High profile Australian house DJ Sarah Main chatted to Skrufff this week about her upcoming mix compilation Pure Pacha and life as an Ibiza resident, revealing that she considers Australia’s ‘tall poppy syndrome’ to be rife back home.

“What I discovered was that when you gained recognition on any level people really enjoyed shooting you down. Apparently ‘I slept my way to my position in Pacha’ or so was the rumour when I moved to Ibiza!” said Sarah. “I find it all ridiculous and not particularly indicative of the true Australian way, but it’s definitely is a problem in the dance scene. I think it comes from fear; fear from the people spreading the negativity that they can’t achieve similar success because they don’t have the balls to leave their comfort zone.”

Urban Dictionary defines the term as ‘Australian slang for the tendency to criticise highly successful people (ie, tall poppies), and ‘cut them down’,” while Wikepedia noted the critics’ stance. “This phenomenon is often interpreted as being based on and resulting from a resentment of others’ success,” said the site, “On the other side of the coin, however, such critics see themselves, not as jealous, but as justly deflating the pretensions of those who take themselves too seriously or flaunt their success without due humility’.

Sarah, who moved to Ibiza in 2000 and became one of Pacha’s main room residents soon after, stressed she’s always been determined to avoid becoming over-confident. “I am a living a dream but I still strive to be humble and remember where I came from and know what I do and do not deserve. I think people should be respected for who they are, not what they do,” she said. “I think it is OK to ask someone to remember where they came from if they get a big head, but I don’t think it’s OK to just cut someone down because they are successful,” she continued.

“I have always believed in power in numbers but it was hard to form collectives in the Australian scene because a lot of the DJs were just out for themselves and wanted to look at you as competition rather than see you as support,” she said. “When I was in Australia people didn’t really support their own, it was all about the international DJs, though I have to say Australia did, and still has, some incredible world class DJ talent. I get nervous when I’m playing back home because the technical level of DJs is so high,” she admitted.

“On the other hand when I left Australia I was happy just to assume a new identity over here and not expect anything from back home,” she added, “However the media have been great- all the interviews I have done with the Australian press have been awesome.”