We recently caught up with CUFF chiefs, Amine Edge & Dance, and discussed their nomination for the Bass category at this year’s DJ Awards, their appearances for Together at Amnesia Ibiza this summer and their September booking with MK for his Area 10 takeover of Insane at Pacha Ibiza.
First of all guys, congratulations on being nominated for the Bass category at this year’s DJ Awards. How rewarding does it feel to be recognised for your efforts in this industry and what kind of doors do you feel this will open for you if you win this award?
There are so many talented artists out there and when you are chosen for any recognition it’s always a blessing, every win is a plus and can get you more gigs and more positive stuff in your career. Even though we have an amazing career and we couldn’t ask for more, we are really happy and honoured.
There are several talented names in the hat for this year’s Bass category award. If you wasn’t nominated and had to vote for one name to win the award from this year’s nominees, who would you vote for and why?
There are so many friends in this competition, we will have to vote for all of them to not get in trouble haha, but if we have to be very honest, and for what we know about some of the DJs, about what they play and what they do as a DJ… We would vote for Will Clarke as his taste in music and vibe in the club is sick, Sidney Charles for the same reason. Nina Kraviz because she’s the techno queen and the biggest track digger we know. Carl Cox because he is not where he is by mistake, he’s a true legend and a chameleon, he can play in front of every crowd in front of any generation.
We’d vote for Sasha because he is Amine’s biggest inspiration and Todd Terry, Kenny Dope and Louie Vega because they are gods of house. We’d opt for K!NK because he is truly unique and probably in our top 10 DJs of all time and of course, DJ EZ because he is also unique and the king of UK Garage.
Last year in Ibiza saw you operate your very own residency at Sankeys Ibiza titled CUFF on Monday nights. What was the biggest highlight from your residency and how difficult did you find it to compete with other Monday night residencies such as Cocoon and Circoloco on the island? What challenges did you face?
It was our biggest fear, to have an empty club because of those incredible hype machines, but guess what? It was always full, and Cocoon and Circoloco were full too, we were blessed. The real difficulty was to play every Monday on top of the three or four gigs at the weekend. We had some surprise visits sometimes from Erick Morillo, MK and DJ EZ, it was fun.
Of course, you won’t be returning to Sankeys Ibiza this summer as your Ibiza calendar is complete with other bookings for 2016. What will you miss most about your CUFF residency at Sankeys Ibiza the most this year and why?
We will definitely miss the family kind of party, because on CUFF we are all friends, and it’s so cool to play with your friends. But Pacha was our favourite night in Ibiza, because in Pacha people always seem to have fun.
Let’s rewind the tape back to May now. You graced the stage at the Amnesia Opening Party. The date of this event changed twice and doors had to open earlier than anticipated due to new law restrictions over closing hours. How did you prepare for this particular event with so many changes present and how would you compare it to Amnesia opening celebrations of times past?
It was the second time we played in the Main Room of Amnesia, for this opening, the line-up was incredible, and it’s the opening so it’s a kind of pressure, but also wow, we opened Amnesia, it was like a dream, this club is so legendary,!
So we were happy to be a part of this, and as usual we didn’t prepare anything, we just slept on a flight from Brazil to Ibiza – we arrived and we played!
You also played for Cream at Amnesia Ibiza recently. What were you most excited for about this event and why?
Like in every party man, we expect a crowd who are eclectic like us and enjoy anything we play. It’s such a pain to have a crowd who want us to play a specific kind of music.
Cream resident Fatboy Slim was also on the billing performing alongside you in the Terrace. What are your thoughts on Norman as an artist and do you feel Cream is the perfect accommodation for his first ever Ibiza residency?
Wow we didn’t know it was his first residency, we believe that Norman can play anywhere, he is a big and truly talented artist, as a DJ we have no clue about what he is going to do, we will see.
You will also be making several appearances for Together on Tuesday nights at Amnesia Ibiza. It’s almost as if Amnesia Ibiza is becoming your second home this summer. What is your favourite aspect of performing here and why?
Exactly, Amnesia is our residency this year. It’s one of the best clubs in the world, so it’s all good for us. It’s incredible, mostly tourists who want to escape from their normal life are there and when you enter, it’s magical and people are so positive, that’s why it’s amazing to play there.
MK’s welcomes you to an Area 10 label showcase in late September at Pacha Ibiza – this is one gig you appeared at regularly in 2015. What do you feel that Area 10 brings differently to other residencies hosted at Insane at Pacha Ibiza on Friday nights?
MK is like a big brother to us, last year we played alongside him and John Digweed – three different acts, three different types of music, three different crowds like a melting pot, the vibe was incredible. We hope this night is going to be as special.
Switching gears now, earlier this month you released your latest remix. It is of “Mind Control” by Medeew & Chicks Luv Us featuring Sergio Diaz. Can you tell us a little more about the production you put into this remix and how it differs from the original track?
The original was already powerful and very effective in the club, we wanted to do something more powerful but keeping it classy in the same way, so we struggled a little bit but the result is really nice.
You can now listen to Amine Edge & Dance’s brand new release featuring DJ Sneak titled “Real Girls Fall, Fake Girls Talk” by clicking here – https://soundcloud.com/amineedgeanddance/amine-edge-dance-feat-dj-sneak-real-girls-fall-fake-girls-talk-original-mix. This will be available in August as a part of a free album titled “Past Before Future”.