Exclusive Interview with Ibiza-based Mambo Brothers

Ibiza-based duo Mambo Brothers are household names on this beautiful Balearic island they call home. The Mambo Brothers, whom are Christian and Alan Anadon, grew up on the “White Isle” listening to great DJs performing at Cafe Mambo, the prestigious restaurant and bar that their parents founded and still own. The cafe celebrated its 25 years in existence last year and it is now a worldwide brand of bars, restaurants, hotels, and shops.

On Nov. 29, 2019, the Mambo Brothers released their latest single, “LIFE“, through Armada Music. Likewise, the brothers also conducted a world tour, “Mambo on Tour“, in 2019 where they toured over 60 cities worldwide. Here is One EDM’s exclusive interview with the Mambo Brothers.

Kenny Ngo: You guys released your latest single, “LIFE”, on November 29th via Armada Music. What is the background behind the single?

Mambo Brothers: Well, we love Ibiza and the Balearic feel of this kind of music. When we set out on a new track in the studio, we often start off with an idea taken from our days as late night/early morning clubbers. That sunrise moment when the DJs would play something very special, a very Balearic moment with a special energy as the sun was rising…LIFE was inspired from our sunrise moments in clubs in Ibiza!

How was it like working on “LIFE”?

As usual, lots of trial and error, finding all the sounds and elements for the track. That in itself can be a big deal and the most time consuming part! But you have to start with something that gets you going, even though the final track sounds super different in the end from where you started out. You’ve just got to get those creative juices flowing from an initial idea. We actually took a lot of inspiration from a time we’d heard Moby ‘Go’ played at about 8am in Amnesia, as the sun was coming up. Incredible! Life seemed to all come together thanks to the African sounding vocals that we found, it’s something a bit different sounding for a house track so they really standout and the dancefloor always seems to respond well. We love it! 

After you released “LIFE”, you guys performed at Wall Miami on New Year’s Eve. What was it like performing there on that night?

For us, it was amazing as we’ve seen the biggest DJ’s play there previously. Like the biggest! We’ve danced many times on that dancefloor. So it was a very special evening for us and for everyone we were with. We played for over 4 hours to a great crowd and we just loved it! 

What was it like performing at Glastonbury for the first time ever?

It was just a real ‘Wow!’ moment, really mind blowing as it was the first time we have even seen the festival and got to see all the many different areas, loads of other DJs and some really cool entertainment there! We played what we thought was going  to be a very small corner but it turned out we were playing to 5,000 people in a silent disco. It was absolutely insane and a real magic moment for us!

Did you guys have any exciting memories from Glastonbury?

Yeah, definitely seeing all those 5,000 people reacting to what we were playing in what appeared to be a totally silent arena. It was probably the best atmosphere we’ve seen in a long time. So many happy faces, everyone singing along to some of the best house classics in a field at Glasto festival, so cool!

Last year was the 25th anniversary of your famous White Isle restaurant/bar, Cafe Mambo. What was Cafe Mambo like 25 years ago when it first opened compared to today?

Yes, it has changed quite a bit. For example back then in 94/95 the dance music industry was still very laid back and much smaller. DJs would come to Ibiza for a gig and stay for a good few days on the island to chill and they would come down to Cafe Mambo on their days off and lay on the sunbeds drinking sangria on our beach during the afternoon. They’d often come up and ask us if they could come play later that evening if they brought their vinyls and this was always some of the tops DJs in the world. We were so lucky that all the DJs wanted to come and play at our little bar by the sea.  Nowadays it’s all much more pre organized and the DJs tend to have a much busier schedule than back in the days.

What are your thoughts on the Mambo brand having a diverse list of bars, restaurants, hotels, and shops around the world?

It would be great although we have always been really cautious with the Café Mambo brand. It took many years to build and although it’s becoming like a global brand, essentially it’s still our family business that we love and care for very much.

Regarding “Mambo On Tour”, which city on the tour did you guys had the most fun perfuming in and why?

We love playing in the US and Miami on NYE was incredible. It was just so incredible for us getting to play where we’ve seen loads of other huge DJs playing, even if it’s a small capacity room.  We also played at the Holy Ship festival a few years back as we had an arena there. That was amazing as we were hanging out with all the other DJs that we usually only see in Ibiza.

Aside from Ibiza, what is your favourite beach hotspot in the world?

To name a few… Tulum in Mexico and Bondi in Australia.

A personal question…what is your favourite dish and drink at Cafe Mambo?

We love our Mambo hierbas, our own spirit that we make and takes 6 month to produce. It’s so nice that we Won a Gold Medal at the San Francisco spirit competition! Oh and we are also crazy for the tacos at Mambo. Yum!

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Mambo Brothers can be followed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, Spotify, and their official website.