Pacha

Meet Jose Pascual and find out what it takes to put this event together every year:

How would you describe the Ibiza DJ Awards?

The DJ Awards is always a celebration and a night to have fun, where everyone can gather and say goodbye to the season. This year, like every year, we made a few changes with the categories and Special Awards. We also had a live performance from Shawnee Taylor which was amazing.

You introduced a couple of new categories, why did you feel the need to include them?

Urban and Eclectic were the new categories this year. Urban has definitely had a big influence in Ibiza this year and we wanted to honor those artists who are crossing over into the dance industry with this sound. Eclectic House is something unique – something which can’t be defined in a classic way – and by creating this category, it gives recognition to artists who are experimenting and pushing the boundaries with different styles.

Ibiza evolves year on year, does the DJ Awards reflect this evolution at the end of each season?

Of course. Like every year, we make small changes to the DJ Awards that reflects the evolution in electronic music in Ibiza and internationally. We always try to embrace the new styles of music that are emerging.

The DJ Awards is considered the definitive awards ceremony that truly reflects the season in Ibiza, how satisfying is it that your hard work has paid off?

The best satisfaction is the recognition from the DJs because at the end of the day, the Awards are for them. How difficult was it getting people to invest in your idea when you launched in ’98? Pacha has supported the DJ Awards from the start – the hardest thing was to convince the DJs! However after the first event, it gathered more and more support and that spread in waves, reaching more and more people every year. A little like a nuclear reaction…

What’s the hardest task you face when producing the DJ Awards?

You can’t separate one from the other and there’s too many too mention!! It’s not an easy job but when you see it come together on the night, it makes all the hard work worthwhile.

You recently introduced a ‘Bedroom DJ’ competition, how has that gone and can we expect to see a superstar DJ emerge from it one day?

We introduced this three years ago and it’s something we started because a lot of people were asking us how they could become a DJ, so, we thought of a way to give new talent a unique opportunity. It’s gone really well this year and the standard of entries has been high – we’re really pleased – and yes, we do expect to see a superstar emerge one day! Actually, the first ever Bedroom DJ competition winner now regularly does gigs all over the world and she has just had her first track signed by music label Heavensgate.

When does the programming and planning for the next DJ Awards start?

The day after!

www.djawards.com

Interview by essentialIbiza.com