Anna Tur – Interview

Anna Tur – Interview

There are moments in life when even the longest cycles that are perceived as natural come to an end. Behind the often prevailing uncertainty about the time for the chapter afterward, bigger, more beautiful and more enchanting moments are often hidden than one could perhaps have imagined. 

This is exactly how you could describe the story of Anna Tur. For 16 years she was CEO of one of the largest radio stations in the world – Ibiza Global Radio. Her father once founded the station. 

It was all the more emotional to make the conscious decision to leave this phase of my life behind and focus fully on my own career. When we last spoke to Anna Tur, Covid-19 was still unknown, let alone the associated pandemic. What feels like an eternity was five and a half years ago. 

During this time, not only have the scene and its sound developed, Anna Tur has also reached the next level in her career. She has founded a new label, spends a lot of time in the studio and there is also news in her private life. 

Their interpretation of the legendary track “Discohopping” by the Klubbheads will be released on Armada in mid-September. So there are good reasons to have an extensive conversation.

Anna, nice to talk again after our last interview in January 2018. How are you and how is the season in Ibiza?

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all doing well there. Yes, it’s been a long time since we last spoke and a lot has happened for me. I’m very happy that we’re finally chatting again and on such a special occasion as part of the cover story, I feel extremely honored. The season in Ibiza is very good.

The island is so popular that it breaks visitor records almost every year and there are correspondingly many offers here.

You are a true Ibizan native and grew up in a kind of radio family. What particularly fascinated you about this format back then?

Yes indeed. My parents met on the radio and fell in love. They were very young and passionate about their job. They basically founded a family around radio.

I’m the oldest of my siblings and my mother did her morning show with 80’s pop-rock until a few hours before I was born. I had the great privilege of growing up in a family that was very creative on my mother’s side and very entrepreneurial on my father’s side.

From a young age I knew I wanted to be like her. I often accompanied her to the radio and spent many hours there.

It was exciting to see my mother speak on the microphone and also to experience how my father led the whole structure with great passion and thus infected his entire team, who followed him like a leader.

Which music or artists were your biggest influences?

I have always been passionate about music and grew up with Queen, Prince, Madonna, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Co. Of course influenced by what we heard at home and in the car. My first fan phenomenon started with Take That, Linkin Park, Black Eyed Peas and the Backstreet Boys when I was a teenager, haha.

Soon after, I became very influenced by electronic music, especially trance and house music, which coexist perfectly in my world. There were several artists who extremely influenced me to take the step on the decks. These undoubtedly include Luciano, Carl Cox, Laurent Garnier and I was also very attracted by the Balearic Sound, a very characteristic sound here on the island.

You spent 16 incredible years as CEO of Ibiza Global Radio, one of the most successful radio stations in the world. How would you describe this journey? Not just for you as an artist, but also for you as a person.

Wow, when I talk about Ibiza Global Radio now, it suddenly seems so far away. Maybe because I’ve managed to completely close that cycle in my life – and I think I can now say that in some ways I’m much happier. But you shouldn’t deny your roots in any way.

For me this brand was everything. Probably the most important reason for this is that it was founded and created by my father, Joan Tur. I joined while studying in Barcelona and upon my return the real salamander and the concept that still exists today were created.

During all this time, my team, of which unfortunately no one is still there, and I have brought the company to the top. But it’s true, a lot of things have changed recently.

I initially sold my shares in the station and stayed on as CEO, but things began to change in ways I didn’t like.

I was tired of constantly defending the company’s principles and values ​​when they suddenly changed. So this rope was broken. And now, as I said, I’m happier with going my own way and being able to devote myself entirely to my artistic side.

I always treated my position at the station and my career as an artist in a differentiated and separate manner, which was of course not only very time-consuming but also very exhausting. Without love and passion this would never have worked.

How difficult was it to put an end to this era?

The reality was very discouraging, not least because of everyday life on site, in which I had to fight for business but also for human principles that my family had once passed on to me. There was also the pandemic. Ending such a long chapter was certainly painful, but I left with my head held high. I defended my team and the brand’s values ​​until the very last moment. I live happier now and enjoy focusing on myself and my career.

Over these last few years your sound has felt like it has evolved and you are incredibly versatile in terms of style, vibe and even tempo. How would you describe your development and what were your biggest influences?

Thank you, I take that as a compliment and see it the same way. I am in a very beautiful and creative moment.

I feel very inspired and I think my audience feels that. I’ve been a professional DJ since 2010. Before that I only dedicated myself to making radio including management. I combined both professions for ten years and somehow always felt more comfortable as a DJ. My artistic profile then took a big leap, especially from 2018, and I think everything happens for a reason.

The play of fate has fulfilled itself in a very positive way in this case and I am proud to be in the current position. I’m working hard to become a better artist and a better person.

I have time to fully dedicate myself to my career, work on my mindset, perfect my productions, time to choose music, create it and feel fulfilled. I know very well that this job is like a roller coaster: today you are at the top, but tomorrow you can be at the bottom. That’s why I always try to know where I stand and work very hard to maintain a certain level.

In July 2021 you founded your new label Lowlita Records, which reached its 14th release at the end of July. What philosophy do you follow and how adventurous is it for you to run a second label after Illusion Music?

I feel like this project was born at a crucial time and with the perfect partners. When we decided in the summer of 2021, the clubbing season in Ibiza was over due to the Corona virus and the restrictions ordered by the government of the Balearic Islands. While other destinations opened their doors to tourism, Ibiza was set to remain closed.

