Festival organiser, music promoter and leading DJ, Richie Embleton, is working round the clock on the final preparations for a new exciting and unique music event for Mallorca which will be the first of many as he looks to the future. Richie, originally from Walthamstow, first broke into the music industry as a DJ and manager and promoter of some of the top clubs in London and Essex in the 2000s, but then came the great economic crash of 2008 and, still an ambitious young man, decided it was time for a change.
Europe’s top party resorts
“I’d always dreamt of spending the summers performing and entertaining in some of Europe’s top party resorts and decided to come out to Mallorca and, to be honest, ever since I landed on the island and began working, I’ve progressed year-on-year. I moved into open air festivals in Magalluf, pool parties and then working with the host of British TV stars and celebrities who come to the island every summer. While there has been a huge revival in live music and festivals since the pandemic, I realised that there was still a gap for the international market on the island.
“Since I moved to Mallorca, I’ve watched the community become so much more cosmopolitan with people of more diverse nationalities moving to and visiting the island. I felt there was something lacking there for the new market. Yes, we’ve got great events like Mallorca Live and Port Adriano plus the summer line-ups in Palma, but there is also a lot of good local talent and I felt the need to bring some of that local talent together with the best international acts in the world,” Richie explained.
Legends
“So, I’ve set up Islita Group to promote and organise events and this year we are starting on July 18 with the Soultown Festival Mallorca. Soultown are a tried and tested UK company which has experience in organising hugely successful festivals across the Mediterranean resorts and in the Middle East. Together, we intend to replicate that here in Mallorca. Soultown Festival Mallorca is best described as a one night, three legends - a soulful island experience.
“It is going to be a celebration of soul, funk, and timeless classics - all set in the open-air surroundings of Es Jardí in Calvia. Capturing the full festival energy in a single unforgettable evening, Soultown presents a heavyweight line-up. We have Shalamar – bringing iconic floor-fillers like ‘A Night to Remember’ and ‘I Can Make You Feel Good’.
“Tunde – the unmistakable voice of Lighthouse Family, performing classics like ‘Lifted’, ‘Ocean Drive’, and ‘High’ plus we will soon announce the special guest. There will also be local support from Albie Davies - the voice of the island, performing powerful soul covers - and DJ Des Mitchell, a soul legend on the island, bringing the feel-good vibes all night long,” Richie revealed.
Further plans
And Richie’s plans for this summer do not stop there. On Sunday, August 3, he is going to hosting a ‘family-friendly’ festival at the same venue in Calvia featuring English boy band Blue, who have sold over 15 million records worldwide and are still in big demand in concert today, and former Atomic Kitten member Natasha Hamilton.
“The idea is to hold an event for all the family. Again it will start at 6pm and rock on into the night with family stages featuring Disney and TV characters and a host of events and activities for kids and parents, adults alike.
Festival vibe
“To add to the festival vibe, we’ll have food trucks and all the usual attractions events of this kind feature today. It’s all about providing a new experience and Calvia is such a great catchment area and the location, Es Jardi, is perfect. It’s easy to get to with plenty of parking and it’s very comfortable. It’s a class venue which is why we’re going to bring class acts from all over the world, especially the United States, with more Americans moving to and coming on holiday to the island.
“Mallorca is very much on the North American radar now, so it’s another of the emerging and growing markets which need to be taken into account. My main sponsor is Sandberg Estates and the events will work well for their luxury real estate clients while also giving our festivals more international exposure. They are taking care of the German/Danish and northern European market. Obviously I’m focused on the resident and British and then Es Jardi are also keen to involve the Spanish, so I hope we have all our bases covered promotion and sales wise,” Richie added.
“For me personally, it’s a great opportunity. As a DJ and a music lover, the sounds of the 80s and 90s are the soundtrack of my life and I think that is the case for so many people still. After all, we grew up with our parents listening to the music and we then followed suit. When I hear the Lighthouse Family, for example, it brings back happy memories, it makes me feel good, it sets me up for the day. I just wish I could be performing on stage with Tunde, but I’ll be working.
“But I think that’s the reason the musicians from that era are back in demand across the world, it was probably the best era of music ever,” he said. What I love about the big bands of the 80s was that were just that, big bands. They wrote and played their songs and live, were amazing to enjoy and watch and to a certain extent we’ve lost that today. To be able to bring the big groups from the 80s and 90s to Mallorca is going to be great for the island,” he said.
“Apart from that, the philosophy of our festivals is to give people a good time from the moment they enter the event. At so many concerts, there is too much time hanging around waiting for the headline act and at venues which are not properly equipped for concerts that can be rather tiresome and uncomfortable. As I said, Es Jardi is purpose built and our idea is that the music and entertainment kicks off at 6pm, so when people arrive, they can start enjoying themselves. Looking to the future, the aim is to hold four festivals a year and I may even organise one in the low season.
“The weather is still good, we have a standing population of one million people plus low season tourists and, as I know all too well, for those working all summer in the tourist industry, they can’t get the time off to enjoy the concerts and festivals, so one in the winter will give them a chance to do just that,” he added.
Non-stop live music
“For those first through the doors, they are going to enjoy the best part of five hours of top class music and all live,” Richie stressed. That’s what I mean by the festival vibe,” he added. For tickets: https://www.entradas.com/eventseries/soultown-3907895/