In-depth interview, and dispatch from Ibiza, care of gentleman abroad, Christopher English. 

I met Yuri on a drab November night in 2011. Manchester United were playing Benfica in the Champions League, and we had both braved the drizzle and ventured out to an English pub in Santa Eulalia to watch our respective teams. I think we were the only people there. It finished 2-2. Our friendship since has been one of life’s greatest gifts.

This year marks a decade since he opened his bar Soulgood. Ostensibly a ramshackle kiosk tucked into the southern corner of Playa Niu Blau on the east coast of Ibiza overlooking the sea, it is simply one of the best bars on the planet. Everything is made in-house and with love. They have an excellent selection of empanadas and a soundtrack that reflects Yuri and his team’s impeccable taste in music.

Through Yuri, I was introduced to Said Durra, aka Sadeedo, who is the resident DJ on Fridays. Not only is he one of the nicest, most humble and genuine guys around, but his selections, encompassing everything from French hip hop to music from Sahel Sounds, are uncannily close to my own tastes, and to hear him was a game-changer… and the first time I had heard a DJ play these types of tracks in Ibiza.

His debut album, “Azizi In Space”, drops on September 18th on Chris Coco’s DSPPR imprint.

Your relationship with music seems to go back a long way. Where did it begin?

My sister was a huge influence. She’s a few years older than me, and she always had great taste in music. She used to buy records, so when I was little, I would just delve through her stuff. Then I started buying records myself.

My sister was buying records in the late ’80s and early ’90s. We were both into pop music, as you would be at that age, but she was also into cooler stuff, De La Soul and that kind of thing. She was definitely a big influence on my taste.

When did you start actually buying records to play rather than just listen to?

When I was about 20, at university, I bought turntables and started buying hip-hop records. I just wanted to play rap music and learn how to scratch. I think quite a lot of people from my generation went through that.

I was at Oxford Brookes, and in my second year I got a kind of residency, playing warm-up sets at a hip-hop night in a bar in Oxford. I absolutely loved it. It meant the world to me. But I was also quite scared of playing out. I had all those normal insecurities you have at that age. I didn’t think I was good enough. I didn’t think I could make anything of it. So for a long time I was much more of a bedroom DJ, apart from house parties.

Were there any particular parties that had an impact on you? 

Definitely. It was a night called Funkin Pussy at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden. I discovered it in my late teens or early twenties and it was exactly the music I wanted to hear on a night out, hip-hop, soul, disco, but mostly hip-hop. And it had such a nice vibe because it was completely unpretentious and really friendly. The age range was amazing. You’d have 15-year-olds and 50-year-olds, and everyone was just there to dance.

There was a part of the club that would turn into a breakdancing corner, and all these amazing B-boys and B-girls would come and battle. I remember sitting against the wall after dancing, having a couple of tokes on a joint and watching these incredible breakdancers. They became these almost mythical characters.

I can still remember this guy who always wore a full black Adidas tracksuit. I can’t remember what anyone else wore, which is funny, but I remember his style.

That was probably the most iconic regular club night for me. Then it moved somewhere else, some shopping centre in North London, and it was never the same. I remember thinking, “What is this?” It had gone from being this really cool night in the heart of London to something completely different.

And then you took quite a long break from music?

Yeah. I never lost the passion, but I never really believed I could make anything of it. I fell into another career, which was actually a dream job. I worked as a football TV producer, and it also allowed me to connect with my Arab roots and learn the language. It was an incredible period of my life. I think I had convinced myself that music was going to remain a hobby. Then something changed.

What changed?

I remember watching one of those Alan Watts videos. You know the ones — they put some cheesy ambient music underneath him and he says, “If money was not your object, what would you do?” And I instantly knew. It was a really strange feeling. I didn’t even consciously answer the question, but my gut just went: music. I was like, “Whoa. Okay. I really do want to do this.”

I think what had been stopping me was fear. I was terrified of having a go and it not working out. Of failing, although I don’t really like that word. What would everyone think? What if I gave up my job and it didn’t work? Eventually I just got to a point where I thought, “Fuck it. I don’t care. I’m going to have a go.” And that’s when I quit my job and moved to Ibiza.

That was almost 10 years ago now, wasn’t it?

