Seventeen years is a long time - just think about how much has changed since 1994. We used to read our Ibiza news on paper, we had to navigate the island without the aid of Google Maps and we listened to our music on Discmans. Cream, Ibiza's longest running UK club night, has survived those seventeen years and is back in Ibiza for another season jam-packed with big names. Eddie Halliwell is on the bill this Thursday, so Addicted asked him a few questions about how Cream has evolved over the years and what he is excited about this summer.
Addicted: How do you think the party has changed over the years?
Eddie: Cream at Amnesia has always been consistently good. The music policy has broadened over the last few years, which is great, as it originally used to be mainly trance. I play everything from techno, house through to trance, so the changes suit my style of DJ'ing perfectly.
Addicted: You’ve been a Cream Ibiza resident for some time now, how do you approach each year to make sure it’s different from the previous year?
Eddie: The most important thing as a DJ is the connection with the audience and giving them what they want, and when it comes to Ibiza, most people are there to have the party of their life – so that’s what I try to give them with my performances. I keep the energy and interactivity high.
Addicted: This year, you are performing an "ED-IT show" on the Terrace at Amnesia. What does that mean?
Eddie: ED-IT is a different concept to my usual performances, combining interactive visuals and special effects, with me editing and remixing live on stage. It’s more of a stage show and I can’t wait for it to go off on the terrace!
Addicted: How important do you feel production and visual effects are these days?
Eddie: Very important – people want more than just a DJ playing records nowadays, they want to see a show!
Addicted: As we've been talking about how Cream has evolved over the past 17 years, would you ever go retro and do a vinyl set as a one off?
Eddie: I use Vinyl for scratching sometimes – you have to move with the times and embrace change, and although I wouldn’t be against doing a vinyl set again, I prefer to be as creative as possible in my sets, which new technology enables DJ’s to do.
Addicted: Thank you Eddie - see you at Cream!
COMPETITION: Do you want to go to Cream this week to see Eddie Halliwell? We can get you and a friend there for free! We have two spots on the guestlist to give away to a lucky reader. To be in with a chance of winning, just hit 'Like' and '+1' at the bottom of this post and send an e-mail to competitions@addictedtoibiza.com with the answer to this question: "What is the name of Cream resident Above & Beyond's new album?"
To be in with a chance of winning enter before 5pm Ibiza time on Wednesday 13th July. We will randomly select a winner from all correct entries. Guestlist is valid for Thursday 14th July only - if you're not going to be in Ibiza this week then keep watching this space, as we will be offering more chances to win throughout the season!
Cream is at Amnesia every Thursday this summer. Photography by James Chapman.
