We teamed up with James Threlfall MBE to bring you an exclusive backstage interview with the global dance icon Solomun before his debut Glastonbury set. Scroll down and check out what he had to say below!

Last updated: 7th Jul 2025

Originally published: 30th Jun 2025

It’s hard to believe that one of dance music’s most revered figures had never stepped onto a Glastonbury stage before this year, but Solomun’s first time at the festival was well worth the wait. Taking over the newly designed Arcadia Dragonfly stage for an unforgettable B2B with Michael Bibi, the Diynamic boss delivered exactly what fans around the world have come to love him for: moments of magic that remind you music is more than just a tool to make people dance.

For Solomun, sound is a living thing - full of shades, stories, and that magnetic push and pull between DJ and dancefloor. It’s an energy that’s shaped everything from his iconic “Solomun +1” Pacha Ibiza residency - with its simple idea of one DJ, one guest, one vibe - to Diynamic, the label that’s become a launchpad for artists who share his commitment to honesty, connection and music that moves people.

Just before his Glastonbury debut, James Threlfall MBE caught up with Solomun backstage for Skiddle to talk about going B2B with Bibi, the art of recycling tracks with love, and what it means to stay true to his roots, wherever the music takes him.

Scroll down to read the full conversation. 

 

 

Solomun, it is an absolute pleasure to get to meet you and sit with you backstage. You’re obviously going back to back with Michael Bibi tonight here at Glastonbury. How are you feeling about it, man? Are you hyped?

“I'm super hyped. I'm very excited.

“I think we both would love to play a little bit more, but I also heard that the stage is a one-of-a-kind stage. Maybe it’s okay to just start with one hour”

 

Well, I don't know if you know, but there's a lot of hype for this set around the site. People are talking about this. How does that make you feel? Do you feel that hype from people commenting on socials and stuff like that?

“No, don’t tell me this. I’m much more nervous now, haha!

“I’m super excited and super nervous because it’s also my first Glastonbury ever. Of course, we learn to deal with pressure over the years, with excitement, but... No, no, I didn’t. Why are you telling me this?”

 

Sorry, that's my bad haha. But amongst my friends, we’re absolutely hyped for it. So you and Michael, obviously, you’ve known that this set’s been coming. Have you had any chance to get together to prep anything? Or are you totally freestyling it tonight?

“The thing is, we played together the first time in Mexico. It was beautiful with Damien Lazarus at Day Zero. Michael is one of those artists where we have a lot of crossovers and a kind of personal connection.”

“So this is, for me, is very important. That we know each other a little bit and we like each other, so there’s a respect.”

“Of course, we were texting during the week about how to design the set, how to start, maybe and at the end we decided to go with the flow and to freestyle.”

 

Nice man, that’s the chemistry there, though, right? I’m sure you guys will absolutely fly. Sometimes, freestyle is the best way. But let’s talk Love Recycled - you launched that as a way to reimagine classic tunes. What inspired you to launch that?

“I had the idea for a long time to restart the Love Recycled concept. 

“You know how it is - sometimes you have so many projects, so much stuff. I didn’t want to rush or force something. Then, when I was listening to an original track, ‘Change,’ with the beautiful strings, I was like, okay, I would love to do it in a new way, but not to change the original track so much.

“Then I found the way, and I tested it for the first time in Mexico, and the direction was beautiful. That’s why we thought, now okay, let’s restart the Love Recycled concept, and, especially the more disco-influenced approach on the Caribou-remix helped me to get the right twist for the Change track.

“Personally, this is the beauty of making music for me. I don’t have any genre people expect from me, so I can do whatever I want - or I at least try to do whatever I want.

“But no, I’m happy with the track, and let’s see how it goes. I already have two other tracks in the pipeline that I’m working on. The idea is also maybe to win and inspire other colleagues to do something like this, and hopefully I was just the start.”

 

Man, it sounds like it’s a real passion project for you. It feels like it’s just coming from love.

“It is absolutely a passion project. Anything is, I mean, every release, it’s a passion, but this is more than just a new umbrella - it’s more giving respect. 

"I mean, the name says it all: Love Recycled. We’re not just recycling stuff, we’re doing it with love and passion. So this is what we try to do with the concept.”

 

 So, how do you decide which tracks you want to rework? How have you picked them out and gone, ‘Do you know what, this is something I want to really put some time and effort and energy into’?

“At the moment, we try to dive more into the really old funk and soul section. But in the end, it should be... at least 30 years old.

But hey, let’s see. In the end, it can also be a '90s track or an '80s track; it’s just all about how the result is. It can’t be just another remix or just another edit.”

