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Smokin Jo In Ibiza- I Find London So Depressing

Author: Jonty Skrufff
Friday, August 15, 2003
Forging her career as one of Trade's early resident DJs, Smokin Jo quit London three years ago, to base herself in Ibiza, tying down residencies at superclubs like Manumission and Space to cement her new life. Nowadays happily settled on the island, she's altered her DJ style considerably in recent years, toning down the harder beats in favour of the funky house favoured by the island's main clubs, recently releasing a mix CD for Space, showcasing her latest musical taste. Chatting down the line from her Balearic villa to Jonty Skrufff, she sounded happy if a little muted, about her life and times since moving to Ibiza.

Skrufff : How's the season in Ibiza been going for you so far-

Smokin Jo: "It's been really good so far, it's always a bit crazy for the first week then it dies down a little, so some people are already panicking saying 'it's really quiet' but actually there's a really nice vibe with much nicer people here. Lot of the idiots seem to be staying away now."

Skrufff: British tabloid newspapers said recently that loads more Guardia Civile (paramilitary police) are on the island, have you noticed heavier security on the island-

Smokin Jo: "There definitely seems to be more police on the island than usual. I haven't noticed any heavier security in the clubs though there are a lot more Guardia Civil cars driving around. The airport's the same as usual, there doesn't seem much security there at all."

Skrufff: We interviewed Adam Sky recently and he revealed he was stung by a jellyfish when he was last there ('There's lots of medusas out here'), are there many jellyfish in Ibiza-

Smokin Jo: "There are always a lot, it seems whenever there's a storm out at sea, they all wash ashore, quite a lot of my friends have been stung, and some have really bad scars actually. I don't really go in the water very much, because I don't want to be stung. They come in waves, though it doesn't seem too bad at the moment."

Skrufff: Do you generally go to the beach very much-

Smokin Jo: "Yeah, though people in England always imagine I'm at the beach every day, I actually go once or twice a week, for a couple of hours, usually when my friends are here. I have quite a lot to do here. If I'm with my friends I might go to somewhere like Salinas (the celebrity beach and home to Sa Trinchas- Ed), though otherwise I'll go somewhere private and quiet, by myself, somewhere up North, for example."

Skrufff: Your latest mix CD has been done for the Ibiza club Space, how much has their involvement affected the tracks you've selected-

Smokin Jo: "Azuli Records are behind the CD so they chose around 50% of the tracks, though I was able to say yes or no to them all. It's not a CD aimed at a deep underground scene, it's all very funky and a little vocal-ly, which is what Space's Terrace is all about."

Skrufff: You're not playing that much at Space this year, do you generally play different sets there to the ones you do at Manumission-

Smokin Jo: "I play camper, cheekier music at Manumission, stuff that's less serious."

Skrufff: What do you make of the Har Mar Superstar phenomenon-

Smokin Jo: "He's great but I'm always working at the time he does his show. He's a lovely guy, he certainly enjoys himself. Last week the dancers tried to pull his underpants down on stage and he froze, despite being supposed to be this cool, sexy guy, it was really funny."

Skrufff: The press release for the Space CD talks about you changing along with the club's music, how do see the health of the house music scene at the moment-

Smokin Jo: "It's broken up into so many different fractions and in England it's gone back to really small clubs whereas here in Ibiza it's still going strong. As long as you keep the music fresh, it's still really cool. I'm not very keen on the electro thing, to be honest. It's not for me and the vibe I'm on, I see it as being very 'flash in the pan
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