30 July 2023 , 20:11
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A pensioner who loves partying in Ibiza says the secret to staying up all night is by having a 'disco nap' in the afternoon.
Robert Johnson, from Birkenhead, the Wirral, was employed as a DJ at Liverpool’s Cabin Club back in the 1970s. It wasn't until he turned 40, though, that he was introduced to rave music - and he's been obsessed ever since.
The 74-year-old made his first trip to the Spanish party island of Ibiza - popular for stag and hen dos - when he was 58 years old in 2007. He loved it so much that he returned every year for the next 11 years, only stopping in recent times due to financial reasons.
Robert, who now lives in Telford, Shropshire, told the ECHO: “Later in life I ended up doing a degree in IT with a year out in Valencia. The youngsters took me out to this disco where they had techno and rave music - that was me hooked on it. I’d never heard it on a good sound system. I’d heard it on the car radio but when I heard it in the club it blew my mind. It’s the energy, it’s the way it holds you on your feet. I went back home and I listened to Pete Tong, Danny Rampling, Judge Jules, Dave Pearce."
After discovering the record label HedKandi and buying all of their compilation CDs, Robert went to one of their club nights during his first trip to Ibiza in 2007. Robert said: “I couldn’t get over how good it was. I just felt at home.”
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Robert has a DJ schedule that would terrify most 21-year-old's (Liverpool ECHO)Robert went back to Ibiza every year up until the age of 69, when he said he had to stop because he became less affluent. The 74-year-old still enjoys club nights in cities across the UK and said his secret is “having a disco nap in the afternoon.”
Now, friend and founder of Robert's favourite record label Hedkandi Mark Doyle, is hoping to fly him out to Ibiza in time for the brand’s party at Es Paradis next month. A Gofundme page set up to cover the cost of Robert’s stay has raised more than £2,000 so far. Mark, 53, said: “For us he’s proof you’re never too old to have fun so why can’t we help him to do something he enjoys doing. We’re just going to give him a great time.”
He was a popular local DJ in Liverpool in the 1970s (Liverpool ECHO)Robert said: “I’m so grateful to all these lovely people, I know lots of them. When they announced they were going to do this night in Hedkandi, which I’ve been to lots over the years when I was working and could afford to go, I thought, ‘I have to go.’ And then Mark sends me an email and says ‘what are you doing in August’ and he said ‘I’m going to take you there’. I was so happy.”
In a message on the fundraising page, Mark wrote: “I learned that Robert went to Ibiza regularly and had a club schedule that would terrify a 21-year-old. Quite simply Robert is a legend and most importantly an example to all of us. And beyond all of that, he's part of our family."
According to Robert, the secret to staying up all night is a 'disco nap' (Liverpool ECHO)He added: “As we return to Ibiza with our party at Es Paradis on Saturday, August 26, I wanted to ensure Robert was part of it and offered to fly him out for one night. Robert told me that due to many factors he had missed his Ibiza marathons for a few years. I want to ensure that this year is a truly amazing year for Robert and if you consider yourself part of the family I would like you to chip in and help.” You can visit the Gofundme page here.