 

 

Love Recycled 4 is obviously ‘Angel In My Pocket.’ What drew you to that track in particular?

“I mean, ‘Angel In My Pocket’ - it’s a beautiful sentence and it’s the perfect timing now in the summer. It’s for me, just like: it’s summer, the angels are singing and playing the strings, and it’s a track with hope and also spreading love.

“It touched me personally, especially the rhythm, so that’s why I tried to make it in a new way, a little bit modern but not too far away from the original.”

 

When you listen to a track that you’re thinking of reworking, do you start to hear what you might do to the tune, or do you just go into the studio and start playing?

“As a producer, or like a lot of other producers, you have a lot of tracks in common that you work on. Even now I have a hook from a friend which is so catchy, and for half a year I can’t crack the track. The hook is so strong, and I have already like 15 versions of it, but I just put it on the side.

“With music, I don’t rush - it’s just about timing, the right time, and also a lot of luck, like always, maybe you find the right sound, the right synthesiser, or the right lead, or the right key, or the right progression, or whatever. It’s maybe even sometimes you wake up and everything is clear.”

 

Does that fire you up more, though, to get into it if maybe it’s been a bit challenging for you? Does problem-solving a little bit fire you up more to get stuck in?

“I learned that if you are blocked sometimes and you can’t find the right way to the track, then it’s better to stop.

“I’m always testing it a little bit in my studio to see if I’m on the right track before I commit.”

“This makes things a little bit easier, but with the Love Recycled concept, it’s a little bit more complicated.”

 

You mentioned before - big word, right - respect. So, how do you find that balance between picking up really big classic tunes that have a lot of heritage and wanting full creative freedom? How do you go about finding that balance?

“The approach was to find super well-known classic hits from the Funk & Soul area, but kind of an ‘Ah, I forgot this track.’ This should also be the concept for the next ones, too, numbers five and six. Let’s see how it goes.”

 

 

Amazing, man. I think it’s an absolutely awesome project, and I know everyone’s loving it. Congratulations on that. I want to ask about Ibiza, because you have made Sundays at Pacha an absolute destination for any partygoers out there. How does it feel to have made it that notable, and how have you kept that residency fresh year after year?

“Every start is not easy. Also, when I chose to play at Pacha, it was not like everybody was saying, ‘Okay, wow.’ So I also got a little bit like, ‘Are you sure you want to do it?’

“But I was always a fan of being like, it doesn’t matter where I’m going, I’m trying to make the club my own style. After a couple of years, I saw the concept was working well, to the point where other artists started reaching out on their own, asking if they could play for me at Pacha. And of course, that meant a lot to me”

“Other big-name colleagues started getting interested in Pacha as well and tried doing full-night shows there. So in a way, that felt like a side compliment - like a quiet acknowledgement that I must be doing something right, or that I’d brought some renewed attention to the club. But in the end, I’m just really happy. Every year, we shape the club a little more in our direction."

"Honestly, the new owners are amazing. They’re really open. So far, everything we’ve suggested, they’ve followed through. We said: 'Make the water five euros' - and they did. 'Make the dance floor bigger' - and they made it bigger. They’re actually listening to us. I just wish they’d been around earlier; it would’ve made things a lot easier to get the club to where we wanted it."

“With all the excitement around Glastonbury, where I’ve been preparing for two different back-to-back sets, I also have Skrillex as a guest at Pacha this Sunday - and of course, I need to prepare properly for that too. Oh, and I almost forgot — I made a track with Skrillex that I’ll probably play that night”

 

Amazing, that adds to the hype even more. You’re doing a good job of building this up. But it feels like with that residency, like with everything you do, you’ve really managed to bring your signature to it in a really great way. So it’s become a real destination. How does the vibe in Ibiza compare to anywhere else that you’re playing in the world? Is it truly unique for you?

“Thank you for the kind words. I’ve been doing this since 2013, and thanks to my amazing guests, it’s still a real joy to bring Solomun+1 to life at Pacha."

"Every place has its unique magic — whether it’s the spirit of Ibiza, a club night in Amsterdam or London, or an open-air gathering in Tulum. As long as music brings people together, each has its own beauty and its own meaning.”

 

Amazing, man. Well, it’s been a pleasure getting to chat. One final question—have you got any secrets for us for today at Glastonbury? Any little bits of information you can give us on anything going on, or is everything under wraps?

“I mean, probably thanks to you because you reminded me to play the track with Skrillex tonight. There we go. Yeah, it will be a world premiere.”

 

 

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Find out where else you can catch Solomun live over the summer by visiting his artist page on Skiddle, by clicking or tapping - HERE

 

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