Dexter Jones

Marc de Groot on photographing Ibiza and documenting club culture

n this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Marc de Groot, one of Ibiza’s most respected photographers and visual storytellers.
For more than two decades, Marc has been behind the lens documenting Ibiza’s nightlife at its most iconic. From superclubs like Amnesia Ibiza, Cream, and Clockwork Orange, to countless events including Kevin & Perry Amnesia Ibiza, his work has quietly shaped how the world remembers the island.
Marc shares what it’s really like capturing Ibiza nightlife while remaining completely sober since 1994, how he transitioned from DJing into photography and videography, and the responsibility that comes with documenting culture rather than just marketing it. We talk about the rise of phones on the dancefloor, the difference between art and promotion, and how Ibiza itself has changed through the years.
The conversation also explores the role of platforms like DontStayIn.com, the realities of creative work in a party-driven industry, and Marc’s advice for anyone hoping to build a sustainable creative career on the island.
This is not a surface-level chat.It’s an honest look at memory, integrity, and the people behind the images that defined Ibiza.
If you care about Ibiza history, club culture, photography, or the unseen work that documents a scene, this episode delivers.
🎧 Take your time with this one.
We talk about:
🎧 Starting out as a DJ before moving behind the camera
📸 Photographing Ibiza’s most iconic clubs and events
🎥 Videography, storytelling, and visual legacy
🍺 Being sober in a party-fuelled industry
🧠 Art versus marketing in club photography
📱 Phones on the dancefloor and cultural impact
🎨 Advice for creatives working in Ibiza
Find Marc de Groot:
Website: https://www.marcdegroot.co.uk/
Ibiza Wedding Photography: https://www.ibizaweddingphotography.net/
For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:rave@onemoretimeibiza.com
 

Emmalena Nesmith on addiction, Ibiza, and finding purpose through recovery

In this raw, emotional, and deeply honest episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with my longtime friend Emmalena for what is, without doubt, one of the most important conversations I have ever recorded.
Once a familiar face within Ibiza’s community during the 2000s, Emmalina is now a senior nurse prescriber working in addiction recovery within the UK prison system. She has been sober for 15 years. We have both walked similar paths, and this conversation comes from a place of shared experience, trust, and deep respect.
We talk openly about the madness and magic of Ibiza between 2000 and 2010, the drinking culture that blurred invisible lines, and the moments when control quietly slipped away. Emmalena shares the turning points that led to rock bottom, including the morning she woke up with sick in her hair and a tongue swollen “like a tennis ball”, and the events that eventually led her to sobriety in Sweden.
This episode also focuses on what came after. Life beyond addiction. Parenting, purpose, rebuilding identity, and dedicating a career to helping others recover. Emmalina speaks candidly about recovery, the role of Alcoholics Anonymous, and why the 12 steps are not a cult, but a framework that can genuinely change lives.
This is not an episode about shame.It’s about healing, forgiveness, love, and how recovery can become your greatest strength.
If you have ever struggled with alcohol, questioned your relationship with drinking, or loved someone who has, this conversation is for you.
🎧 Take your time with this one.
We talk about:
🌴 Ibiza life between 2000 and 2010
🍺 Drinking culture, blackouts, and crossing invisible lines
🤒 Losing control and hitting rock bottom
🇸🇪 Finding sobriety and recovery in Sweden
🩺 Life after addiction: parenting and professional purpose
🙏 Why AA isn’t a cult and how the 12 steps work
❤️ Healing, forgiveness, and long-term recovery
⚠️ Trigger warning:This episode contains discussion of addiction, seizures, and alcohol-related trauma.
For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:rave@onemoretimeibiza.com

