the soundsystem is good. Also it’s all about having the right size, and the size of Booom ideally fits the style of music they play. Some clubs in Ibiza are just enormous, and they naturally tend to be more techno-oriented.

What are your impressions of the gigs you had at Glitterbox?
It was really good, I enjoyed it! There are not any parties on the island with this kind of sound. I play what I believe to be good music: some of it new, some of it a few years old, and some of it from the 70/80s. It feels like at the moment so many DJs are playing the same style of deep house. At Glitterbox we’re not going this way, we’re not looking at any other clubs agenda to base the night on. At the same time it’s not really a retro night, which some people might think, just because it’s disco and classic house. You know, classic house doesn’t have to be retro, there are always new records coming out that fit into that style. So it’s not a question of how new the release is, whether it’s on a trendy label or not but a case of good music. Well that’s the theory anyway. (lol)

What percentage of your own music do you play in your sets?
Depends, generally it might be around 20 to 30%, sometimes less, sometimes more. With some gigs I feel the audience would prefer me to play almost all my own productions, but I never do that. I’m a fan of music above all, so there’s always new and old records by other producers I want to give a spin. Often with my own stuff I’m a
bit sick of it, especially the ‘hits’, and need to force myself to play it as I know the crowd expect to hear it.

Which releases should we be looking out for from you?
Recently I put together an Italo House compilation, which was released on my Z Records label. Italo house is one of my favourite kinds of classic house, and the best time for it was the late 1980s and the early 1990s. I didn’t include obvious hits like Black Box, this more the underground and slightly deeper side of the genre. I’ve had a few singles out this year under various monikers – Doug Willis, Z Factor, Sunburst Band… As well as my collaboration with the Horsemeat Disco guys. Also I’m working on a follow up to my compilation ‘Remixed With Love’, which will be out next year and includes my remixes of Grace Jones, The Trammps, Jean Carne, Robert Palmer and other classic tracks all reworked from the original tapes. On ZR Nick the Record has done the latest ‘Under The Influence’ album full of disco funk and more leftfield obscurities. while young Bristol producer Sean Mccabe has his debut album out in October