QUICKIE: Catching Up With…Pete Gooding

It’s perhaps one of the world’s most recognised bars and an institution in Ibiza. Year on year it attracts thousands of people over a season, all eager to experience the stunning sunset and an atmosphere which is second to none. Attracting DJs and producers as diverse as Luciano to Tiesto, Jamie Jones to Aeroplane, Café Mambo is one of the few places that can offer that magic combination of ambience and energy every single night. But beyond all the superstar names, leftfield legends and rising talent who pass through on a weekly basis, there are some truly exceptional residents at its heart. Having been DJing there on and off since 1996, Pete Gooding has helped build Café Mambo become a place of near-mythical stature.

Tasked with sound-tracking arguably the best sunset in the northern hemisphere, his eight hour sets are nothing short of astonishing, proving just what it means to programme a night and master the art of selection. A hugely popular producer in his own right, as well as recent blogger, radio presenter and soon to be label owner, Pete is submersed in music. This Saturday he'll be bringing that special Balearic atmosphere to Metropolitan which will be celebrating its tenth birthday. In a time when headline acts play two hour sets to an already heaving crowd, this will be a rare opportunity to experience the talent of a DJ who has well and truly earned his stripes.

Check out over five hours of Pete Gooding live from Café Mambo below as well as an interview with the man himself:







Synth: You’ve been a resident at the world-renowned Café Mambo for over fifteen years, how would you say the place has changed since you started out? Obviously they put the boardwalk in a few years back, do think that changed the experience at all?

Pete: Well I was the main resident from 1996-2005 and then in 2010 and on and off ever since, but I was also going there as a customer since 1994 when it opened. In the beginning it was a nice quiet bar to escape the very busy Cafe Del Mar, but this soon swapped round and Cafe Mambo became the busy one. Not that much has changed; all the big DJs still play there. The sunset is thankfully left to the residents as I believe it's important that the right music is played at that time of day as it’s very special and on a good day thousands of people pack around the bar to watch. Since the boardwalk went in it brought more passing trade I guess, and it does look good, but lost a little of the intimacy of the original lay out.

Synth: Your known for playing some truly incredible eight hour sets at Mambo – most DJs would probably shit themselves if they had to DJ for 8hrs these days, how do you go about structuring your set and how does it take course over the night?

Pete: At Mambo it was easy for me to be honest, and I love those long sets. Even when I did them every day I always looked forward to them. I would start with chilled down-tempo stuff, then one hour before sunset take it down until I'm playing beatless ambient stuff, as well as classical and film soundtracks, just to get a really intense vibe. Then as soon as the sun sets I would change the mood and go to down-tempo and mid-tempo stuff, maybe the odd classic from people like The Cure, The Blow Monkeys, Pink Floyd or whatever, then build slowly until I’m playing really atmospheric Deep House. Then as the sky got darker the guest would usually play for an hour or so and I'd play all types of house and end the set with a couple of hours of old Disco, Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, Latin, maybe some mellow Drum n Bass as well - so over the course of the night I really play a wide selection of stuff.

Synth: This Saturday you’ll be bringing your Mambo tour to the Metropolitan Bar in Glasgow, are there any specific records from this year’s Ibiza season which will get you emotional? If so, care to share?

To be honest this year has been amazing for music. I have not been In Ibiza as much this season as I’ve been so busy, but some of the stand out tracks for me this year are:

Nneka - 'Shining Star' (Joe Goddard remix)
Climbers - 'Go With The Flow'
Ben Pearce - 'What I Might Do'
Subb An - 'What I Do' (Burnski Remix)
Ornette - 'Crazy' (Noze Remix)
Heels Of Love - 'Flight 707'
Jazzanova - 'I Human'
Mark Fanciulli - 'Sacrifice'
Maetrik - 'The Poem'
Klankarbeit - 'Art is Hard'
Dan Ghenacia & Shonky - 'Close To The Edge'
T Polar - 'Crossroads'

And I'm really happy with some of my tracks I have done. 'Same Old Street' is forthcoming on Secret Life Records, 'Limbo' on Toolroom and 'Mirage' on Stripped Recordings.


Sunset at Mambo: special

Synth: Having been in Ibiza for so long you’re probably one of the best people to talk to about how the island has changed. We believe that it’s in its best place for years with the variety and quality that’s on offer, but do you think it has perhaps become to commercialised?

Pete: Well anything this good gets popular. When I was first going there in 1989 I thought they were the early days and not commercial, but it turns out people say the 1960s and 1970s were great and everything that followed was commercial, so it is what it is, it's all a matter of perspective I guess. It's a great place to have an amazing time at the end of the day, yes it's more commercial as time goes by but I still love it!

Synth: You recently launched a new blog called Secret Life which we’ve spent a lot of time browsing (especially ‘A Short Film About Chilling’), can you tell us a little about why you started the blog and what else you're looking forward to over the next few months?

Pete: Well we wanted a blog to post stuff we were interested in, there is no agenda, just DJ mixes from DJs we respect, articles on people who interest us and so on, we only started it 5 months ago but so far had 1/4 of a million hits so we are really pleased. Secret Life Records launches soon, our new record label - the first release is from me called 'Same Old Street' with a remix from Robot 84 which is out in November. We have the first 4 releases signed so I’m really excited about this as musically it will span more Balearic mid-tempo stuff and Deep House and some more interesting Techno inspired stuff.

Pete Gooding plays the Metropolitan's 10th birthday this Saturday.

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