Ibizan Heat Preview – Cyclone Ibiza 2007!!!!!

Cyclone started out as without doubt one of the best things that could have happened for students and clubbers alike! Originally evolving out of the University of Surrey’s Student Union. A brand that by their own admission, put on top class events for students and non students to get away from the stresses of their courses and general life for a few hours! Everyone’s dream, without doubt!

Started in 2002 as a House, Trance and Hard Dance event run by the Dance Music Society at the University of Surrey, it was founded by Jay White and DJ Rodney after their dance radio show, of the same name, on the Surrey student radio station; 1350AM GU2.
The next year saw Alex Pizzoferro getting involved with the society. He enlisted Ben Davis to help run the Cyclone events which were restarted in the University union nightclub after more than a year of absence.
From then the society, DJs and radio shows saw more and more people getting involved. Cyclone had been reborn, not only as a 6 day a week radio show with different dance music genres each day compared to its previous 1 day a week slot, but as a regular event in the university union.

These guys have now toured Cyclone all over the country at huge events such as the WiLDCHiLD and Nu Religion parties, as well as heading out to the White Isle to represent their brand for their debut in 2006, which in my book is a pretty big achievement, I think you’ll agree!

We caught up with the lads in the run up to their second year of hitting Ibiza, to get the lowdown on what they’ve got in store for us out there!

Hi Alex, how are you doing?
Yeah, all good, eating, drinking, sleeping and looking forward to hitting Ibiza again!

So what have you been up to since your last major Cyclone event?
Things have been a bit quiet recently, we have been lurking in the shadows since Christmas due to the University of Surrey union changing their music policy for the lower floor. We have avoided putting on any larger events in that venue as this takes an unbelievable amount of work with such a negative dance music market and our team there has been cut down drastically since most of us graduated last year and are now in full time work. We haven’t really been able to sort out any other events as our main team have been finding/changing their main jobs – we don’t just run Cyclone you know!

You may however have seen me blasting adverts for various things around DSI and other social networking web sites. Somehow I have settled into my new job quickly and managed to still have some time at lunchtime to blast around some Cyclone related adverts!

We are hoping to do more big things after Ibiza with divisions being set up on the south coast and Scotland. The personnel are in place, it is just a point of finding the time to get things going as we all work full time in other jobs and are busy with other things too. I myself have another three projects on the go simultaneously including setting up a modelling agency called Aurora Models which seems to be taking most of my spare non 9-5 working time.

Last June you made your Ibiza debut. What does it mean being involved in such large scale events and do you expect this year to be the same as last year?

It means a lot to all Cyclone DJs and management to be heading out to Ibiza again. The white isle is the dance music capital of the world! What more can I say!

Last June was our Ibiza debut along side WiLDCHiLD for a 10 day mad one!
We played at Kanya Beach bar on the sunset strip, not far from Café Del Mar and Mambo. It is quite amazing that we played that bar the day after it was reopened by Mauro Picotto & Judge Jules after a redesign.
Things then only got better when we were asked to fill in for Agnelli & Nelson at the Gatecrasher pre party when their flight was not getting then in on time!
Our third set was again along side some of the great producers & DJs, WiLDCHiLD had put together.

This year we are diving out there with Heat UK who were coincidentally there at the same time as WiLDCHiLD last year.
We hope for much of the same again, but of course as with anything, it is going to be bigger and better as we are more aware of the scene etc.

... no doubt your Ibizan events delivered last year, tell us about them?
Totally! We played to the absolute sunset strip of clubbers loving the trance as the sun went down. I mean, it really doesn’t get much better than that!

I have a strange feeling that some people randomly thought that we were Agnelli & Nelson on the night that we filled in for them, as they were taking pictures of us, strangely at a rate more than usual. Although, maybe I am just being modest and they really did love our tunes that much.

So onto the holiday… exactly what have you got up your sleeves for your events/co-hosted events?

For starters we are planning more of the same Cyclone wildness, with immense tunes and crazy DJs jumping around the booths loving the tunes.
We are also shipping out a relatively new Cyclone DJ from our Scotland massive, namely the DJ Daze. All I can say is to watch out for his crazy antics! From me though, you can expect more of the same wild antics, jumping around with the absolute trance!

What top class tunes are you going to lay your money on for the best reactions?
I personally always buy tunes which I feel are unbelievably immense! If I feel that way about a tune, I am pretty sure that the crowd will at least feel half of that. Well it seems to have worked so far anyway! Going with the mojo of last year and the tunes that are out at the moment, I think I know what will go down a storm.

So, as top class cyclone residents, how do you think you’ll fare against the fellow trancemeisters in your arena?! You’re up to scratch aren’t you, hehe?!
I am definitely confident that we will play one of the most amazing sets of each night at our co-hosted events. We may not be as well known as some of the DJs we will be playing alongside, but they will be up there with them in the memorable stakes!

I personally feel that the tunes I play are amazing, the crowd seem to love them, so it seems all good to me.
I do not produce tunes, so would not class myself in a bracket of any of the greats, but I would like to think that I would be close to other trance DJs who are playing on the Ibizan Heat holiday.

You’re all an integral part of the Cyclone team, do each of you have individual jobs or do you all just muck in and get the job done?
Kind of yes and kind of no. We all pretty much have our own areas to work on and especially with the new divisions starting up. We all also have the usual 9-5 job main type situation, so we do what is necessary to be done. I also manage the affiliate side of www.cyclonedance.com. Remember we have a Trackitdown.net MP3 shop on the site now, but also look out for more wild features coming soon…

Any funny stories from last year’s WiLDCHiLD holiday you wish to share?!!!! Keep it clean please!
Can’t really think of any really, other than hanging our biggest Cyclone banner on Ben and Jay’s balcony at the front of the hotel and then walking home from a club early in the morning, seeing it and starting to chant “Cyclone dance la la la Cyclone dance la la la”.

So, what does the rest of 2007 hold for Cyclone and yourself as a DJ?
We are going to plough on energetically and hopefully have events established in Scotland, Bournemouth, Guildford and London by the end of the year. Why such a long term timeframe I hear you ask? The reason is because we all have other things on the go and this is what I can declare as being a realistic approach.
I hopefully want to get myself into a studio at some point. I have a few ideas and remixes in mind. Minted vocal trance of course!!

… and what’s in store for 2008 Ibiza for a third time?
I don’t see why not, unless another wild location comes along. With regard to the UK, we will really need to see where we are in the forth quarter of this year first. But as always onwards and upwards, even if it is slowly!

Thanks for your time Alex! Can’t wait to catch you and the rest of the Cyclone crew in Ibiza!!!
See you all there!
Interview by Paul Cruickshank