It’ll be 10 years in December. And it was quite an out-there idea, because I hadn’t DJed for about 16 years. I’d never played regularly or professionally. I wasn’t even DJing in Qatar, and suddenly I was going, “Right, I’m moving to Ibiza and I’m going to DJ.” A lot of people quite understandably thought I was maybe losing the plot. But what’s the worst that could happen? I have a go, it doesn’t work out, and I go back into TV and get another job. It was really just about rolling the dice. And I’ve been incredibly lucky since I made that decision.

What were your first gigs in Ibiza?

One of the first was at the Forada Market. There was a guy called Doctor Cubano, who was part of Casita Verde, and he used to play great music there. I kept going every Saturday and talking to him. He knew I DJed, and one day he said, “Do you want to play next week? I can’t do it.” So I played. It was a really special one because it ended up being a rainy day and there was hardly anyone there. These local people actually helped put some kind of tent over me so I could keep playing. It was just one of those really lovely Ibiza moments.

Then a friend introduced me to Sarah Main, and she was amazing. Honestly, she was like a guardian angel. I told her my story and that I wanted to do this, and she said, “I want to help you.” She took the time to meet me, went through all the places she thought I should try to play and told me who I should speak to. She gave me a warm-up set at a night she was doing at Guarana in Santa Eulalia, and through that I met Africa Vaughan. He gave me a residency there on Thursday nights.

That was my first proper residency. I played midnight until 6 in the morning, every Thursday, for a whole season. It was an amazing learning curve. My main aim was to get thicker skin, and it definitely helped with that.

It wasn’t necessarily a place where people went specifically for the music. It was the only place in Santa Eulalia open until 6 in the morning, so after a certain time you were definitely playing for a particular type of person. But I had a lot of fun, and I’m still incredibly grateful to Vaughan and Alex Picazo for giving me that opportunity.

What were you playing then?

I was figuring it out. That was part of the whole journey of moving to Ibiza. I knew I wanted to DJ, but I was asking myself, “What do you actually want to play?” My taste had evolved. I still loved classic hip-hop, but I also wanted to incorporate all this other stuff I’d discovered. So I played an eclectic mix, hip-hop, funk, disco, Afrobeat, and then gradually other things.

I’d never really been that into house music. I just didn’t know it that well. And then I arrived in Ibiza thinking, “Well, I’m in Ibiza, so I probably have to play some house music.” I started finding house records I really liked and putting those into my sets too. Looking back, I cringe a little bit at how I used to think, “I’m not a house music guy.” It’s such a ridiculous distinction. Good music is good music.

And then came Soulgood?

I used to walk past the place all the time, and one day I heard “93 ’til Infinity” by Souls of Mischief playing. That’s one of my top 10 tunes of all time, so I immediately thought, “What’s this? Who’s playing it?” That’s when I met Yuri.

He didn’t actually have DJs there at the time. But Yuri started coming to a night I was doing with George Solar called Dub Tropical, which eventually evolved into a band and all sorts of things. We got to know each other, and he knew the kind of music I was into.

Towards the end of one season, I jokingly suggested doing a closing party. I said, “Let’s do a closing with you. I’ll bring my music down and play and we’ll have some fun.” And I ended up playing for about 12 hours. I really wanted to make an impression, but I was also having so much fun. I immediately felt there was a really strong musical connection with Yuri, Connor, Pete Gooding and the other people working there. It just fitted. Then COVID happened.

Yuri had said, “I want you to play here every week next season,” but then obviously everything changed. He understandably said, “I don’t really know how much I can pay you because I don’t know what the season is going to look like.” And I said, “It doesn’t matter. Whatever you can pay me, I don’t care. Let’s just do it.” And it became this really lovely regular thing.

That place, and Yuri in particular, have been incredible for me. They’ve helped me grow immensely as a DJ because Yuri has always given me complete freedom. He’s never said, “Do this,” or “Don’t do that.” It’s always been, “You do exactly what you want, how you want, when you want.” When you don’t have any limits like that, the only limitation is yourself.

Has that freedom changed you as a DJ?

Definitely. I think it’s also curbed my ego a little bit. At the beginning I always wanted to make an impression. You want people to go, “Oh, what’s that?” You want everyone to jump up and down when you drop the big tune. I still love that, obviously. It’s amazing when people get excited. But it’s not what I live for anymore.

