Richy Penny met us at sunset in Talamanca, one of his favourite spots in Ibiza, for a chat about life on the island and the unforgettable gigs that have shaped his season. Spending around six months a year in Ibiza, he has become a familiar face in the local scene. We talked about his residency with Fisher at UNVRS, his friendship with the Australian superstar and, of course, some of their funniest stories. Richy also revealed the unexpected way people often recognise him, not by his DJ career, but by his unmistakable laugh, which apparently has some serious competition from his wife Jaynee. Enjoy the interview we made with collaboration with MITA Magazine | Electronic Music News & DJ Interviews.
Interview With Richy Penny:
So, I’m here in Ibiza with Richie Penny next to me, just before his big gig at Hï Ibiza. Are you excited?
I’m very excited. I’ve played there before, but it’s always an experience, and the crowd is different every time. It’s definitely one of my favourite gigs on the island.
You’ve had so many gigs on the island this summer, especially your residency at UNVRS with Fisher. You also played with David Guetta at Ushuaïa and at so many other parties. How was it, and how does it feel to be part of the Ibiza scene?
Look, to be honest with you, it was all a little bit surreal for me. I’ve been coming to the island for 10 to 15 years. This year, I really got my chance and had the best time. To be honest with you, it was everything and more. I feel like this place is so special to me and to a lot of people. So, to get the opportunity to have a residency and play on Fisher’s night was super special. Then getting the opportunity to play for David Guetta, and then our closing set for Tiësto… it was all very, very wild. It was wild in my dreams, but it came true, and it was amazing. I had the best time.
You and Fisher are also good friends, right? I’ve seen so many videos of you together and all the funny stories. What was the funniest moment with him this summer? Can you tell us?
Well, look, there’s always a funny story with Fisher. We’ve been good friends for over 10 years. We both kind of came from the action sports industry and now we’re both working in music. I’ve watched his career take off on an incredible trajectory, and he gave me a leg up and the opportunity to meet a lot of the people over here and get involved in the scene. Then getting the experience to play with him is super special. The stories are endless. They’ve been endless for 10 years, and there are some that I definitely can’t talk about here! But I’d say the most memorable experience was probably the closing after-party with all the crew. We had the opportunity to take a lot of the UNVRS staff and hang out together. One of our really good friends, Ellie Malouf from Ahoy Days, has a lovely boat, and she was like, “I’d love to host you guys for a few hours on the boat and invite everyone along.” That was probably one of the best days we had out there. It was just great to spend some proper time with all the staff from UNVRS. You’re with them every week, and they become like family. So it was really cool.
Sounds amazing! How do you recover after all those parties and long nights?
Look, I’m definitely really into my fitness, and I’m lucky that my wife is too. Shout-out to Jaynee! She definitely hits the gym and sets the tone for us to go every day. But my main tips are really trying to sleep when you can, clawing back those hours that you might have lost, and managing your hydration. And no matter what, don’t let too much couch-rot happen! Get up, get moving and get on with it. I try to have that attitude towards it.
Your latest release, “Soft Chaos,” is out now. What was the most chaotic thing about creating this track?
Look, the most chaotic thing was probably the story of how I bumped into Javi Bora at the airport taxi line in Ibiza. I introduced myself, we got chatting, and then I invited him to come and play in the bunker with me. He was like, “I’d love to.” We played a bunch of tracks that first year, and then we talked a little bit afterwards about some of our favourite tracks from the night. We shared some music, and from that, we came up with an idea for this track. Javi sent over a bit of a plan and some structure, and then I gave him a lot of feedback on it. I was actually planning to release another track on the label, and he was like, “Hey, this one’s ready to go. I think we should do this one first.” And I agreed. So, yeah, it was a dream come true to work with Javi. I love the name “Soft Chaos” because it’s a bit of an oxymoron. It’s the perfect kind of track for a journey set. I’ll definitely be playing it tonight. It’s not an absolute thumping banger, but it’s such a special track for keeping the energy right on a dance floor. All the elements of the track make it perfect for any kind of set.
Soon you’ll be leaving Ibiza and heading back to Australia. Is that correct?
Correct. I’ve just been here for almost five months, so it’s been an incredible Northern Hemisphere summer. I’ll be heading back to Australia in the coming days to chase the rest of the Southern Hemisphere summer and get back to work. I’ll go straight back into a couple of festivals, some club shows and a couple of private gigs. So, yeah, I’m really looking forward to getting home. Australia is a really, really special place, but Ibiza definitely holds a very big part of my heart too.
What’s your biggest DJ goal at the moment?
Look, I really, really need to finish all those unfinished tracks! As much as all the gigs have been amazing, the common denominator when you talk to anyone, all my mentors and good friends is that you’ve got to get your own music out there. I’m really lucky. I work with a number of amazing producers who give me a hand here and there. I’ve got some amazing ideas that just need to be finished. But, in my true ADHD fashion, things have been half-started and not quite there yet! So that’s my goal right now: to get a bunch of music finished and then see what comes next year. I’d love to do a bit more touring around Europe. I’d also love to get back over here at the very end of winter next year, possibly for some gigs in the Northern Hemisphere winter, maybe in the snow or the Alps. Other than that, I’ll get back to Australia and work on a plan. Hopefully, fingers crossed, everything went well this year. I think it did, and hopefully that means there’ll be an opportunity to come back to the island next year.
Thank you so much for being with us, and good luck with everything. Enjoy tonight!
Thank you so much. I appreciate your time, guys. Have a good day!