Judge Jules on UK raves, Ibiza, and reinvention across decades

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Judge Jules, one of the most influential and enduring figures in dance music culture, to unpack a career defined by reinvention.
Before becoming a household name, Jules was promoting unlicensed warehouse raves during the raw, formative years of the UK rave scene. What followed was a decades-long journey through global DJ residencies, BBC Radio 1, and the creation of Judgement Sundays, Ibiza’s longest-running weekly party.
We talk candidly about rising through the ranks with Gatecrasher and Cream, shaping the sound and identity of San Antonio, and what it really takes to stay relevant as scenes, audiences, and technology change. Jules also opens up about retraining as a music lawyer while still DJing at the highest level, and why adaptability has been the key to his longevity.
This is not a nostalgia interview.It’s a grounded conversation about evolution, resilience, and building a career that can survive multiple eras of electronic music.
If you care about UK rave history, Ibiza club culture, or how artists adapt and endure, this episode delivers real insight.
🎧 Take your time with this one.
We talk about:
🏭 Promoting unlicensed warehouse raves in early UK dance culture
🎧 Rising through Gatecrasher, Cream, and global DJ residencies
🏝️ Building Judgement Sundays into Ibiza’s longest-running weekly night
📻 Life behind the scenes at BBC Radio 1
⚖️ Retraining as a music lawyer alongside a DJ career
🔄 Staying relevant across decades in electronic music
For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:rave@onemoretimeibiza.com

Dean “Shminky DJ” on Shipwrecked, Dirty Rotten DJs, and Ibiza’s wild underground era

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with my Ibiza mentor Dean (Shminky DJ), one of the key figures behind Shipwrecked, the Dirty Rotten DJs, and the infamous Slut Party that defined San Antonio’s underground worker-led scene in the 2000s.
This is a raw, hilarious, and often outrageous conversation that captures a side of Ibiza that simply could not exist today. From pirate radio roots and early garage scenes to DJ booths in Manumission’s ladies’ toilets, Dean shares the unfiltered truth behind the parties that shaped a generation.
We relive the rise of Shipwrecked boat parties, the moment “we need a bigger boat” became a movement, and the worker culture that kept Ibiza alive long after the clubs closed. There are stories of lock-ins, winter Ibiza survival, and nights that blurred into mornings, all before social media and corporate control changed the island forever.
This episode is not revisionist nostalgia.It’s a first-hand account of a time when community, chaos, and creativity ruled.
If you lived it, missed it, or want to understand the madness that was pre-social media Ibiza, this one delivers.
🎧 Take your time with this one.
We talk about:
🥾 Getting kicked out of Space Ibiza with mum in tow
🎧 Pirate radio, garage roots, and going digital
🏴‍☠️ The birth of Shipwrecked and the rise of Ibiza boat parties
👯 Worker-led parties that could never happen today
🚺 DJ booths inside Manumission’s ladies’ toilets
🎉 The Dirty Rotten Slut Party and inclusive club culture
🏝️ Winter Ibiza, lock-ins, and community survival
🔮 Why some parties and eras cannot come back
Chapters:
00:00 Intro01:45 Highlights04:30 Early music days07:20 The origins of “Start Getting Naked”10:05 First time in Ibiza13:00 Rock bands to pirate radio15:45 Early garage scene and going digital19:30 The CDJ revolution and influences22:15 Moving to Ibiza24:00 Winter Ibiza and island life27:00 Worker culture and daytime raving29:10 How Shipwrecked started at the Ship Inn32:00 From pub night to movement34:50 From lock-ins to boat parties38:00 Dirty Rotten DJs beginnings41:10 Playing in Manumission’s ladies’ toilets44:20 Backroom deals and scene politics48:00 Birth of the Dirty Rotten Slut Party51:30 Workers, inclusivity, and culture55:20 The decline of the wild West End58:10 Ibiza after Covid and corporate shifts01:01:00 Why some parties can’t return01:03:20 Legendary nights and bars01:06:10 Bar M memories01:08:10 Dream line-ups and community01:10:00 Cream Terrace workers’ nights01:12:15 Final tune01:13:00 Outro
📍 Subscribe for more stories from Ibiza legends, DJs, promoters, and the characters who built the island’s culture.
For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:rave@onemoretimeibiza.com

