From Los Angeles to Ibiza – when did your love affair with the island begin?
Everyone has their own relationship with Ibiza—romance, friction, or both. I arrived about twenty years ago after years of friends saying, “You make music? You’ll love Ibiza.” They were right Once I saw the pine forests between San Miguel and Benirrás, that was it. Even now, I feel the same excitement every time I arrive. No other place has held me like this.
Before success, you were cleaning studios. Did that demystify rock’n’roll?
At 21, I landed in Los Angeles and spent weeks handing out CVs to studios until I ran out of money. On the final day, I got a call back— bottom of the ladder at Cherokee Studios. My first task was crawling through bushes picking up cigarette butts in the midday sun. Minutes later, I was introduced to a guitar hero who couldn’t have been kinder. That was Hollywood: humiliation followed by magic. Around that time Guns N’ Roses were just breaking locally. You could feel something happening. It was raw and electric.
Your ears never switch off—gift or curse?
Both, on any given day, ha.
Loser with Beck came from pure experimentation. Was that freedom key?
Absolutely. We made it in one six-and-a-half-hour session in a rented Spanish mansion. No pressure, just instinct. It felt like we’d snuck into someone else’s house and were about to throw a party. The moment we had a sketch, people drifted in, dancing around the room. That spontaneity is everything.
Ibiza’s nightlife vs. silence—what inspires you more?
Both. I move between solitude in nature and the energy of friends.
Your long relationship with James Blunt—what keeps it working?
He actually brought me to Ibiza, so I owe him that. He’s also a joy in the studio—something that isn’t always guaranteed in that environment.
Working on the first Foo Fighters record—did it feel like rebuilding?
In a way. I met Dave Grohl during Nirvana’s peak. Within minutes he picked up a guitar and started playing riffs that later became Foo Fighters songs. I remember thinking, “He’s already one of the best drummers— and he can do this too?” After Nirvana, being part of that first Foo Fighters record felt like a continuation of a creative family.
How has Ibiza changed your relationship with music?
I’ve always believed in being true to the music, but Ibiza broadened me. I used to chase intensity above all else. The island opened up the lighter side—something I didn’t even realize. I needed.
Where is the most exciting music coming from now?
The muse moves at the speed of thought. Somewhere nearby, someone is making the next great thing. That’s what keeps it exciting.
Resident or observer?
Both—but I prefer ‘witness’. Observation carries judgment; witnessing doesn’t.
A surprising project you’ve worked on?
Hearing Goodnight Moon by Shivaree in an Ibiza club and realizing it was mine— was a strange moment. Same thing watching It’s all gone Pete Tong when Beta Band’s tune Troubles came on.
What’s next?
A new project, The Heartbeat, with Diamond Duggal, plus new collaborations and the return of my FuzzyLand party.
