With a hair-do to rival that of a certain Jamie Jones and a real love of music stemming from his earlier life on the beautiful island of Mauritius, taking in 'deep, soulful, afro, latin, funk mixed up with some love, groove and peaceful energy from the island', you can feel that JP has genuinely taken in the environment and general feeling of well-being that Ibiza gives you and transfered that into his unique sound.
As he looks towards anther great year as an artist with the release of a new EP on DJ Sneaks 'Oomph Recordings', we discuss exactly what made him make the move to Ibiza.
How's life been now you live in Ibiza? What do you do during the winter season?
Life has been very inspiring and very productive since i live in ibiza to be honest, in fact i don't know what took me so long to come and live here, i guess i was waiting for the island to call me, and 4 years ago it did. The winter season is my favorite time of the year, it gives you time to make music and meet the amazing people that lives on this island, prepare yourself for the summer, enjoy the nature and rest your mind, body and soul for another intense summer, honestly its a privilege to live here.
What was your thinking behind making the move from Mauritius to Ibiza in the first place?
I was very attracted to Ibiza since i started to play house music back in 1999, we had DJ mag in Mauritius back then and i could follow every crazy summer, all the happenings in ibiza and it was a dream for me to make it to the island and be part of this big family one day, although i prefer the beaches and nature of my island Mauritius, i was missing the forward music culture of Ibiza and quickly realized that i was too upfront musically to work in Mauritius as a Dj, one thing into another, here i am in Ibiza and i am so grateful for it, all the hard work was worth it.
You've just seen the release of your first EP on Sneak's Oomph Recordings, what can we expect to hear on the EP?
My ep "Go Deeper" on DJ Sneak's label Oomph is the first of 3 ep signed to Sneaks labels, this one is my more deeper side comparing to my other work, 4 tracker very different from each other, inspired a little from the sound of now and classic deep house, "I will never drink again" with myself on the vocal is a hangover repeating funny story that lots of people will probably identify themselves, "The After" is inspired by some afters i was playing when i was living in Valencia, first track when people is getting in with a fat baseline, while "Funky stuff" & "Sin Cantadora" is more with a funky and jazz background, every deepsta will find there own in it, there is some amazing feedback from the big djs already.
What do you think attracted DJ Sneak and his label to the music you produce?
To be honest, its Sneak who contacted me via Soundcloud, letting me know that he was listening to my work and will like me to send him some demos, all exited i send him like 10 tracks and he chose 8 for Oomph and Magnetic. Its a great joy for me to be on Sneaks label as i have always liked his eclectic and constancy way of making music that reflects me a lot, he never stick to the same loop and sounds, always creating new sounds and hype and i also have a huge Magnetic vinyl collection.
Last year you were resident at Sankeys during their debut year on the island, how was that?
It was very good for there first year, they had very interesting parties and line up all summer, great crowd and sound system, i had an amazing time playing there, each night was very special and also thanks to the great staff working there it was magic.
Will you be continuing with the residency this year?
I don't like to attach myself too much to the past, i always like to move forward, i will probably play a couple nights if my friends do something there, but i prefer to stay open for other proposals, just waiting for the right home to be.
What else do you have planned for your season in Ibiza?
This summer im planing to play as much as possible to promote my tracks and make sure i do less parties and more studio work with the amazing djs coming on the island that is hard to do as every night there is something interesting and great djs to see.
You have just played the beautiful Ibizian bar, Shardana, how was that?
Shardana is probably the best place i know on the island, amazing people, great food and good djs every friday in the winter, I've been playing in Shardana a couple times now and each time it only gets better. This time i did a vinyl set of classic deep house from 1998 till 2005, was great crowd and i was sharing booth with Grayson Shipley from the duo "Deepgroove" that totally smash it also, big respect and love to Grayson & all the Shardana crew.
Over the years you've played many different venues across Ibiza, but do you have a favorite, and why?
I don't really have a favorite as the ones i want to play is still on my list, i've enjoyed playing in every one of them, each one is different from the other and has a different energy, vibe and atmosphere, example privilege was a good experience as its not easy to keep this huge dance floor rocking on the other hand Sankeys is a smaller and more unclosed that you can really express yourself and feel the people close to you, i enjoyed both. as for the sound system wise i leave it to the crowd to decide.
The music you play and produce has some really varied influences from around the world. How would you describe your sound?
Absolutely true, i like to explore different style and creative options in my work, i think because of my tropical nature and love for music in general, i like to make & play music for everyone a little bit, like a journey through cultural sounds, its more interesting and reflects the colorful sounds of the world
What has influenced the taste in music that you play and produce?
My Dad is a huge record collector back in Mauritius, its him who introduce me to Jazz, funk, soul, reggae etc.. from Motown to Woodstock i was very well instructed, from there i realized that not everyone like the same kind of music and if i was to play electronic music it will be more than a plus to hear and feel your native or all time favorite music fused, update and reinvented in the sound of now, house music
How's the tour going? You've been around France and Switzerland recently right?
Very good, loving it really been also to Belgium, Spain, Czec republic and each time its a real pleasure to see different culture rocking, loving and embracing house music, looking forward to rock UK and Germany soon
Finally, you've done a podcast for us, could you talk us through the track selection?
The podcast contains lots of deep, soulful, afro, latin, funk mixed up with some love, groove and peaceful energy from the island, couple upfront promos from Ibiza resident djs, some of my favorite track i have been playing last summer and my "Go Deeper" ep, not too deep not too punchy but with a good driven wave, mostly what you will here from me, hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoy making it.