Ed Lynam on Ibiza worker culture, Trance, and the West End years

In this Ibiza Worker Special of The Dexter Jones Podcast, we sit down with Ed Lynam to talk about Ibiza, trance music, and the wild, formative days of San Antonio’s West End.
From his first season working on the island in 2004 to becoming a regular name on the European trance circuit, Ed shares a candid, funny, and deeply nostalgic account of Ibiza life before it changed forever. From Curry Club shifts to early DJ sets, this is a story many Ibiza workers will instantly recognise.
We talk about worker culture pre-Brexit, Shipwrecked boat parties, Es Paradis nights, and the friendships that defined entire summers. The conversation also moves forward into the evolution of trance, the realities of building a DJ career in the digital era, and what the future holds for the scene.
Ed also reflects on working alongside and being influenced by artists such as Lange, Armin van Buuren, and Scot Project, as well as the enduring legacy of Robert Miles and why Children still hits decades later.
This is not a polished highlight reel.It’s a real conversation about graft, community, music, and the Ibiza experience that shaped a generation.
If you’ve ever worked a season, loved trance, or still feel the pull of the island, this episode will resonate.
🎧 Take your time with this one.
We talk about:
🌴 Working in Ibiza before Brexit
🍛 Curry Club days and worker life
🏴‍☠️ Shipwrecked boat parties
🎧 First Ibiza DJ sets and building confidence
🪩 Es Paradis and San Antonio memories
🔊 The evolution of trance music
📱 Social media and DJ growth today
🎶 Collaborating with Lange
🌌 Trance legends and lasting influences
❤️ Robert Miles’ legacy and Children
Chapters:
00:00 Intro, birthday chat, and Aquarius link02:30 First season in Ibiza06:15 West End culture and changes post-Brexit10:00 Working at Curry Club13:00 DJ journey begins16:00 Es Paradis memories and iconic parties20:15 Trance passion and early influences24:30 One More Time shows and future plans28:15 Staying connected after the season30:45 Dublin events, Lange collaboration, and bookings36:00 Shipwrecked boat parties38:15 Trance scene evolution42:00 New producers to watch45:15 Social media and DJ growth48:00 DJ identity and production challenges51:00 Favourite club, track, and advice52:45 Robert Miles tribute
For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:rave@onemoretimeibiza.com

Mark Doyle on Hed Kandi, Ibiza, and building a global dance music brand

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Mark Doyle, the creator and founder of Hed Kandi, to tell the full story of one of dance music’s most influential global brands.
Hed Kandi was more than a record label. It became a cultural movement that soundtracked a generation, from instantly recognisable artwork to packed dancefloors across the world. For the first time, Mark shares a first-hand, unfiltered account of how the brand was built, the ambition behind its expansion, the realities of corporate pressure, and the legal battles that ultimately changed everything.
We go right back to Mark’s early career at Jazz FM, the creation of New Cool, and the moment Jason Brooks’ artwork helped define a visual identity that became iconic. From there, we follow Hed Kandi’s rapid rise, international success, and its move to Ibiza, including the defining years at El Divino.
This is not a highlight reel.It’s an honest conversation about creativity, control, ownership, mistakes, and legacy — and why the Hed Kandi story is not finished yet.
If you lived through the era, danced to the compilations, or want to understand how a music brand really scales and fractures, this episode matters.
🎧 Take your time with this one.
We talk about:
🎙️ Early career at Jazz FM
🎨 New Cool and the first Jason Brooks artwork
🎶 The birth of Hed Kandi
🌍 Global expansion and international success
📻 Radio promotion and early Hed Kandi parties
🏝️ Moving the brand to Ibiza
🪩 El Divino and the Hed Kandi Ibiza era
🏢 Corporate acquisition and internal conflict
⚖️ Legal battles and their aftermath
🔮 The future of Hed Kandi
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and early career at Jazz FM15:00 Creating New Cool and the first Jason Brooks image25:00 The birth of Hed Kandi35:00 Global expansion45:00 Early parties and radio promotion55:00 Moving the brand to Ibiza01:05 El Divino and Ibiza focus01:10 Jazz FM acquisition and internal conflict01:15 Legal struggles01:18 The future of Hed Kandi
Hed Kandi today
Mark Doyle and Hed Kandi now present a weekly two-hour radio show across Mixcloud, DAB, and podcast platforms.
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/hedkandi📲 Instagram & Facebook: @hedkandi
For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:rave@onemoretimeibiza.com

