Mar-T In Residence (Amnesia Ibiza)

When you think of Ibiza, a few clubs spring to mind instantaneously. They're the ones with legendary heritage, the impressive production values and of course, the best events. Amnesia is undoubtedly one of them.

As with all of the White Isle's superclubs, the resident DJs play a pivotal role in the success and reputation of the space in question. It's Mar-T who has been warming up clubbers ready for some of the world's biggest DJs in Amnesia since 1999. His performance is equally, if not more important than the headliner's.

He follows on from the likes of secretsundaze's Giles Smith and Watergate's Butch as part of our In Residence series as we ask him what makes the club's stalwart DJ the most crucial position in the club.

Why do you think that the role of a resident DJ is so crucial to a successful club night?

The resident DJ is the one which lays out the musical direction in the club. When I go to a club to play and the resident DJ is good, I know that the crowd will have a good reaction to my sound. Sometimes it's hard to keep up that level and this motivates the guest DJs to play best possible set.

Clubs without resident DJs don’t have personality, they are music containers where every week you can listen to a different musical style. 

What do you think your duty is as a resident?

As explained in the previous answer, the resident DJ steers the musical direction and this directly affects the programming of the club night, or at least it should be like this. I hate it when I go to a gig and the resident DJ is playing a totally different style from mine. It’s 90% going to be a weird night and I know they made a wrong booking which will in turn affect the club and myself.

Tell us about the very first time you played at Amnesia?

The first time I played at Amnesia Ibiza was in 1999 on at a Foam/La Troya party before techno really arrived in Ibiza. My hands were shaking when I was trying to put the needle on my first record. After a few records I relaxed and had a great time. For me Amnesia is like an electronic music temple and I try to bring that out when I play for them.

How do you think that you represent the club and its music policy?

I think I represent the music policy when I'm playing Amnesia and Hyte tour dates. Amnesia changes its music style every day and it's an open book to play from which I like. It's always changing.

For a long time the resident DJ was overshadowed by the headline act but the scene has come to appreciate and acknowledge them again, with many club nights adopting well known residents for series. Why do you think it's changed?

In Ibiza it started the other way round at first. Lots of UK DJs such as Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling, Pete Tong etc came to the island to listen to Ibiza residents like Alfredo, Pipi, and Melero but then they adopted a more influential position due to the stronger promotion tools in UK. During these years resident DJs in Ibiza disappeared apart for a few.

Now it might be changing because people are attracted to the guest DJ but in the end they might be more impressed by the resident. The UK crowd almost always leave just after they’ve seen the guest DJ and don't even give the next DJ a chance but that doesn't happen in Berlin or many other big cities.

What track in your collection always sets the tone for the night at Amnesia?

I’m not a big fan of having just one track which I always play.

How do your sets differ from when you're playing as a resident to when you’re playing headline gigs?

My sets differ if the set time differs but normally I won’t change my set to keep the guest DJ happy. I hate boring warm-up sets which only serve the purpose of making the guest DJ look better than the resident, including the DJs who ask for lower volume for warm up DJs. Why? Are they scared? Come on... let people have fun all night long. 

What has been your favourite moment playing as a resident DJ at Amnesia?

Recently at a Hyte night I was doing a back to back set with Cuartero in the Main Room and on The Terrace we had this huge headliner, but after two hours they had emptied the Terrace and they had to close the room whilst the Main Room was still packed. Amazing atmosphere - one of my favourite moments.

Like this? Try Tristan Da Cunha In Residence (Back To Basics)