Audiojack have most recently joined the DJ thrown free-party club; their initial Sunday Social kicking off earlier this month. Jamie and Rich met on island over a decade ago as budding DJs, the new venture comes as they celebrate five years of their record label Gruuv.
All in order to offer an alternative to the excessive clubbing cost in Ibiza, which greets you once you've paid the door fee, scoped the place out, your next move to grab a drink, hitting you with expensive reality. In Ibiza there is always another way. As Audiojack explains, “Going back a thousand years ago it was an island of pirates and rogues, so there's always going to be that element of pirate and rogue clubs charging high prices, but it's also been an island of free love and free-spirited living.”
The fortnightly Sunday Social was promoted via a facebook event posted the week before, and minimal black posters asking to ‘Dig A Little Deeper' dotted about on island. Not digging from your pocket, but for new places to spend your evenings. The timing felt right during the middle of their second summer living on island, staying next door to each other. “We're settled in now, we know people, and feel comfortable on the island. It all pointed towards one thing, people wanted to go somewhere to hang out, and not get ripped off. And they can leave – as a music fan, paying €60 for a night out is such a commitment. If you don't like the music it seems a waste.”
Chosen location Veto Social Club seemed a good fit, never charging for entrance, “their ethos and our ethos are already aligned.” Boasting outdoor seating, and a dimly lit dance floor lined with stone bricks, you'll find refreshments relatively priced. As drink prices usually multiply by one hundred when you step foot in the club, Audiojack wanted to have something people wouldn't worry will cost a fortune, mentioning the ludicrousy of workers nursing a bottle of water the whole night and Pacha charging half for drinks in wintertime. High costs apparently lie with businesses trying to make enough money to sustain in wintertime plus export cost. The latter is something Jamie rejects: “to charge €12 for a bottle of water... even if you shipped it from Mars, it wouldn't cost that.”
Although they've kept a low gigging profile since being based in Ibiza, not wanting to “jump on everything that comes up,” the two plan to continue the parties throughout the year. “This is an island of two opposites, we're just as excited to be doing this in the winter.” A desire for a house party vibe possibly inspired by after parties from their hometown. “600 people in, two days after a Saturday night. That was kind of the Leeds thing,” Jamie recalls.
Audiojack's rework transpires to a vocal line loop from Marvin Gaye's ‘Just to Keep You Satisfied'
Other DJs welcoming us inside for free in Ibiza include tINI and the Gang on Wednesdays, Guy Gerber's Rumors party on Sundays, along with Andrea Oliva and Carl Craig. Audiojack are keen to support similar parties on island, in the past writing on social media when they're happening. “Having the option to have a good time without spending loads of money. It's not just us doing that, so why should we just promote our thing? We're trying to get away from that monopolisation.”
Sunday Social's bill will be kept under wraps until you glance at a set list inside. “We've got some DJ friends who might or might not come down. It shouldn't be about headliners. Their name will sell a party because of whatever reputation they've built themselves. That doesn't necessarily mean you're going to hear better music from them.” As Richard suggests university students who spend all day mixing, with more time to look for records, may make better DJs. “Whereas we run a record label, make music and tour at weekends as well, so that limits the amount of time you've got to find new music, and also to go out and experience events.”
"A THOUSAND YEARS AGO THIS WAS AN ISLAND OF PIRATES AND ROGUES, SO THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE THAT ELEMENT OF PIRATE AND ROGUE CLUBS CHARGING HIGH PRICES... BUT IT'S ALSO BEEN AN ISLAND OF FREE LOVE AND FREE-SPIRITED LIVING."
The sets shall see them crate dig, looking back on the music they've played in the last ten years. “We've got our sound with Audiojack, with this we can play the music we love that might not be appropriate for our Audiojack sets right now.” A DJ slot is up for grabs on the first few nights to anyone with a pair of headphones, and suitable song selection, the DJ competition done in an attempt to build a sense of community. “You get a segregation in a lot of clubs where the DJ and their friends are there, and the clubbers are there.” They remember what it's like as an aspiring DJ, each coming to the island with a bag of records in 2002. “We found it near impossible to get a gig anywhere.”
After the first event, “the vibe in here when we finished was perfect” - exactly what Jamie said they'd hoped for. As promised it was a little chaotic, with a couple of people supposed to play not turning up. “That's Ibiza though, people end up having a good time wherever they are.” Unfazed, the two ended up playing for six hours. Long sets can be over all too soon, adds Richard saying at the end of 5 years of Gruuv in Berlin last night he thought he could have continued another two hours. “One of the longest gigs we did where I disbelieved it had finished was one of the Carl Cox gigs last year. We played for 5-6 hours and by the time we finished it felt like we played for just an hour.”
In recent celebration of Gruuv, Audiojack asked a bunch of producers to create 25 tracks. Compiled into two mixes, one for the day and night, making EP copies on CDs to give away. “We didn't do it to make money, just as a milestone, something to remember for five years of running the label. A physical thing we can be proud of.” Sundays work well to finish off the weekend of gigs, “that's the right time to do this party, be a bit jaded and hang out with some friends.” With little sleep in-between flying back from Berlin they seemed to be coping well, possibly from the buzz of an exciting and landmark point in time.
Richard earlier on had reflected on it all. “Thinking back to us ten-twelve years ago when we were the kids in Ibiza who couldn't get any gigs. If you had told me what we had lined up this weekend, Friday night with B.Traits on BBC Radio 1, flying from our house in Ibiza to do our label night in Berlin, coming back after to do our own night... That's the stuff dreams are made of.”
WORDS | Emma Gillett
