Interview: Visionquest chat to Skiddle

SETH TROXLER
 

You're doing the season in Ibiza this year, how are you finding it so far? I'm also out here for the summer, it's quite something don't you think?
I’m loving living in Ibiza, but I’m touring so hard that I’m hardly ever there! This is my first summer living in Ibiza and I’m definitely loving the experience, it’s certainly very different from just coming and going all summer long, it’s nice to have my own place and to get to hang out, go for meals etc with all my Ibizan friends.

And tell us about your favourite party on the White Isle so far?
It’s got to be my residency at Circo Loco, which never fails to deliver week on week. Closing the Terrace every week gives me the perfect opportunity to test out new tracks and dig out old jams. Circo Loco is pretty much the only place that I’m playing this summer on Ibiza apart from one booking at Cocoon and a forthcoming gig with Pete Tong at Pacha.

Earlier this month you played a Cocoon weekend across three events in Leeds, Frankfurt and Ibiza, what was that like?
Pretty full on… especially given that I did five gigs in total that weekend. I started out in Dublin at the Button Factory, then flew on to Cocoon in the Park in Leeds which was really cool. We played early and made the most of the sunshine before it started raining later on. After that I did Skylab in Paris which is this party on the site of one of the remaining Concorde planes just outside CDG Airport in Paris. The following morning I flew onto Frankfurt and played before Sven on the main stage at Love Family Park which was pretty cool, and then the next day I flew on to do the Terrace at Cocoon at Amnesia, again playing before Sven. I finally ended up at the Cocoon after party at La Plage the following day, playing back to back with Dubfire and ended up having to reschedule my flight to Berlin to the following day!

And what tune are you really feeling at the moment?
Roman Flugel ‘Cookie Dust’ (Robert Johnson) 

See upcoming Seth Troxler events

RYAN CROSSON
 

You said yourself that this August 1st marks the first step in Visionquest's plans to transform clubbing spaces across the world to give your own unique partying experiences – can you give us a sneak peak into how you plan to do this at DC10?
It’s quite an undertaking, we’ve had a team of about ten people working on various aspects of it for over a month. I’m not going to reveal too much about what we are actually doing because you’ll need to come and see it for yourself, but let's just say we are drastically remodelling certain very familiar aspects of the club.

Where else will you be taking this new project?
We’ve got so many plans in the pipeline to move the Visionquest immersive environment concept forwards, and to take these sort of parties to new and exciting spaces over the coming months. We won’t be doing many more Visionquest events in 2012, which will give us the chance to really hone the concept and come back all guns blazing in 2013 with a series of unforgettable Visionquest experiences at key venues worldwide.

How would you describe Ibiza to somebody who hasn't had the pleasure of visiting the island before?
Rather like trying to describe Burning Man to someone who’s never been there before, describing Ibiza is similar to trying to explain colour TV to someone who’s only ever owned a black and white TV set. All I’d say is, “you have to go check it out… soon!!!”

And what's your favourite tune of the moment?
Although not playing it much at clubs, it's definitely Benoit & Sergio - Floats (ghost track) Visionquest

SHAUN REEVES

As a collective, Visionquest must have had some unforgettable experiences over the last seven years.

Tell us about one of your most memorable times?
Yes there have been loads, almost too many to remember. There are two that really stick in my mind. The first would be the first time we threw a Hot Quest party at Burning Man. This was when all four members of Visionquest came together with Jamie, Lee and Richy from Hot Creations at the Disco Knights camp on the Saturday morning and we all played together for hours on end as the sun was coming up. All our friends turned out in force and it ended up being one of the most special DJ sets that any of us have ever played. The other special moment that really stands out was the first time I played on the beach in Tulum in Mexico. Earlier in the night I’d managed to fall down a manhole into practically an open sewer (which was horrible) and so ended up playing for hours in only my boxer shorts on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

You recently reached release #15 on the Visionquest label with the Teen Collection Hot Jam 96. What's next in the pipeline?
Next up we have an EP from Lee Curtiss which includes the tracks ‘Body Twitch’ and ‘Freak’ which have been getting quite a lot of attention by the few DJs who have them, over the last few months.

How many years have you been partying at DC10 and what do you think it is that makes the club such a special place?
As we’re from America we all came to Ibiza fairly late in the day, especially when compared to people like Jamie Jones and Lee Foss who’ve been going every summer since 2000, so we’ve only been going to and playing at DC10 for the last three years. That said, it’s definitely THE most influential club in the world over the last decade and it’s such a privilege to get to be part of that particular story on a regular basis during the summer.

And what's your number one tune to play out right now?
Barnt ‘Geffen’ (Comeme) 

See upcoming Ryan Crosson events

LEE CURTISS

What's been your favourite Visionquest release so far?
Wow that’s a tough one as we’re pretty proud of most of the tracks that we’ve released so far on the label. I’m not going to pick one specific release out in the spirit of fair play, but I was really pleased with how well the Maceo Plex record did last year, it kinda became the underground soundtrack to the summer.

Do you each have individual roles in the group? If so, how would you describe them?
We are all involved in the decision making process when it comes down to major decisions. For the label we each are finding new music/artists that interest us and we can present to the whole group. Music aside, Seth is extremely savvy with design so he has spearheaded the artwork for the label along with our design team. Ryan and Shuan have been doing a lot of label logistics and artist relations to get things to mastering and are starting to take a more active role in press functions. I tend to lead on the musical side of things, helping with mix downs and making sure things sound how we’d originally imagined them.
 

We read that you like cooking, what's your speciality?
I haven't tasted too many other folks' BBQ in the techno world but Seth, Ryan and I all come from a long line of BBQing men in our families. For us there's really nothing better than spending a day worshiping food with friends. I can't say exactly what you should cook because that depends on what you like but my tips for everyone are these. 1.Spend the extra money on better meat, seasoning and veg. 2. Take the extra time to marinade the food over night, you will be happy you did. 3. Slow and steady wins the race… as with most foods, low heat and slow cooking will render better results. 4. Get drunk while you cook, it helps the time pass and makes your friends seem more entertaining.

And what tune has been top of your list when playing out recently?
Not wanting to shamelessly blow my own trumpet, but I’m really pleased with the reception that my new track coming out on Visionquest called ‘Freaks’ has been getting, including huge support from Richie Hawtin over the last month or so.

See upcoming Lee Curtiss events

Check out Visionquest at DC10 on Wednesday 1st August 2012

Interview by: Jack Law

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See upcoming events at DC10