As part of the warm up to the coming season we have been getting back in touch with some of the friends we made last summer and when we came to Camilo Franco it reminded us about how much of a nice guy he is!
Camilo stands out as such an approachable down to earth person! Given he is a resident at the number 1 club in the world and the fact he gets flown around the globe to DJ at some of the best venues in the world, he could be forgiven if he was slightly up himself! But not Snr Franco he’s cool as they come, so we tweeted him to see how he was and then we caught up for a quick chat. Here’s what he had to say!

Hey Camilo, Good to catch up with you! Seems like ages ago since we last met in Ibiza! What have you been up to?
I have just got back from touring with Space Ibiza on Tour and working on the ‘Space Ibiza on Tour’ Mix album as well as my weekly residency at Carpe Diem in Barcelona. This weekend I just went to Andorra I’m trying to learn how to snowboard! My body is hurting all over!
IS: Haha! Sounds like fun!


So not only are you are resident DJ in Ibiza, the best island in the world! You’re from Bogota, Colombia! Which is one of our favourite places on the globe! Do you get to spend much time there?

HaHa Thank you! Yes Colombia is a beautiful country! I was away from Colombia for quite a long time but about 2 years ago started to visit again. Now I am trying to get there once every 2 years and I’m trying to arrange a tour there again so I can play while I’m out there.
IS: Amazing! We might have to join you on that tour!

So you have been nominated for ‘Best Ibiza Resident DJ’ countless times and you finally won the award in 2011 for the 2010 season. Which is an amazing achievement given the competition you have for that award, so belated congratulations! How did that feel?
It was really nice to win the award, I had been shortlisted a few times and it was nice to finally win! For me was an honor to win this award cause i love that Island and I have a big respect for Ibiza !

It must have felt great, tell us about the awards themselves how was the whole experience?
I remember the party for the awards in Madrid, I was booked to play at the party and it was it was a great night and loads of fun! Was also great cause I had the opportunity to see all my collegues at the music industry and we had party together ! Amazing….

Holding down a residency at Space Ibiza since 2008 is an achievement in itself! How did it come about playing @ Space Ibiza the world’s number 1 club?
I think I played at Space 6 years ago for the first time, then played a few more times but not regularly, it wasn’t until 2008 that I started as a resident for a party called “Cassagrande So Fresh” which lasted for 2yrs.

Amazing, How did it feel to play there for the first time, can you talk us through the experience?
It was amazing! It was on the sunset terrace for a ‘We Love’ party and for me it was so special because I see Space Ibiza as the temple of electronic music and I had wanted to play there for a long time. I was so excited my set time was 4pm which for ‘We Love’ is a great time to play! I remember I played after Tania Vulcano, she played from 2pm to 4pm. I remember I was so nervous and excited that I didn’t take it all in because I was 100% focused on pleasing the crowd.

Brilliant! So your relationship with Space started in 2006, but when was the first time you played in Ibiza?
I was about 19 years old and my friend was promoting a party for DC10 this was before Circo Loco was a massive success. It was an amazing experience. Then I played for a party called Balearic People at Privilege. After that Erick Morillo booked me for subliminal @ Pacha which was an achievement for me because I have always admired Erick Morillo. Then I played at Amnesia for a party called Sundown before finding my home at Space Ibiza.

What is your favourite memory of playing as a DJ?
My favourite memories of playing are always at Space, but not my first time because as I said it wasn’t the one I enjoyed the most. I would have to say the 2009 Opening Fiesta Sunday 7pm sunset terrace is the one that stands out for me!

So as a DJ who and what have been your strongest influences?
Well originally Erick Morillo and Roger Sanchez was an inspiration to me as he was and still is one of the best DJs, technically, I have seen. His use of acappella and FX and his sets are so dynamic.
With the new generation and styles coming through it is important to evolve and I like sounds from various producers like chris lake and very underground house DJs like STEVE LAWLER, JORIS VOORN, Nicky Romero, Sunnery james and Ryan marciano. I would say I am trying to make a fusion of the two, underground and commercial.

Can you tell us a little bit about your CD which came out last year?
Sure, Last year I released my first compilation CD ‘Camilo Franco – loves Ibiza’ because I Love Ibiza and I wanted to give something back. It has had really good reviews and I am happy with how it has been received. I had not put out my own CD before and I really wanted to do something with Ibiza in mind.

And you have the new Space Ibiza on Tour compilation out now, right?
Yes sure, Me and Wally Lopez have put this together, Wally did his thing on one CD and I did mine on the other. I tried to keep my CD a little more commercial than Wally’s, and the two work really well together we’re really happy with it.

How about producing have you been in the studio recently?
I haven’t put out any of my own material for about a year and a half, I have put out a few remixes but nothing of my own. More recently I have been going through an evolution, finding my new sound and I am working on two different projects. I still love pure house music and the original sound but the sound is changing and the market is very different now so it is about appealing to a new generation of music lovers. I am looking to get in with more energy and a more main room sound.

IS: We can’t wait to hear what you come up with!
Now coming back to DJing, when your playing out what tricks do you have up your sleeve to rescue a set and get people dancing again if you feel them getting away from you?
I like to use classic acapella’s, you know from real classic house tunes that everybody knows, but use the acapella over some cool beat, like say Free by Ultra Nate, but this depends a lot on the crowd. For some crowds acapella would work really well and for other crowds not so much, sometimes you have to go with a more underground sound.

What crossover track are you using at the minute in your sets?
Levels by Avicii is a good ‘weapon’ right now but I’m always trying to add something different to make it stand out you know, keeping it cool and still commercially accepted at the same time.

IS: Amazing! Thanks for giving us a little insight to the world of Camilo Franco.
To finish off we’ve got a few quick fire questions, ok?

Sure. Right,

What car do you drive?
BMW 118i

What car would you like to buy?
A Range Rover

What CD is in the CD player in your car?
Space Ibiza presents Space Ibiza on Tour, mixed by Camilo Franco & Wally Lopez Obviously!

Iphone or Blackberry?
iPhone

Best party you’ve played at?
I played for the Space festival in Sydney on New Years Day 2011 It was amazing I love Sydney and the crowd was great!

What days can we expect to see you back at Space?
Well I can say I’ll be playing at Space Opening Fiesta 2012 next Sunday May 27th and for the moment I can´t give you more details about which days I’ll be playing during the summer , but I’ll keep you posted !!

Last but not least, what was your score in the Ibiza Social quiz??
Around 1 minute

A big thank you to Camilo for taking the time out to speak with us today and we look forward to catching up with you on the white isle over a beer or two! Thank you guys too, see you in the sunshine!

interview by ibizasocial.com