This was a terrible moment for the entire industry and also for the tourism and hospitality sectors. Our rulers thought this was the perfect moment to completely change the island’s tourism model, but they were wrong.

They were unaware of how important our industry is to the island and this has been shown with the opening of the clubs and hotels in the 2022 season.

Not only have we returned to the previous reality, but the number of tourists on the island and investments by companies have increased significantly. Sorry for getting so off topic. But it was precisely all of these factors that led us to initiate the label. Not just to make music, but to start a project together and create a label where we can publish not only our productions, but also the works of talented artists, regardless of their fame or status.

Lowlita lives only talent and good music. We work with very interesting artists who we can identify with our philosophy and our way of understanding music. Illusion Music is a part of my past and also the cycle that I finished.

So it was best to draw a line there too and plunge into new adventures with my partners Gonçalo and Hosse. The name for the new label comes from Lolita, my dog. She spent many hours with us in my studio.

It’s unbelievable how much she enjoys lying at my feet when we work on music. One day when we were thinking about names while working on a composition, we asked her and she looked at us with a very compassionate face. So the name Lowlita Records was born.

September 15th will be a special day because on this day your remix of Klubbhead’s legendary track “Discohopping” will be released.

The project came about one day when I was looking for techno classics that I heard as a young clubber. Songs that made me vibrate and gave me fun and unforgettable moments on the dance floor. One day I started making an edit of the track for myself, without any specification, just to play it in my sets.

I immediately saw the positive reaction on the dance floor, both from the new and old generations, so I decided to keep working on it. When I was completely satisfied, I presented the result to Armada and the Klubbheads. They loved it and on September 15th my version will be available on all platforms. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Let’s talk about your shows. You have played in many well-known clubs and venues, in Germany in clubs like the Bootshaus in Cologne, the Kit Kat in Berlin or the Zimmer in Mannheim.

My connection to Germany has been very good since my early beginnings as a DJ. When I was still in radio we were often invited to play here. The radio had a large audience in Germany. Later I played again and again in Germany, in recent years in incredible clubs like the ones I just mentioned.

I love the German audience and the huge scene in the country. Germany has always been the motherland for techno and for very important festivals. I love playing there. I know Germany from north to south and I hope to get to know a lot more.

Your hometown of Ibiza is also an absolute reference in the scene and the top destination for electronic music in the summer. How would you describe the current status quo of the scene on the island?

Ibiza has always enjoyed good musical health, but it is true that it has always highlighted a certain cult. Music is cyclical, styles becoming trendy and then being overshadowed by other styles, but somehow always living in coexistence and harmony with one another.

In Ibiza it has always been possible to hear all types of music, from the most experimental to the most commercial, for all types of audiences. But now I’m happy that techno has a certain status and is spreading to more and more dance floors on the island these days.

When I played at the Pyramid party at Amnesia a few days ago, it was wonderful to see how straight techno is becoming more and more socially acceptable. For me, Pyramid is the showcase night for techno here in Ibiza this year.

This season you are one of the featured artists at Amnesia, one of the most famous clubs in the world. What is your connection to the club?

I am very happy that they are counting on me this season. It was a big surprise that they booked me for the opening and also for three dates with Pyramid, my favorite party. I couldn’t be happier, really. Every time I play at Amnesia I feel happy and fulfilled.

I love the main floor at Amnesia and especially the lights and the sound. It’s a great family and group of professionals.

They are truly passionate about their work and it is contagious. Employees, artists, audience – everything harmonizes extremely well with each other and that’s probably why it is one of the most legendary clubs in the world. For me it is the undisputed temple of music in Ibiza.

You probably get asked this question often. But since Ibiza is subject to constant change, I also have to ask: What does the perfect 48 hours in Ibiza look like for you, including beaches, restaurants, etc.?

You can do an infinite number of things in 48 hours. Ibiza is a magical, exciting island. When you arrive in Ibiza you often feel like you never want to leave. It’s a place where you can literally take your happiness to the extreme.

However, it is also intense, so you have to prepare yourself at least mentally. Start the day with a good breakfast and watch the sunrise, for example on Talamanca beach, very close to the center of Ibiza. Then make a plan for the beach or a boat trip and spend the day on the Mediterranean. In the afternoon you can plan sunset in the San Antonio area because when the sun sets you can enjoy incredible music in the Ses Variades area.

The best place to do this is, for example, Mambo, where you can see and hear very well-known DJs in a mini pre-party format who then play in the big clubs that night. For dinner we recommend Can Pau, a classic on the island.

And most of the plans are in place for the night anyway. The next day you should plan a trip to the north, visit some markets and get to know many magical places on the island, of which there are many. For lunch you can have paella or fresh fish at S’Espardell, which is located very close to Ushuaïa and right by the sea. For the second dinner you could, for example, go to Am mi manera or the Amnesia restaurant, which is a real discovery this season. And of course these 48 hours can’t end anywhere other than in one of the great clubs (laughs) .

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

This year was very intense. I have practically already planned my agenda until the end of 2023 and will often be in the studio working on new tracks. I’m in a good moment and I want to take advantage of it. This was also the first summer of my life as a mother and I made the most of the time with my ten-month-old baby.

I played festivals and clubs more than ever during my pregnancy. I kept this a secret almost the entire time until my gut gave me away, haha! Now I want to enjoy time, music and life to the fullest. Thank you for giving me the space to express myself and tell your readers a little more about me. Hopefully we’ll see each other soon!

 

Anna Tur – Fokus