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Christian and Alan Anadon, better known as the Mambo Brothers, were raised in the clubbing utopia of Ibiza. As the sons of the founders of Cafe Mambo, they were exposed to some of the best DJs in the world from an early age as they soundtracked the iconic sunset spot. The pair started their journey DJing at Café Mambo’s sister bar Savannah, warming up for legends like Roger Sanchez and Carl Cox. Their style of music takes cues from across various house sub-genres, inspired by artists such as Pete Tong, Masters at Work, Jason Bye and more recently Jamie Jones, Kölsch, Lucianon Nic Fanciully, Andrea Oliva or MK.
Their skill to read the dance floor took them away from home turf, DJing internationally at ‘Mambo On Tour’ events in cities including London, Miami, Monaco, Copenhagen, Lugano and Barcelona. Their tour schedule soon began to step up, making the billing for festivals such as Tomorrowland, We Are FSTVL, Creamfields Malta and at Pete Tong and Toolroom’s Miami Music Week parties. Be sure to have a listen to their latest release “Sundogs” embedded below.
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Sean Ritchie: Zeroing in on the island of Ibiza, what stands out and makes it special to you? Where would you send a first-time visitor?
Christian Anadon: Ibiza is a really, really special place. It really is. We, as DJ’s, travel all over the world, and we’ve been ending up in these beautiful situations where we meet people that have been coming to Ibiza for more than 60 years sometimes. They talk about Ibiza as if it’s there second home. It’s beautiful to hear people speaking so highly about the place I was born. Ibiza does have something really special that you feel the moment that you arrive in the airport. I don’t know what it is, but the vibe in Ibiza is magic.
It depends [where I’d send a first-time visitor]. I love Ibiza by daytime. I like going to a nice beach, relaxing and having some nice, fresh fish with a bottle of white wine. For me, I’m the happiest guy in the world.
SR: That does sound amazing! What are some of your favorite beaches on the island?
CA: It really is! There’s a place called Cala Gracioneta, which we go very often. There’s a lovely restaurant there. We go there because it’s very close to Café Mambo where we work on a daily basis. So, we get there in five or 10 minutes, and if anything urgent happens we’re back [quickly]. It’s nice, because it’s not far away.
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We also like Cala Comte’s beach. It’s crystal-clear [water]. It’s a real paradise. We usually go there by boat, and just hang out on the beach, jumping in the ocean. We’ll go back on the boat too. It’s lovely.
SR: To then bring it back, how did you first really get introduced to music? Was it through your friends or family? I know growing up and being on the island it was all around you, but how did you have a calling to it and eventually pursue it as a career?
CA: Well, as a career it just came four years ago, when we started the Mambo Brothers’ tours. People would be asking to have the Mambo Brothers come and play. We were like, “What? Really?” After five or six times, we thought, “Maybe we should start DJing.” So, our first gig was four-years ago at Pacha London.
SR: That’s really, really cool. Tying it into your latest release, “Sundogs,” I personally really enjoyed it. You said you like Ibiza during the day, and I found it to be a day-party vibe. Talk about that track a bit.
CA: It’s a very special track. All our music is very melodic. It is one of those tracks that you could hear in the morning. It’s what they call Balearic. We come from a very Balearic background, so in most of our tracks we try to represent that sound. It’s so beautiful and so great in Ibiza.
SR: Now, food is a huge part of travel. Where are some restaurants to hit on the island that you personally enjoy?
CA: There’s several restaurants all over. The level of food in Ibiza has always been amazing, but lately, in the last three or four years, it’s gone to the next level. There’s a lot more young, creative chefs that are really into their food. In San Antonio, there’s a restaurant from a local chef, very young, that’s won a few competitions in Spain. It’s called Es Ventall. That’s a great place for people that want to eat local food.
There’s also another restaurant just outside Ibiza Town called Can Balàfia (Camí de Balàfia), which is an amazing place. You can see all the DJ’s eating there. They only serve salad, grilled meat and chips. That’s all. Everyone goes. Eating there you will see Erick Morillo, Roger Sanchez, Sven Väth — all of them. They love it there, and we love it there.
SR: Sounds like the spot to eat at.
CA: Yes, and you’re eating under orange trees, so it’s very lovely.
SR: Really is a paradise. So, music is a huge part of travel too, how about radio stations on the island? What are some ones that you like to listen to?
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CA: We love Global Radio, that’s very good, and [Ibiza] Sonica Radio has all the music you need to listen to in Ibiza. Now, we’ve done our own Mambo Radio, which you can listen to when you’re on the island, as well.
SR: When did you roll that out? Was that recent?
CA: We started one year ago, last summer. We have some amazing shows on there from amazing people — Defected shows, Flash Mob and many others. Our Mambo Brothers podcast too. It’s good, very good.
SR: Now, it seems like the island can get busy at times, and I know you mentioned some of the beaches to relax on, but is that where you go to get a minute to yourself? Or, is there somewhere else you go to be kind of secluded?
CA: As locals, there are some beaches that are more secluded. The beach I mentioned earlier on is a super beach, but truthfully and frankly it does get really busy. Sometimes we’ll just go out on the boat, pull the anchor out and just lie there for a couple of hours, maybe with some Rosé wine and sandwiches, or whatever.
SR: That sounds great!
CA: It is great. Ibiza is getting really busy, but there are a lot of places that you can find that don’t have so many people in them.
SR: I read articles all the time how Ibiza has been changing, and there are people that think it’s for the better or it’s worse. How have you seen the island evolving over the past 10 years or so?
CA: It’s always been evolving. Ibiza is a great place, as I’ve said. It’s a magic place and I think that magic will always be there. It’s an indescribable feeling that you get when you land in Ibiza. There’s people from Australia, Uruguay and all over the world that we speak to, and Ibiza means so much to them. Truthfully, Ibiza has gone through a phase the last 10 years, we’ll see how it is. It is getting very busy. It’s still going good, Ibiza is bigger than ever. Everyone knows the name, Ibiza, now. It’s probably the hottest island in the world right now.
SR: Diving into the club scene, how does it stack up or set itself apart from other great areas with nightlife like Berlin, London or New York?
CA: That magic feeling when you get to the island translates into the clubs. Everyone is so happy to be on Ibiza that you see the energy and the vibe going in the clubs. That’s in any nightclub that you go to. People are all having a great time on holidays. They’ve been looking forward all winter to come. So, that’s a total reflection on the night scene.
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SR: Specifically for your club, Café Mambo, what do you feel you add to the scene?
CA: At Café Mambo, we’ve been operating and living in the bar for 24 summers now. We’re lucky that we have the world-famous sunset. People come to watch every, single day. I remember back in 1994, when we started in Mambo, we would watch sunsets and it would only be 500 people. Now, in July and August, we have over maybe 25,000 people coming to watch the sunset. That’s amazing. Social media has helped to magnify Café Mambo, as well.
SR: Lastly, with summer coming, I know you have a busy couple of months ahead, but what do they have in store that we didn’t touch on?
CA: We’ve got a residency with Defected at Eden Ibiza. We’re doing two shows over two weeks at Tomorrowland Belgium, super exciting. We’re over the moon for that. After 24 years, we’re also going to be playing for the first time at Café Mambo too. That means a lot. We haven’t really thought about it yet. That’s going to be really special. We’ve seen all our heroes DJ at Café Mambo in that DJ booth. So, it is going to mean a lot, a lot of nerves, but a lot of emotions — love.
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For more on the Mambo Brothers visit their website:
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