Danny Howard Interview

With a packed season in Ibiza and Mallorca, we had a chat with Danny Howard to find out how he feels about heading back to his second home.

Hi Danny, we’ve been looking over your summer schedule and you’re pretty busy!
Yeah, that’s how I like to be! It’s crazy. I’ve got a lot in Ibiza; I’m back at Pacha, which is one of my favourite clubs in the world, and it’s always surreal to play. I’m doing Cream at Amnesia, and Sankeys as well, so I’m well spread out across Ibiza. I’m doing Mallorca every week at BCM, that’s with my own brand, Nothing Else Matters, so I’m really excited about doing that every week. And we’re also gonna be doing a big London show at Cube with Nothing Else Matters, so that’s going to be exciting. David Zowie’s playing at that, DJ S.K.T, Mr H – a lot of people may not have heard of these DJs, but they’re all up and coming House producers that I think are gonna go onto do big things this summer, so it’s good to get them on the line-ups early.

What’s your aim with Nothing Else Matters?
It focuses on UK producers and artists. It all started when I was getting lots of demos from producers and DJs making really good music, but there’s just no space to get them in the radio show. I thought, “I really want to do something else to give these guys a platform to play their music”, and the best place to do it other than the radio is actually in a club in front of a crowd and that was the initial ethos behind it. That will always be the core thing about Nothing Else Matters. On the odd occasion we’ll have a special guest, but the main focus is on UK artists.

You’re returning to Pacha Ibiza on Saturdays. What memories do you have from last year?
My main memory – I did 20 gigs last year, which is mind blowing – every single week, at some point during my set, whether it was right at the beginning or as I was finishing, I’d have a second where I thought, “How did this happen?” It’s one of the most iconic clubs in the world and my idols played there, so for me to be behind the decks was just so special. Also, getting to play with legends like Masters At Work and Bob Sinclair. Ibiza just felt like home last year, because I was there so much.

So you’ll be returning to your second home?
Definitely. I lived there; I only flew back on a Thursday or Friday to do the radio show on a Saturday at 7pm and then I’d run to the airport to get a flight and I’d be back in Ibiza by midnight. I know I’m so lucky to be able to do that and tried to do the best possible set every time I played.

What do you like to get up to when you’re not on the decks?
Last year, I still had commitments with other work things so I spent a lot of time just sat inside, which sounds really boring, but when I did take a day off, there are so many amazing beaches and so many scenic places to explore on the island, that’s what I like to do. The perception of Ibiza is that it’s all very loud and lairy and all about clubs and drunk people, but I’d say that’s only 10 or 20 per cent of the island. I can see why so many people are attracted to it for how beautiful it is, so if you have time you should definitely go and explore.

It has a history of being the party island of the world, but what is it about Ibiza that makes it so? Is it the sort of place where you feel it as soon as you land?
100 per cent. I’ve never landed anywhere where you get so many cheers when you land. You know you’ve landed in Ibiza, because where else would you land at midnight, get to your hotel at 2am, dump your suitcase and then go out? It’s crazy.

You’re still managing to fit in a few UK gigs; as a Radio 1 DJ, do you get to see or have impact on the next big thing or trend?
To say that you or Radio 1 is solely responsible is a bold statement to make. But because of the audience and the amount of people that listen to that station, if you get a track repeatedly played on air then it definitely has a massive influence. You can impact and help towards who’s gonna be the next big thing or what’s gonna be the next big tune, but everyone’s got their part to play in the industry. Nowadays the Internet has a big part to play. I would say that Radio 1 is still one of the most important platforms.

Where do you find your new music?
I’m in a fortunate position to get sent a lot of stuff up front, so when I’m not going through those promos, I’m very aware that other DJs are getting the same promos, so what can I do to make my show a little bit different? I spend hours going through blogs, other DJs’ playlists, radio shows, what other people are into.

What tracks will you be playing this summer?
A lot! Top three would have to be Camel Phat ‘Constellations’ – it’s not actually been released yet but it’s one of those tunes that I’ll probably go to every single set because it creates a moment; also Denney ‘Low Frequency’ and Kolsch ‘Derdiedas’.

You’re in Ibiza right up through to September; what are your plans after?
I’ll come back to the UK and I’ve got a few shows planned for October and November, and then in December, I’ll be doing Blackpool Rocks with my best friend. We started doing them six years ago in 500-capacity clubs and now we’re doing massive indoor festivals at Christmas that hold 6,000 people. We’ve had Disclosure, Hannah Wants, Pete Tong, Duke Dumont and loads others.

By Charlotte Mellor
@CMellor_03