Music for Dreams

Having read the Coma Club book and following you brings me to the first question – how do you manage to still be so young at heart?

Simply because I feel like a child; very keen and curious – like curious George – I love going out seeing the evolving sides of Dance and Club Music. I spend more than 25 hours every week just seeking for new music – I love to share music with other people, I am lucky to have been on national radio in Denmark for 4 decades and I am now playing my 4th year on Ibiza Sonica. It is the music that keeps me young.

Do you remember the first record you bought?

Yes!  Daniel Boone – Beautiful Sunday a 7″ – I bought it for my first savings by cleaning up in my parents house. Today my collection is around 70.000 cds and vinyls combined.

When was ‘Music for Dreams’, your label, born – and why?

The idea was more or less born with the chill out compilation called “Music For Dreams” in 1994. A compilation that was so popular, it got bootlegged in Ibiza. In 1994 I worked as an A&R for Emi, there I released the Ambient Ibiza series through my label FLEX. The label sold over 4 1/2 millions records. After some stressful years – I decided to form Music For Dreams in 1999. I did a compilation called Music For Dreams vol. 1 – a book – and at the time we sold around 35.000. When you think of the format etc., it was an achievement.  I started to sign acts and the idea was simple – release timeless music, never compromise on quality and be open minded to all forms of music, since then we have released over 50 albums and sold over 2 million units.

You just told us a tremendous number of sales you reached during all those years with the label, what is the secret of its success?

Quality, great melodies and timeless music.

You still celebrate Coma Events, the next one is in November – what can people expect?

Madness on earth! The guests attending are the club. They love to dress up, as one of the biggest newspapers in Denmark once wrote: “In this crowed, Lady Gaga would blend in” We play all forms of danceable music at the parties, as long as it is quality. These days many clubs tends to go for a one-dimensional road in terms of music, and that can be a good thing but Coma Club (Copenhagen Offers More Action) is the opposite. I would say we are aiming to create a modern dress up version of the Paradise Garage heavily inspired by old New York club Danceteria and the openness of Ibiza throwing in our own commandments and concepts.

Can u tell us a memorable anecdote from the Coma Club ?

There are many – but I remember at one Coma party – this team of four guys emerged from the queue, all dressed head to toe in black, you couldn’t even see their eyes. They started rolling out a red carpet up to the front door. Then the four guys stood in the corner of the red carpet and started clapping in unison as their friend emerged to walk down the red carpet. He was only wearing black socks, black shoes and a pizza box around his stomach like a belt. Nothing else. When he got indoors – the 4 guys rolled out the carpet again and started shooting with soap bubble guns – suddenly a girl – complete stranger – got down on her knees and … well, the rest is up to your imagination.

Being a pioneer of electronic music, do you think that the whole EDM hype damages our electronic world?

I don’t think so – there is room for everybody. I think it gives exposure to the genre dance music in general and at the end of the day, you will have a pyramid where things from the top filters down and people may listen to EDM and discover new dance genres and fall in love with more underground names … Some EDM names put on a fantastic almost theatrical preprogrammed show. Other djs are masters in reading the moment of the vibe of the dance floors in after-hours parties- two very different sides from the same pyramid. It is up to oneself to pick what experience you want to have.

Talking about Ibiza, what was the reason for coming down here for a whole season?

I went to Cafe Mambo end of last year to talk to Pete Tong and suddenly somebody tapped my shoulder saying: “It’s great you are here -Kenneth.” The guy mentioned several of my releases on my label Music For Dreams and then his brother came and I realized I was standing next to the Mambo brothers. We met the next day and that is where it all started, and it has to be said, I have never worked for anybody in my 34 years of Djing that knows so much and care so much about music. I am happy that they also have given me the opportunity to collaborate on the Music For Dreams event on Sunday which starts at 1 pm to sunset.  It is a combination of live performances and DJs spinning eclectic sounds.

How is it to play Mambo on the famous strip in San Antonio?

Love it – the view is amazing – playing in the most famous sunset spot and having the freedom to play exactly what I want, what more can you ask for. Recently I discovered the track Gotham; Ten Walls and it has become one of my most played tracks at Café Mambo. To my delight I heard that the king of after parties Sven Vath opened his dj set at Sacca with this track.

What does a good set need?

To entertain and educate at the same time – hopefully take the listener on a journey of the unexpected…Some Dj’s are masters at reading the dance floor and they can with their equipment remix a track on the spot, in way so it is taken into a new dimension.

What is the inspiration for your DJ’ing and productions ?

I started as a DJ in 1979 and was lucky to visit Ibiza for the first time in 1982.   Soul, disco, jazz funk and the whole Punk/ New Romantic period was eye opening to me. I grew up in a small village were I listened to dance programs on Radio Luxemburg. I bought everything that Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards produced or played on. I was in love with edits and remixes from Francois Kevorkian, Tom Moulton, Shep Pettibone and Larry Levan. I feel blessed that I have seen the Dj scene evolve into what it is today, and I believe we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.       When I create music I try to make something that is timeless melodic, and stands out.

You recently went back to your techno roots with a new production, tell us more about it.

In the late 80ties I played in a Techno band called Dr Baker – we did a track called KAOS, that gave me the opportunity to play in Amnesia, Space, Pacha and KU (Yesterdays Privelege) and to play alongside Ibiza legends: Alfredo, Dj Pippi and Cesar De Melero. I also did another track around the same time called Sundown by The Overlords (another pan European club classic). Later I formed Krystal. We had a track out called “Burning Flame” that was played by many major dj’s. Now I am ready to release new material with Krystal, the first single is sounding crisp, like a modern Feel Love vibe with a voice similar to Leonard Cohen with a bit of Kolsch thrown in – in fact it is the Voice of old German act ABFAHRT. It is called “Get Your Mind Together” – it is all ready being played around the island by some DJs.

How do you see Ibiza this year? You know the island for many years?

Pretty simple – too many parties – too much going on – less exclusivity – end result:  some clubs with big names are empty and that saddens me.

The best and worst of the island?

Best; the humor of the locals, their human tolerance, the hippie roots of the island, the great beaches, amazing food.  Ibiza has become the worlds biggest dance festival every summer, and I have never seen so many people on the island with so little clothes on. Worst; What is a VIP today? In the old days it used to be Freddie Mercury and Grace Jones guesting the island – many years has passed by and the word VIP has lost its original identity – and I guess today we would call Grace Jones a celebrity. There are some Dj’s bringing in a lot of equipment, so the Dj box looks like a space station and sadly they watch the equipment instead of the crowd and often work the equipment so hard that I think they spoil the original intention of the track. No afterhours – I am missing a really underground after-hours place with a great sound system, taking the audience out on a limp. Last but not least there are too many people on the beaches selling things and the locals loose money – locals who have been fighting all their lives for their earnings.

Kenneth Bager in 20 years?

Still seaching for new music and hopefully still djing…