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Santé and Sidney Charles talk to us about Barcelona, playing b2b2b and bossing their own night
House | Monday 20th July 2015 | Christina
As well as being hugely successful in their own right - Santé runs AVOTRE, which has grown into an established label in just a few years, and Sidney Charles consistently releases highly acclaimed music, topping RA’s Most Charted Artists of 2013 - together they are one of the hottest duos in the world right now. The pair have got a monster summer ahead of them, playing at their very own Ibiza party Do Not Sleep, alongside Darius Syrossian, as well as festivals all over the world, including Eastern Electrics at Hatfield House on August 1st. They took some time out to talk about Barcelona, playing b2b2b and bossing their own night.
How’s it going guys? Life treating you good?
Santé: Super good at the moment, thanks. We are enjoying Ibiza and touring a lot at the moment.
Sidney Charles: Really good! We had a superb start to the Ibiza season and I am living on the island over the summer. It’s nice to enjoy the contrast with the city life for a couple of months.
I was at the Avotre vs Moda Black Off Sonar party in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago, and there was such a great vibe there, it was definitely one of the parties of the week. How was Barcelona for you?
S: It’s always great to play in Barcelona but Sonar and especially our own showcase there was absolutely ace. Vibe was outstanding even though it was too hot; the ac broke down! I reckon it made the vibe better, you could feel the heat music wise and party wise, it was intense! A lot of DJ friends came by and we had a brilliant time there.
SC: I was in Barcelona for less than 24hrs so I can only tell about this short amount of time I experienced this year. Right after we arrived from Ibiza we went to Richie Hawtin’s party in the market place at Las Ramblas. It was free so you can imagine how crowded it was. After that we got ready for our own party. The line-up was wicked this year and I was looking forward to playing alongside all the great artists. I liked the venue a lot as its size was perfect to create a good vibe. The people who came were all very much up for making the night a crazy one. Everyone was melting in there as there also was no air conditioning and it was dripping from the ceiling! I had to leave straight after my set to get ready to fly to my next gig. The couple of hours I was in the club were super cool for me. I enjoyed every minute, talking to some fans finding out where they came from. Some even came from Australia or Brazil and were looking forward to listening to our music. It was a great experience and I'm looking forward to next year’s Sonar as well!
Let’s take it back a bit. How did you two start working together?
S: I was following Sidney for a while and then he signed his first track to Kling Klong where I did a remix for his first release. After that he moved to Berlin and our friendship started.
SC: I got to know Santé about four years ago when he had to do a remix for one of my first releases I had on Kling Klong. Even before I started producing on my own I was a fan of his sound and his DJ sets. The first time we met in person was at a bar in Kreuzberg, Berlin. I was visiting a friend who was also living there and I thought why not try to meet? We had a really cool night. His brother was playing at Watergate and we came home in the early hours of the morning. When I told him about my plans of moving to Berlin he was very open to help me out finding a place and so on. Since then he has always supported me in my musical development. We did spend some time in his studio as well (I couldn't afford one on my own at that time and I was only making music from home with a laptop and headphones) and after more sessions we started to enjoy working together.
You play together a lot, so how to your b2b sets differ to your solo sets? And do you think being friends with the people you play with, like Darius Syrossian as well, change how you perform?
S: It’s always great to play along with friends, our b2b2b sets are outstanding cause we usually play longer than if we would play alone, so we have more time to build a night, which is amazing.
SC: In general I think when we play together it’s more techy and more upfront compared to when I play alone. Alone I play more housey and also more classic tunes. Together with Santé our sets sound more modern and it’s more for peak time hours, and very often we play techno as well when the time fits. With Darius, again, it's a totally different thing. It’s all about adapting to each other’s habits and trying to make the right mix to fit into the tune of the other person. We never plan anything musically. We all go with the flow and use the great energy between us to our advantage.
Do you have any rituals you do before playing?
S: I try to have a proper sleep before we do an all night long b2b.
SC: I have a little Buddha-statue in my wallet. It’s like my talisman. Before I play he gets a kiss.
Along with Darius, you two are running the huge Do Not Sleep night in Ibiza this summer, how did you go about putting it all together?
S: It’s such a good feeling to start something of our own, with all the risk and excitement. We wanted to have the freedom to do what is best for our kind of music, which is proper underground house music. There is stress and pressure but this is how it is when you are building something on your own.
SC: We are working very closely together with the guys from Electric Ibiza. They already had a really good plan about how it all should look and how we were going to realise the events. When it came to the line-ups and the club/light design, we all came to a mutual agreement. Also, because everything was decided last minute we didn't have so many options to choose from and had a lot of time pressure. When the question about the venue came up we were super happy with Vista Club as this venue is perfect for our type of music.
You pre-opened with a free party last month, why did you decide to do that?
S: It was Absolutely amazing! The vibe, the crowd and the sunrise, I would say this is the best Ibiza clubbing experience you can get when the mood changes from a dark warehouse vibe to a warm sunrise after-hour! Unbelievable.
