Last night at Space Ibiza, Fatboy Slim played the kind of set that comes along so infrequently you’ll be kicking yourself if you missed out. And with support from Tensnake, The Shapeshifters, John Morales, Simon Dunmore and The Mambo Brothers and Space packed to the rafters, it was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the season so far! Ahead of his set, we caught up with Norman to ask him about playing a different kind of set at his favourite club.
Hi Norman, thanks for talking to us. You’re going to be making your Glitterbox debut tonight....
I’m looking forward to it! It’s going to be nice to see Space from a different perspective. It’s great to be playing a different event at my absolute favourite club. For the past 10 years I’ve been committed to one thing there and you start to go through some of the same motions. Glitterbox will have a different crowd with a different atmosphere and that’s really cool.
Will you look to incorporate the Smile High Club at Glitterbox in some way?
Yes, I’m thinking about ways of bringing smiles on the night. One rule I do have concerns the moody strippers clubs often employ to dance in cages... I have a problem with that! You can check my rider for Glitterbox... it says that I won’t play if there are any moody strippers. That is, unless they’re transvestites or the dancers’ bodies are painted yellow with smileys all over! It’s all about the smiles!
Norman, what’s your view on Ibiza as clubbing entity in 2015?
The chasm between EDM and serious dance is wider than ever. There are two distinct tribes. But then people can chop and change and I quite like that. Some people want a bit of both scenes. Every year, of course, I say that the EDM bubble will burst. It still hasn’t but, today, EDM is so far away from what we started with dance music that many people want to head back to basics. As for the VIP thing, it does create a shite atmosphere but there has to be a necessary compromise. If a club is all VIP that’s not great, but if big brands are sponsoring good events with good music then a VIP space can be tolerated. Those events will still have real audiences. In some clubs the VIP area is kept away from everything anyway!
At the end of the day, there needs to be a logical conclusion to this kind of issue. I’m reminded of when I’ve taken [Fatboy party] Big Beach Boutique to Brazil. There the chasm between VIP and regular punter is dangerous...there’s a massive gap between rich and poor. But the VIP crowd has backed the event, and they’ve had a space right behind me close to the action...and my arse...whilst the main crowd has danced on the beach in front for free. That’s worked well I think!
You’re 51 – is there a shelf life for someone in your raucous line of work?
I have an endless supply of 18-year-olds to feed off of. Their energy, when I’m DJing, keeps me motivated...keeps me feeling young. I am a 51-year-old man, yes, but musically I’m still an irresponsible 18-year-old lunatic. In this day and age dance music is absolutely massive and you can work all year round. In 2014, I played 92 shows and loved it. Sorting my tunes every week; preparing edits for my sets, and then sharing my experiences with everyone is a joy that keeps me going and going.
So there’s a lot more to come....
I won’t do the studio until I have the right idea but, as I say, who knows now? As for the DJing, I’m happy to keep moving sideways rather than try and escalate all the time. I can’t compete with the scale of things that acts like Swedish House Mafia have achieved, so there’s less pressure if I move sideways and just look for the gigs that interest and engage me. My 14-year-old son played Cafe Mambo with me last summer, too, so God knows what beast I’ve unleashed there!
Buy your tickets for Glitterbox at Space Ibiza and don’t miss out another unbelievable night with Basement Jaxx and many more!