With the brand since its inception, the long-time resident braces himself for Do Not Sleep’s most exciting Ibiza chapter to date.
First stepping foot off the plane in Ibiza this summer, I was immediately greeted by some of the island’s glorious familiarities… crystal-clear blue skies, that warm presence of the Balearic sun and passionate outbursts from the Spanish ahead of Real Madrid’s third successive Champions League final.
However, there was something very different about the White Isle this year too, something that is still settling in even now. And there it was, a changing of the guard, live and in colour on a billboard outside the iconic Amnesia – Do Not Sleep and ABODE will be taking charge of Thursday nights welcoming in an entirely new generation of dance music enthusiasts.
Following 22 memorable years of stellar trance, UK clubbing royalty Cream switched up their surroundings with a 2018 move to Hï Ibiza thus freeing up the coveted Thursday night slot at Amnesia.
Step forward Do Not Sleep and ABODE. A forward-thinking blend of no-nonsense, carefree dance floor camaraderie, this fusion of contrasting yet complimentary house and techno is unquestionably a stand-out combination. Whilst they no doubt have big shoes to fill with the huge void left by Cream, history dictates this to be no problem at all, especially for long-time DNS resident, Darius Syrossian.
Once an influential resident for Viva Warriors and Tribal Sessions at Sankeys, the passionate and refreshingly outspoken Darius Syrossian has been with the Do Not Sleep movement since its very inception back in 2015. Elaborating on three defining factors, Darius described the concept as all about “good music, a great sound-system and absolutely no frills.”
Forging a strong and resilient relationship with Ibiza’s underground scene, Do Not Sleep has long been flying the flag for quality music. This has seen the fast-emerging UK club brand evolve through residencies at the likes of Privilege, Space and Sankeys. Now finding their new spiritual home at the internationally renowned Amnesia, Do Not Sleep have remained true to their nomadic values.
Fundamentally rooted in the Ibizan spirit, Darius discusses his leanings towards the San Rafael venue as we sit in the quiet, lavish reception area of Ushuaia Tower during the International Music Summit. “The guys at Amnesia resonated with me more with what they were talking about. They were showing me videos of the club from the acid house days in the 80s and early 90s. The way they were talking, they were just so passionate about it.” He then emphasised: “We don’t want some big brand new club where the money has been injected from America where they market it death and cash in to make loads of profit, I don’t want to work for people like that.”
Whilst it may be their first residency over at Amnesia, it won’t be their first appearance there. Party-goers present on the island during Do Not Sleep’s inaugural summer were lucky enough to experience a taste of the Club Room three years ago. Smiling graciously as he reflects fondly upon on it, Darius recalls “this was a one-off occasion we did with HYTE. The feedback they gave us was the Main Room hadn’t been that busy all summer.” He then touches on a more sentimental moment as he remembers “playing Laurent Garnier’s ‘Crispy Bacon’, and it absolutely went off. That is a track you can’t play just anywhere and I thought it was perfect for that room. So when they asked us to come back for a residency, it was inevitable at some point.”
“Sometimes you get big rooms that don’t work well in intimate clubs. For example, if you want to play the deeper stuff or certain house tracks like Leon Vynehall material, it doesn’t really work on a big terrace.” Highlighting the Club Room’s suitability to Do Not Sleep’s underground clubbing philosophy, he outlined its intimate magnetism proving to be a decisive contributor despite its sheer size. “In the Club Room, you can still play some thrashing techno, because it is still a big space. It’s perfect.” He then touches on his comments in the promo video: “Then you have the sound-system… it is actually one of the best on the island.”
Coming equipped with a line-up carefully crafted to compliment the atmosphere ignited in the Club Room, Do Not Sleep will welcome a wealth of underground heavyweights including Steve Lawler, Anja Scheider, DJ Sneak and Charlotte de Witte amongst others. Detailing the selection process behind this season’s bill, Darius explained: “There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get the line-ups right. Bringing Robert Hood to Ibiza isn’t easy, these legends very rarely play Ibiza anymore. We’ve secured the services of such established names as Josh Wink and Cassy too.”
It wasn’t always a fluid journey in terms of confirming the list of desired names for the 2018 residency at Amnesia. With the party born in Ibiza, Darius underlines “when you start off as an Ibiza brand, people think you are nothing more than a commercial Ibiza brand.” He then explained the challenges that came with this. “Getting some of the acts we have took a lot of persuading because initially, their agents were questioning: ‘Who else is going to be playing?’ But once we mentioned the respectable list of names we’ve got in line, they were cool with it.”
He then honed in on differentiating elements DNS brings to the table this year: “There’s a lot more techno in there this year. It is filled with artists who have made their names through putting out great music. We’ve had a shift away from the commercial UK tech house, we’ve become a lot more international.” He then underlined the brand’s strive to be different. “We don’t just want to keep booking the same UK names you see plastered all overs festivals and just sitting back, it is so easy to do that.”
On an island where the musical climate has become increasingly commercial tech house, Darius acknowledges it won’t be a simple feat but accentuates his preference for playing to those present for the music. “Maybe we’ve made it harder for ourselves but I would rather play to less people who ‘get it’ as opposed to loads of people who don’t.”
Darius reiterates this statement with the introduction of his very own brand new imprint, Moxy Muzik – a label which will showcase releases from himself as well artists such as Phil Weeks, Tommy Vicarri Jr., Christian Burkhardt, Man Power and East End Dubs. Shining a spotlight on underground music which can also be dance floor friendly, the former Sankeys favourite opens up about the formation of the label. “I feel as though there is a divide in our industry right now where there is a lot of good underground music, but it works well for when you’re driving you car or washing up, whereas in a club, people may not understand it.”
He then further explains the effects of the lack of creativity that has saturated specific genres in underground music in recent years. “You have a lot of really generic music out there at the minute and the majority of it comes down to really lazy production. I think there needs to be more depth driven into music again. If you listen to some of the music in the 90s and 00s, there was some really good stuff.”
In an age where technology is developing at a rapid pace, we now live in an age where music is easier to make than ever. Mentioning an Instagram post he read on Mixmag recently, he said: “I really agreed with a quote I came across from Ross From Friends. It said: ‘Just because people aren’t going absolutely mental in the crowd doesn’t mean they’re not enjoying it.’ You need to show different sides to music, its not all about the builds and the drops and getting a hands-in-the-air reaction and this is what I am trying to show with my new label.”
And that’s pretty much summarises Do Not Sleep – a committed journey through the realms of the underground. Remembering a time at Sankeys last summer where his event fell on the same night as Pure Carl Cox at Privilege, Darius recalls “I really enjoyed playing that night because the crowd that turned up showed up to see us. We ended up staying open an extra hour that night and that, for me, is what Do Not Sleep is all about… the people that want to hear what we do.”
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