SC: It was not a totally free party, but it was more to give the workers on the island something back and we thought that everyone would appreciate it if we invited them down to have a party!
You’ve got massive line-ups for the rest of the nights, it must be a great feeling to have everyone so excited for it?
S: Totally! Really looking forward to this!
SC: Yes it is. I am super excited to share the decks with all the great artists like Richy Ahmed, Dennis Ferrer, Dense & Pika, Marquis Hawkes, and Nathan Barato to name a few. Their sound in my eyes is perfect for that venue and I am looking forward to listening to their sets on this soundsystem.
Do you guys get a chance to party when you’re over there? If so, which is your favourite place to go?
S: Yes me and Sid went down to DC10 on Monday - perfect after-hour after our Do Not Sleep Sunday.
SC: Yes of course. I love the vibe at DC10 and Space. Especially the sound at Space, it’s so good and surprises me every time I go there. I also love to go the day beach parties at No Name Beach Club or Beachouse.
You’re both playing the Sankeys stage at Eastern Electrics next month, which is shaping up to be an amazing day. What have you got in store?
S: Going to try and bring a slice of Ibiza to the English countryside! We have a lot of tracks doing the business for us that I hope will get the crowd moving.
SC: I played at EE before and it is one of my fave festivals in the UK. I am looking forward to dropping a lot mine and Santé’s new tunes!
Who else are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?
S: Mike Skinner! I am a huge fan of The Streets so I am looking forward to hear him spinning.
SC: Definitely Cassy, Delano Smith and Joris Voorn!
You tour a lot and have played all over the world, do you have a favourite spot?
S: There are so many, it’s hard to tell but to mention a few; Watergate in Berlin, The Cut in Newcastle, Mint Club in Leeds and Amnesia in Milan.
SC: It’s hard to have a favourite place because in most countries the way of partying is also so different. But I can say I was totally in love with Argentina after my first tour. Super warm people and the party venues and the vibes were amazing.
Do you see a difference in the vibe and the crowds, for example those in Europe to those in America?
SC: Yes totally. I have not played in North America yet but the people in South America are more into the after vibe of creating a zone to party with each other. So there you can see everyone is having a great time but the people are not so much putting their hands up in big breaks. In Europe I have the impression the people often tend to love these hands in the air moments.
Where else are you playing this summer?
SC: Looking much forward to Mysteryland in Amsterdam, Set Out Festival in Izmir, Turkey, Mixmag party with Adam Beyer and Ida Engberg in Birmingham, Ceremony Festival where we have our own AVOTRE stage, Space Ibiza closing, Wonderland Festival NL and Papagayo in Tenerife. Those ones are the ones I’m really excited about!
Sidney you recently released your Impermanence EP, which has gone down really well. Tell us about the inspiration behind the record.
SC: ‘Impermanence’ is the lead track and I am referring to the law of nature that everything is constantly changing from moment to moment. Nothing ever stays the same even when it appears like this to our senses. All is a constant flowing flux. When I first read about this law in a Buddhistic Zen book, I was happy to know this important thing about reality as it shows me that every moment is a special one. If you are able to remind yourself of this you can save yourself a lot of trouble in your mind. I mostly tried to put my thoughts and feelings to this into a track and ‘Impermanence’ came out.
Santé I saw on Facebook that you’ve been finishing up some stuff in the studio, when can we expect those releases?
S: We have a new Hot Creations EP out very soon and I have signed an EP for Saved and a remix on Moon Harbour. Also Sid and I are doing an AVOTRE summer compilation called Ibiza Heat; two tracks from us as well as others from many talented newcomers.
What’s on the cards for AVOTRE for the rest of the year? And I know it’s more than just music, so how are you building it into a brand?
S: We have our first festival stage at Found’s Ceremony Festival this September, also a huge showcase at ADE in Amsterdam and our first big AVOTRE South American tour. Music-wise we have some massive new tracks coming from the likes of Josh Butler, Eskushe & NuSky, OnnO and Russ Yallop. It's going to be a strong and exciting end to the year!
What are your go-to tracks to really get a crowd going?
SC: Yade – ‘Guilty Pleasure’, Tiger Stripes – ‘Brrr’, Mennie – ‘Organica’.
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever gotten in trouble for?
SC: I ran away from school when I was 10 years old and my whole hometown was searching for me as I was officially missing. Only reason I did this is because I came back too late from the school break and I was afraid of my teacher screaming at me. It was winter and I left my shoes in the classroom. In the end one of my mother’s friends found me in a shopping centre where I was hiding in a store for carnival costumes. Never saw my mother that angry.
If your house was on fire and you had time to grab one possession, what would you save?
SC: My laptop. There is so much of my creative work on there that it’s easily my most important item.
If you could fill a swimming pool with anything, what would it be and why?
SC: Coconut water! Love it and it’s so healthy.
Santé on Twitter.
Sidney Charles on Twitter.
Catch Santé and Sidney Charles at Eastern Electrics Festival, Hatfield House on August 1st.
