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IBIZA Q&A: DOORLY

Doorly's life was changed by two places: Ibiza and Los Angeles. Below he tells us why...

Yorkshire native Doorly has been a prominent member of the electronic music scene for some time now. An island regular thanks to his duties at Ibiza Rocks, he’s helped oversee a period where the party has gone from up-and-coming clubbing brand to a major player on the White Isle. 

Central to all this are his clued-up sets, which encompass everything from crossover jams to rough-and-ready tech house. This year, Doorly find himself over in Playa d’en Bossa, as he spearheads Ibiza Rocks’ Shelter party in the new confines of Sankeys. Here’s what the man himself had to say about it all when we caught up with him recently…

I believe you’re dividing your time between Ibiza and L.A. these days. Is L.A. a good place for creativity?
Most definitely! Before the move I was trying to re-invent my sound, as I’d sort of fallen into a bass music trap — and that wasn’t something I was entirely comfortable with. I needed to feel inspired again and I felt London was the wrong place to be living.

I sometimes feel like the British music scene can be a bit negative and bitter, so I needed to separate myself from it for a while. As soon as I set up my studio in L.A, everything became easier. L.A. is a very creative place; nearly everyone is a musician, writer, actor or artist — and they’re all super-positive too.

The constant sunshine during the British winter helped me find my groove again, and if you look back at my releases over the past few years it’s like you can track when I moved!”

You’ve been in the studio with guys like Cajmere and DJ Pierre recently. What’s that like?
Well if I was told 10 years ago that I would be working with a 303 acid bassline from DJ Pierre, some Todd Terry drums and vocals from Green Velvet, I would obviously have never believed it. Subliminal was my favourite label when I first started clubbing so working with people like Harry ‘Choo Choo’ Romero is a huge deal to me as well.

It’s kind of strange, because all of my early heroes, people like Fatboy Slim, Cajmere, Pete Tong, Derrick Carter are now all people I consider good friends. But the 18-year-old Doorly is still absolutely ecstatic when we’re working together or hanging out!”

How did you first hook up with Ibiza Rocks? What were you playing back then?
“It was eight years ago and the first year of Ibiza Rocks at the Ibiza Rocks hotel. I’ve always considered myself a house DJ, but during that time I was also really influenced by guys like 2manydjs, Soulwax, Justice, Erol Alkan etc so there was a bit more of a mash-up vibe to what I was doing, but with turntablism too.

“Anyway, the Rocks guys heard my Essential Mix and invited me to play the Opening Party as they thought I’d be a good fit to play between the bands. During my set at the after-party, Rocks’ boss Andy Mckay asked me to drop everything, move to Ibiza and be their resident. The rest is history!”

Can you tell us a bit about the Shelter night at Sankeys this season?
Shelter sees us take over Sankeys every Friday this season, as we team up with the Rocks’ W.A.R! night. W.A.R! has always been geared toward the younger, San Antonio audience, so we wanted to pitch something that was sort of between last year’s Pacha parties and the Sankeys’ vibe.

“The idea of the party is to give a “shelter” to brands and artists we dig. We have parties by Bugged Out!, Moda Black, Food Music, Rinse FM and — of course — my Doorly & Friends shitshow. And guests such as Justin Martin, Green Velvet, Shadow Child, Kölsch, TEED, Oliver $, and Tiga to name but a few. Room 2 will be hosted by the awesome Coyu and his Suara label — so there’s a lot to look forward to!”

Finally, what’s your tip to getting through the Ibiza season unscathed?
“Pick your battles — you can’t get stuck at every party or you will be almost dead by August… and I’m speaking from experience! It’s important to lead a normal life when you can and there’s so much more to Ibiza than just the clubs. So go out and make the most of the clubs, but remember to eat well, enjoy the rest of the island and sleep occasionally too!” 

Doorly is a resident at Shelter, every Friday night at Sankeys this summer