SUPERCHARGED: DJ MAG IBIZA HANGS OUT WITH CHUCKIE

Chuckie is a man always on the move. One of the original pioneers of the Dutch house movement, Chuckie (real name Clyde Sergio Narain) has made an indelible mark on dance music, creating one of the globe’s most recognisable party brands with his imprint-cum-club-tour, Dirty Dutch. 

It’s thanks to Dirty Dutch’s success that he’s always on the road, taking a whopping 400 flights last year alone. He’s got 175 shows on the cards for this year, including his usual residencies in Las Vegas, LA and beyond.

The one he’s the most excited about is his Ibiza residency this summer — Chuckie is set to headline well-loved party SuperMartXé at Privilege throughout the season.

“Ibiza has always been a big source of inspiration for me,” he tells DJ Mag when we meet. “Whenever I play on the island, I feel that I can experiment with different type of sounds.” DJ Mag Ibiza chats with him to find out more...

Last time we saw you was at ADE at last year — tell us about some of the exciting things you've been up to since then?
“Hey, it’s been a while, I'm doing absolutely amazing. I have to admit after all these years of touring, I must say that I finally feel that I have found the perfect balance for me to keep up with tour life.

"Finding the right balance is not the easiest thing, but I definitely found my groove now. I spend a lot of time at home but also a lot of time on making music. I really enjoy my residencies I have in Las Vegas, New York, Miami and Los Angeles, and I’m super-excited about my new summer residency in Ibiza."

“I am also sitting on a bunch of great new tracks I will release this year — expect sounds across the musical spectrum, that’s for sure. I’m very excited about the new music I have because it's a very wide variety of sounds. I also just finished building another new studio — I'm gearing up for the summer season!”

You’re one of the residents at long-standing party SuperMartXé at Privilege this year, what’s the secret to the night’s success?
“I would say that the secret to SuperMartxé's success is the fact that the production, performing artists and music come together so well. I've been to and performed at a lot of events in my life but it's very rare to see such a great synergy.

I think the entertainment is very well thought-out and obviously you can see that SuperMartXé is built with passion. I was very honoured when I was asked to be one of the resident DJs of this summer. Vamos!”

You’re known to cycle through styles and genres in your sets, what can we expect music-wise from your dates at SuperMartXé?
“Oh, it's very clear to me. I only have one goal when I'm playing at SuperMartXé, and that is to keep the ladies happy. So my sets will definitely have a lot of bumping grooves and vocals.

It's really fun finding the right music for this event because I'm looking for the records that are less obvious and maybe forgotten, but when you hear them you will definitely remember them. I'm also playing records that will fit in with the entertainment, so don't be surprised if I play Madonna ‘Justify My Love (Chuckie Edit)’... or something like that!”

You’ve played in Ibiza a lot over the years, what keeps you coming back?
“In general my track selection for Ibiza will always be more groovy, sexy and housey — that's because Ibiza has the right vibe for it. I never really play hard electro tracks when I have a gig on the island, I leave those types of tracks for other times.”

And finally, tell us three things an Ibiza clubber should never leave home without?
“Dear Ibiza clubber, never leave your home without chewing gum, a full stomach and a pair of sunglasses. Especially the sunglasses, because in Ibiza we always party until whenever.”