True House Stories® Youtube & Spotify Video Podcast
TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ JO MILLS
Jo Mills interview podcast hosted by Lenny Fontana # 144 - True House Stories®
YOUTUBE PREMIERE - 26th February 2025
Jo Mills began to gain her extensive musical knowledge during the early 90’s at London’s Mecca for music enthusiasts, Flying Records. Working alongside DJs such as Clive Henry, Rocky and Ashley Beedle lead her to become a regular behind the decks at the infamous Full Circle parties on Sunday afternoons. Soon Jo Mills was playing alongside some of the biggest names in house including Danny Tenaglia, Deep Dish, Tony Humphries and DJ Sneak, to name a few.
By the late 90’s it was the dawn of a new era, for DJs, and she began playing all over the world. Soon she was regularly playing at some of the greatest clubs of the time, especially in Ibiza, which these days is where she calls home. Having firmly stamped her mark on the island playing seminal clubs such as Pacha, Space and Amnesia she then began her residency for the now legendary Circo Loco. As one of the key players her Circo Loco residency spanned five amazing years and propelled her to the next level.
Jo Mills mixed her first Ibiza compilation for Pacha alongside DJ Pippi in 2001 and followed it up the following year with a Circo Loco debut compilation alongside Cirillo. Jo continues to wow audiences across Europe, South Africa, Asia, Australia, Mexico, South America, Canada the US and even Russia. Annual global tours are regularity due to her ever-increasing popularity, fan base, talent and all-round presence in the house scene.
Over the years Jo’s musical talents have continued to flourish, not only as a DJ but also as a producer. In the production realm she sights the likes of Jamie Jones, Bookashade and Sebo K as inspiration and is currently receiving great acclaim for her own releases. Her collaboration with Tomas Hedberg, on Phonetic Recordings caused a huge stir in 2009, 2010 saw “Lullaby’ released on Back to Basics, while other productions of note include ‘Dancing In The Dark, Jo’s collaboration with Matti Schwartz under the 4tune500 moniker and ‘House Arrest’, which she co-produced with Steve Mac for Junior Boys Own Records.
Jo’s productions regularly receive rave reviews from a diverse range of artists including the likes of Groove Armarda, Slam, Tedd Patterson, Brother’s Vibe and everyone in-between, beyond and basically all those who love quality house. More recently Jo has teamed up with Gareth Whitehead from Bullet Dodge records, with their first single, ‘Pipe Dreams’ being snapped up by Pacha Recordings with mixes from Denney.
Jo decided t0 take a momentarily break for a few years and decided during the year of 2020 to come back and do it all over again. She is now travelling the world once again and has a residency on the White Isle Ibiza each and every week. She is in the studio producing and remixing and has a huge release set to come out on Defected. Watch out for her she is on a roll.
Biography Jo Mills
Having cut her teeth on London’s club scene in the early 90s, Jo’s passion for discovering music was further fuelled when working at legendary record store come label Flying Records. It wasn’t long before Jo Mills’ growing reputation saw her playing on the global stage, becoming a regular on the Ibiza club circuit, the island she now calls home.
In the early noughties, Jo became a resident at prominent clubs and parties including Ministry of Sound, Pacha, Space and Amnesia, and the legendary Circoloco at DC10 alongside fellow female DJ Tania Vulcano, cementing her place as one of the island’s most seminal DJs. Simultaneously, Jo’s talent for commanding the crowd saw her touring internationally from Berlin and Barcelona to Sydney and Seoul.
As accomplished in the studio as she is in the booth, Jo has released tracks on respected labels such as Phonetic Recordings, Back To Basics, Pacha Recordings and Bullet Dodge with a sound rooted in warm and rich underground house. Throughout her career, Jo has collaborated with artists including Matti Schwartz, Steve Mac and Steve Butler. Her latest release in collaboration with electronic duo PaperMacheTiger was well received by the clubland elite such as Steve Lawler, Roger Sanchez and Hector Couto.
In 2021 Jo launched Escucha, one of Ibiza’s most popular boutique parties. Running weekly throughout the winter months, the residency draws a sell-out crowd of island residents. After a family-focused hiatus from the scene, Jo returned to the booth with a string of dates in 2022, including residencies at Pikes, Las Dalias, and Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay, plus further appearances at Café del Mar, O Beach and Amnesia. With a career spanning 32 years, Jo is acknowledged as one of the island’s most prolific artists.
Recently, legendary DJ Jo Mills continues to make waves, following a triumphant Summer season with performances at the islands powerhouses Amnesia, Hï, Eden, and Pikes. Returning to the House of WOW for Winter 2023, Jo brought her brand ESCUCHA to life every Sunday, creating a vibrant weekly which fast became the talk of the island. With Jo Mills and her curated guest DJs embracing Ibiza’s eclectic, Balearic vibe, ESCUCHA became the island’s winter sensation, selling out events week after week.
In 2024, Jo took ESCUCHA to the beach, hosting weekly events every Sunday at Tanit Beach Ibiza, one of the island’s premier beach clubs. Maintaining the true Ibiza spirit, these events will feature a selection of the best resident DJs and special guests. This Summer, Jo’s four-year residency at Pikes has expanded from monthly to weekly, and she has also secured a residency every Thursday at the new Japanese restaurant NIKO for Kokoro nights within the luxurious 5-star Mondrian/Hyde hotel.
Throughout the Summer, Jo has performed guest slots at Space Ibiza at Eden nightclub, The Standard Hotel, He.She.They at Amnesia, Promised Land at Sundara, Cafe Del Mar, Margate Soul Festival, and various other UK shows. Looking ahead to Winter 2024, Jo will be hosting her ESCUCHA parties every Sunday alongside Pikes at 528 throughout the Winter and Spring of 2025. Jo takes her brand on a 12-city ESCUCHA tour of Asia, bringing her Balearic sound and spirited energy to new audiences across the Asian continent.