Rob Tissera on acid house, illegal raves, and the birth of UK club culture

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Rob Tissera, one of the most important and authentic voices to emerge from UK rave and club culture.
Rob sits right at the heart of the story. From the first wave of acid house to illegal warehouse parties, early club residencies, and moments that would change his life forever, this is one of the rawest, funniest, and most original accounts of the UK underground you’ll hear.
We go deep into the illegal rave era. Rob shares uncensored stories from playing at The Haçienda, raving at Sunrise, DJing Blackburn warehouse parties that ended in riots, and the night that ultimately landed him in prison. We talk sound systems built inside abandoned spaces, dodging the police, and the thin line between freedom and consequences during the wild west years of rave culture.
This is not nostalgia dressed up for clicks.It’s an honest, first-hand account of chaos, creativity, and how the underground shaped everything that followed in modern dance music.
If you care about acid house, rave history, warehouse culture, or the roots of UK club music, this episode is essential.
🎧 Take your time with this one.
We talk about:
🔊 Discovering acid house and UK rave culture
🏭 The life-changing first trip to The Haçienda
🎧 Playing alongside DJs before they became household names
🚓 Illegal warehouse parties and dodging the police
🔧 Building sound systems inside abandoned spaces
🔒 The night that led to prison
🚗 Surviving a serious car crash
⚡ How the underground shaped modern dance music
For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:rave@onemoretimeibiza.com

Adam Wilson on Ibiza worker culture and how Garlands made him do it!

In this Ibiza Worker Special of The Dexter Jones Podcast, we sit down with Adam Wilson, a DJ, promoter, and nightlife veteran whose life was permanently shaped by Ibiza during the mid-2000s.
From the chaos and creativity of the Garlands era to wild nights at DC10, West End madness, and working across some of the island’s most intense nightlife environments, this is a first-hand account of what Ibiza worker life really looked like between 2005 and 2007.
We trace Adam’s journey from clubber to DJ, PR, and entrepreneur, including working at Eden Ibiza, running boat parties, and eventually founding the Acid 87 clothing label.
Along the way, we talk sobriety, family life, and how Ibiza can both break you and help you build something meaningful.
This is not a highlight reel.It’s an honest, nostalgic, and grounded look at passion, perseverance, and why the island remains so magnetic long after the season ends.
If you worked a season, lived the West End years, or still feel pulled back to Ibiza, this episode will resonate.
🎧 Take your time with this one.
We talk about:
⚡ Ibiza worker life between 2005–2007
🕺 From clubber to DJ and promoter
🙌 Wild West End stories and Eden nights
👟 Fancy dress culture and lost-and-found Ibiza chaos
🎧 Garlands and the community it created
🏴‍☠️ Boat parties and street-level nightlife graft
👕 Launching Acid 87 and turning party culture into fashion
🧠 Sobriety, balance, and building a family life in Ibiza
🧲 Why Ibiza keeps pulling people back
Chapters:
00:00 Garlands made him do it01:30 First summer in Ibiza and West End madness04:10 From getting sacked to finding direction06:00 First DJ set at Orange Corner07:45 First wild trip to Ibiza09:40 Life in Santa Eulalia12:00 Garlands: the brand, chaos, and community14:40 Fancy dress, Bart Simpson, and DC10 stories17:10 Becoming PR manager and running boat parties19:50 Taking over Ushuaïa street PR22:00 What makes a DJ stand out today24:20 How Ibiza shapes club culture26:40 Tech, lasers, and the modern club experience29:10 From clubber to entrepreneur: Acid 8732:00 Seeing the brand worn in clubs33:30 Balancing nightlife and family life35:15 Ibiza’s sober scene and lifestyle shift37:00 West End shenanigans39:20 One More Tune41:00 Outro and reflections
🔗 Acid 87 clothing brand:www.acid87.co.uk
For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:rave@onemoretimeibiza.com