At Soulgood people aren’t there because I’m the main event. They’re there to have a nice drink and listen to some good music. And that’s cool. I think it took me a while to understand that my satisfaction doesn’t have to come from other people going, “Wow, this is amazing!” There’s a kind of inner peace in being satisfied with what you’re doing yourself.

When did you start producing?

Around 2019 or 2020, I think. George Solar was always encouraging me, and I bought an MPC. Partly it came from the Dub Tropical stuff because I wanted to have more of a role. At that point, I was finding samples and playing loops, and I wanted to contribute more.

I’ve been very lucky because quite a few people encouraged me. George encouraged me to do a remix, and then a French record label I connected with asked me to do another remix. I had so much fun, and that really started things off.

It’s been similar to DJing. Production was another thing I thought, “How am I ever going to get into this? What do I know? It’s this huge sea of knowledge.” But then you just try something. I still feel like I know nothing. I just know a little bit more than I did back then. And I’m enjoying myself, which is probably the most important thing.

And now you’re releasing your first album.

Yeah. It’s called “Azizi In Space“. “Azizi” means “my friend” or “my dear” in Arabic. It comes out on Chris Coco‘s label, DSPPR, on September 18th. I still consider myself a DJ before a producer. I spend much more time DJing and listening to music than I have making music. But I think the album is basically a sum of everything I’ve listened to and loved over the years. It’s eclectic. There are shades of jazz, reggae, broken beat, hip-hop, dancehall, drum and bass, footwork, a little bit of everything. It’s all music that I love. I’m really proud of it.

I worked with some amazing musicians and some vocalists, which was new for me. I was quite wary of that at first, but I worked with a Lebanese singer who is a friend of mine, and she’s on one of the tracks. Another friend, Dusan Vranic, wrote the lyrics and recorded his voice for one of the songs. And then I ended up using my own voice, which was a whole new experience. But I really enjoyed it. I’m glad I got over that little psychological barrier.

How did you connect with Chris Coco?

That was through George Solar. Chris was making music with George, and George introduced us. Chris was actually the person who encouraged me to make an album. He’d told me years ago that he wanted me to make one, but I was thinking, “How am I going to do that?”

He gave me some great advice. He basically said, “Just make and finish as many songs as possible. Don’t worry too much about what the concept is.” That was incredibly freeing.

It’s very easy to make two or three tracks that sound similar and suddenly think, “Okay, this is the vibe of the album.” But I didn’t do that. I just made songs. Right up until quite late in the process, I didn’t really know what the concept of the album was going to be. In the end, the concept came afterwards. And I think that freedom was really important. Just finish the songs. Don’t think, “I’m making this big album, and it’s going to be about this.” Just make the music.

TEN SOULGOOD SIZZLERS

El Calefón / Al Son 

Balearic reggae bliss! 

Los Retros – Secret Admirer

Makes me nostalgic for the American high school I never went to..

Sadeedo / Rmoosh Arabiya, featuring Dani Moham

The first single from my album..I have to give Yuri credit here: I played him the song when it was in its early stages, and it was he who suggested adding a female voice..Everything fell into place after that and I found the perfect singer in Dani Moham. 

Lexx & Woolfy / Too Hot 

I love a topical tune, and this one is banging too! 

Butcher Brown / All Blues

What an inspired new take on the Miles Davis classic…has a lovely Afrobeat jig to it

JND / Le Style Nouveau

Jazzy 90s fraanch rap always means summer to me. From Emile Omar’s brilliant new compilation ‘Déclic, Kaz a Zouk’.

Ubunto / O Vento Part. As Ganhadeiras de Itapuã 

Mesmerising, hypnotic groove on this one! 

Alex Nut & Sum Of Its Parts / Hello High

Lovely soulful, jazzy house number, it locks you in but is blissful as well as bouncy.

KJ Cuts / Bully Pulpit

One of my favourite EPs of the year has been this collaboration between Jamie from Audiojack – aka JR Hartley – and Kevin Knapp. 

Mostafa El Sakka / Rezq El Ein

Beautiful Egyptian drum machine disco with a lovely hooky Oud melody!