Mark Broadbent Interview: Bring contraception and plenty of lubricant

Even people who have never been to Ibiza know about the nightclub Space. And the vast majority of them will also know the best day of the week to go… Sunday. The archetypal Balearic party, We Love… Space remains the defining point for many blissed out weekends in the sun and returns this summer for another blistering season with an eye-popping ensemble of talent that reads like a multi arena festival bill rather than a club line-up.

With the opening party barely over a week away, we caught up with the man responsible for booking the talent at the club Mark Broadbent to find out what exactly the club has in store this season.

Hi mark. What can we expect from we love… this season? We understand you focus on evolution rather than out and out changes each year. Is that being mirrored again this time round?

Well there are always plenty of changes to the line-ups we do, but you are right in suggesting that they are more a progression than a complete change of plan. We do have over 40 acts playing for us this summer that have either never played for We Love… before or never played in Ibiza before. Always an exciting prospect if a little un-nerving.

We have a good selection of live acts on this summer starting off on the 16^th June with the fantastic Disclosure who played for us last summer for the first time. Also back again and on a different tip completely are the Swedish duo Skudge who will be bringing their analogue techno roadshow to the Discoteca four times this summer after their island debut with us last year. Derrick May and James Zabiela are our main resident acts in that room this summer and we welcome back Groove Armada to the terrace for their twelfth year representing us.

There will be a good representation across the board musically of who and what we have enjoyed listening to over the winter months since closing the doors to the club in October. Blawan, Boddika, Bleak and Function representing the darker side of what we do whilst new signings Huxley, Dusky, Dense & Pika, and bicep will be bringing a more hands in the air celebration to the main terrace.

What will you be doing in each individual room at the club?

Showcasing the best of the best. Acts covering most aspects and genres of electronic music. Exploring the avenues of electronica.

Are there any other newcomers planned for the events? And what is it that makes you select new talent to be part of the We Love… party?

I kind of covered a lot of this in the first question but there are lots of new acts that have found their way into our conscious and therefore our summer programing over the winter months by either producing something fantastic, or playing out in a club somewhere that has made such an impact on us that we simply could not have them on board.

The former is the case with Pedestrian and Midland, who have made some of the best bits of electronic music I’ve heard in a long time via the born electric label. Joy Orbison and Max Cooper definitely fit into the latter.

How important are your residents and regulars in the fabric of the club?

They are the foundations of what we do, everything is based and built around the main acts and residents we book.

There’s been a lot of change on the island this year, and the re-emergence of the medium sized club with Bomba following Sankeys. What are your thoughts on the qualities these type of clubs bring to the island?

I have no idea as I would never go to either of these venues for very different reasons, so I do not feel qualified to comment. I have asked people who have been to Sankeys what they think and it’s pretty much 50/50. Some love it some hate it. I don’t think there is a venue called Bomba on the island. I have not seen one.

Do you have any advice for any ibiza virgins?

Bring lots of money and don’t expect to take any home. Do what you like but don’t burn the locals. Always wear sunscreen, even at night. Bring contraception and plenty of lubricant. Come to We Love early as it is much cheaper before eleven!

You guys at we love have a strong connection with the garden festival in Croatia. Although what is happening over there is, for the large part, very different to the ibizan party scene, do you still see parallels between the two?

Adults having fun dancing to music of an electronic bent seems pretty unilateral to me. I think that’s the parallel really if you’re looking for one. Oh yeah, it’s generally set in a seaside setting too…and people go there for their holidays….a couple of parallels but there can only ever be one Ibiza or Croatia for that matter…obviously.

We’ve read in other interviews that the only person you’ve never been able to book is Andrew Weatherall. Is this something you still want to make happen?

I would have loved it if Andy had wanted to come play for us but he has his ideas of what the island is to him and I’m not going to drug him and bring him here against his wishes in a big bag. He changes his movements too often to make this an easy option. 

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