If you have any knowledge of the local music scene then you’ll definitely be aware of British couple Jo Mills and Charlie Chester. An enduring powerhouse of island parties – Charlie is an infamous promoter who’s brought hundreds of artists to Ibiza; Jo was one of the first female DJs here back the 90s.
We sat down to discuss past, present and future…
Take us back to where it all began, and how you met:
Jo: It was London 1990 at Charlie’s event at the Soho Theatre Club and I was working in a record shop, Flying Records in Kensington Market. Charlie would book me for gigs at the club. We got together in 1996. I would stay after the record shop closed and I was taught how to mix. Steve Harvey from Club UK asked if I wanted to play and it was really funny because the DJ booth had a square in the wall and people used to come and give me their coats, thinking it was the cloakroom! I’d say “No, I’m the DJ”. That was my first real residency. Charlie was working at other clubs in Middlesborough and Wolverhampton (Canal Club) and he would book me as the warm up DJ.
Charlie: I was at the club for three or four years, with a night called Flying. But so much stemmed from there as we did Ibiza 90.
We were connecting really early to Venus in Nottingham and Slam in Glasgow, we were fairly responsible for the Balearic networking – we were very good at meeting people and that is how it worked. We took Flying to Nottingham. We had Andy Weatherall, Terry Farley, Fabi Paras.
When did you arrive in Ibiza, and what was its attraction for you both?
Charlie: I came in 1984 for 2 weeks, it was the first time I’d been on a plane as my family holidays were spent in Southport, the Norfolk Broads or Brighton.
I then came back as Acid House kicked off in ’88 and then we did Ibiza ’90 which was the first big event when we brought 24 DJs, three bands, more than 500 people.
Jo: I came here as a wet behind the ears teenager in 1987 on a bucket holiday, not that it was a trendy place to go but it was a cheap holiday. We came for two weeks, after one week we got broken into and I got my mum to get me an emergency flight home. I was only 17!
Charlie: It was in 1999 when we moved here for the first summer.
Jo: I had some some gigs here and then we just said we really must live here. I was playing Pacha and Space. I was resident at Cream at Amnesia.
Tell us about your connection with the iconic Circoloco brand at DC10:
Jo: Cirillo at DC10 wanted at one point to have all female DJs on the terrace so I started working there, there was a few of us, but it didn’t end up being just females which I wasn’t a fan of anyway. But it just went from there. That sort of propelled my career really and I started touring Europe after that.
Charlie: Before clubs had promoters they had promoters mainly hairdressers because hairdressers knew a lot of people! Along came Acid House and Brandon Block and Dean Thatcher wanted to do a party together. So they asked me to get involved because I’ve got ‘the gift of the gab’ I suppose, and then we did a party called Flying at Queens. It was at one of the worst times of the year, and I brought in my best friend to do the door – he did it differently and it was more of a friendly polite welcome. We progressed from a club on top off a sailing club u at one of the runways at Heathrow to Soho.
Jo: Circoloco was brilliant. That’s when it would start at 6am. Then it grew and grew.
Charlie: I got involved in the first 6 years of Circoloco because of Jo being a resident DJ. We brought more English people to the party and brought in a few more English DJs as it was predominately Italian originally.
We went on to to do other things – we moved to Singapore in the winter and I ran a club called Attica. We had a flat there and based ourselves there but we were flying into Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia. So we split our time between Europe and Asia.
You’re hosting weekly events at Tanit Beach Club. How’s it going so far?
Jo: Yes Escucha started back in May 2019 at Atzaro and it really took off, but it was way too busy for the venue, it was a hotel and they had to give rooms away as it was so noisy. They loved it but couldn’t do any more events there, so we took it to La Belle and then Rehab at Talamanca. I wanted the concept to be dinner and dance, for all ages, really good food music and not too intense.
Charlie: Escucha really took off at House of WOW this winter but when it is hot people want to be by the water, so we took it to the beach and it is now at Tanit Beach Club every Sunday. Jo used to play there as a resident DJ before Covid.
Jo: We keep the music light – it has that Ibiza vibe and I think that is what is missing at the moment. It has Balearic spirit. And we are going to take it to Asia this winter.
And your Pikes residency…
Jo: Yes I am there about 4 times a week now. The new plaza room has its new sound system and it’s really good – people are really loving it. I played Manumission last Monday and that was fun.
The highs and best memories?
Jo: Circoloco days were just the best. Stage diving started on Charlie’s 40th birthday.
Charlie: We had Pete Tong do it, Danny Tanaglia, Timo Maas.
Jo: But Charlie started it. It got to the point that everyone who played had to do it. (The first time) Charlie got up there – I was just like “Get down!” and he folded his arms and just swan dived. And then I thought, I’ll have a go at that. It became a tradition.