Nathan Viva on the Ibiza hustle: from €1 beers to €35M villas

In this Ibiza Worker Special of The Dexter Jones Podcast, Dexter sits down with Nathan Viva, one of the most recognisable entrepreneurs to come out of San Antonio’s West End.
Nathan’s story is pure Ibiza graft. From selling €1 beers to workers, to owning bars, clubs, a concierge company, a real estate agency, and becoming a published author, this episode charts the full arc of how hustle, timing, and sheer resilience can build an empire on the island.
We go deep into the rise of Viva Workers Bar, promoting nights with Tiësto, Timo Maas, and Roger Sanchez at just 22 years old, and how Nathan navigated the chaos of Ibiza nightlife while building multiple businesses at once.
We also unpack the realities behind running six businesses on the island, helping launch DJ careers, surviving the post-Brexit property shift, and selling €35 million villas to footballers and high-net-worth clients.
This is not a motivational soundbite episode.It’s a raw, first-hand account of ambition, mistakes, momentum, and what it actually takes to succeed in Ibiza.
If you’ve ever worked a season, dreamed of staying, or wondered how people really build long-term businesses on the island, this one delivers.
🎧 Take your time with this one.
We talk about:
🍺 The rise of Viva Workers Bar
🎧 Promoting Ibiza nights in his early twenties
💸 Running six businesses simultaneously
🎯 Helping develop DJ careers, including Hannah Wants
🧼 Managing Ibiza’s wildest nightlife moments
🏨 Turning venues into clubs
💃 Launching Taboo Ibiza
🛥️ Building a concierge empire
🏠 Selling €35M villas through Ibiza International
🔄 Brexit, property shifts, and long-term survival
Chapters:
00:00 From the bar to the boardroom01:30 First summer in Ibiza (2000)05:50 Running a club with Tiësto on speed dial10:45 Birth of Viva Workers Bar15:35 €1 beers and pre-internet promotion19:50 The Viva tattoos25:20 The wildest dancefloor story30:15 Launching DJ careers35:00 Owning the West End scene38:40 Flipping a hotel into a nightclub42:20 Starting Taboo Ibiza47:45 Building the concierge business53:10 Selling €35 million villas58:00 Ibiza International real estate01:03:20 Property crisis and Brexit fallout01:07:50 Lessons from running multiple businesses01:12:00 Advice for starting a business in Ibiza01:15:10 Final reflections01:18:00 One More Tune
Links & contact:
📘 The Entrepreneur’s Playbook: https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurs-Playbook-Step-Step-Professional/dp/106831771X
🛥️ Ibiza Concierge: https://ibizacc.com/
🏠 Ibiza International: https://www.ibiza-international.com/
💃 Taboo Ibiza: info@taboo-ibiza.com
🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanviva
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanviva
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-seal-viva
For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:rave@onemoretimeibiza.com
 

Marco Loco on Space Ibiza, the West End Ibiza, and earning respect the hard way

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, we sit down with Marco Loco, a DJ whose journey perfectly captures what the Ibiza grind really looks like.
From playing free gigs in San Antonio to becoming one of the most-played resident DJs at Space Ibiza, Marco shares a raw, emotional, and deeply honest account of persistence, rejection, belief, and timing.
He tells the full story of how he blagged his way into the world’s number one club not once, but twice. How he waited all day just to get five minutes in front of the right person. How he held down up to ten gigs a week across beach bars, boats, and clubs. And how his final Space Ibiza season ended with an emotional set that later saw Carl Cox play the very same closing track hours later.
We also explore life beyond peak club culture. From Shipwrecked boat parties and Salinas Beach sets to chillout albums under his Laylo alias, moving to Thailand, and openly discussing mental health, burnout, and balance after Ibiza.
This is not a shortcut story.It’s a full-spectrum Ibiza journey about earning respect the hard way and knowing when it’s time to evolve.
If you’ve ever worked a season, chased a dream on the island, or wondered what happens after the dancefloor, this episode will resonate.
🎧 Take your time with this one.
We talk about:
🎧 Starting out with free gigs in San Antonio
⏳ Waiting all day for a single opportunity
🪩 Convincing Space Ibiza management face-to-face
🌴 Building credibility at Salinas Beach
🔊 Becoming a Space Ibiza regular
🎶 Playing alongside Carl Cox and Café Olé
🤝 A defining moment with Roger Sanchez
🚤 Shipwrecked and beach-bar culture
🌅 Chillout music as Laylo
🧠 Mental health, burnout, and life after Ibiza
Chapters:
00:00:00 Introduction00:06:00 How it all started00:19:37 Getting gigs and respect00:25:50 Waiting all day for a shot00:26:48 Convincing Space Ibiza management00:27:40 Building credibility at Salinas Beach00:28:04 The breakthrough moment00:30:30 Space Ibiza gets a new boss00:31:47 Becoming a Space Ibiza regular00:34:29 Playing for Carl Cox, Café Olé, and more00:42:37 Final emotional seasons00:47:37 A hug from Roger Sanchez00:57:31 Launching Rock the Boat in Thailand01:10:15 Chillout alias: Laylo01:24:44 One More Tune
Marco Loco links:
🎧 Mixcloud (club mixes): https://mixcloud.com/marcolocoibiza
🎶 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marcoloco
🌅 Laylo Mixes: https://mixcloud.com/laylomixes
🎼 Laylo Productions: https://soundcloud.com/layloproductions
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcolocomusic
📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/marcolocomusica
For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:rave@onemoretimeibiza.com