With our incredible closing party weekend at Cafe Mambo, Ushuaia and Pacha now behind us, island resident for the summer Henrietta Hutchon reports on some of the highlights from the last four months on the white isle...
People talk about the Ibiza bug, and in summer 2010 I got it. After a week’s holiday on the White Isle, back at my desk at a top corporate office in central London, I sat dreaming up ways of getting back there. Nine months on my feelings for her clubs hadn’t faded, so it was time to sack in the day job and book a one way flight. Armed with only a few friends of friends’ phone numbers and the promise of some journalism work, it was off to Ibiza in search of some house and techno…
That was back in May. Now only one week away from the final stretch of closing parties, it’s been a musical journey of sunny daytime raving, super-DJ’s at the super-clubs, and unique after-party experiences.
Fully immersing myself in the music scene at the International Music Summit, Ibiza’s annual conference was first up on my list. Now in its fourth year and headed up by a team including BBC Radio 1’s Pete Tong as well as Danny Whittle and Ben Turner of Pacha, it attracts the dance industry’s movers and shakers from across the globe. Lucky enough to be able to brandish a press pass, daytimes were spent at the five-star Ibiza Gran hotel where the conference timetable included a presentation by the team behind Swedish House Mafia and an audience with Damian Lazarus…not a bad start to the season then!
An impressive party schedule ran alongside, with Jamie Jones playing a great set at Pacha and the week climaxing with a one-off, open air show set against the beautiful backdrop of Dalt Villa. Watching Hercules and Love Affair’s live performance in such stunning surroundings, I had to pinch myself that I had four months more of fun to come.
The most talked about open air venue this summer undoubtedly has to be Ushuaia; a new hotel that fully embraces everything VIP, taking its lead from the Miami-style pool party concept. At one point, while enjoying a perfect view of Frankie Knuckles’ set from the comfort of a luxury bed, cocktail in hand and a selection of sushi on order, “this is the life” was certainly at the very forefront of my mind.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon this was definitely another way to do Defected. Working with Pacha, the weekly Defected parties have been running every Saturday daytime at Ushuaia, before continuing the partying at night. A Defected double-bubble, yes please! Once at Pacha I’d do a quick shoe change (sorry, but Ushuaia-style stilettos just aren’t practical when raving) and then it was time to really let my hair down. In fact, the closing party at Pacha was absolutely heaving and Bob Sinclar in true style tore up the dancefloor and had all hands in the air, in a monumental end to the season.
Some people say Ushuaia shows that Ibiza is changing; there is more of a demand for a VIP environment, that people want to dress up, be glamorous and have a waitress serving champagne to their table. But less than ten minutes down the road is a club than couldn’t be further removed from that and has enjoyed its strongest season to date. DC10, the club famous for Circo Loco, is one of the craziest parties on the island. Becoming a religious Monday ritual for me, it is even known as ‘church’ by many of its adoring fans. The music policy is very much about pushing an underground sound, from techno to house, to deep house to disco.
This year there has been a strong presence from Dan Ghenacia and his Lola Ed French crew, a firm favourite being Dyed Soundorom. Their back to back sets have rocked the Terrace with warm, groovy house, while duos Seth Troxler & Jamie Jones and Matthias Tanzmann & Davide Squillace equally always deliver, with the latter playing with just that slightly harder edge. Also worthy of a special mention is Martin Buttrich, whose DJ set (rather than his more common live set) for me was a highlight of the whole season. Playing techno verging on tech-house with a real driving kick, it was impossible for the whole room to stop dancing from start to finish.
This year Wednesdays and Fridays at DC10 have also become key days in the party calendar, with forward-thinking line-ups and one-off showcases. Both the Visionquest and Hot Creations nights are examples of music that you won’t find all over the island (although that certainly changed as the season progressed, so influential are both nights), as they champion a new wave sound, one techno-lead the other disco-lead. However, regardless of whether you are an underground music buff or not, most people that have been to DC10 will agree there’s a special party vibe, a positive energy that exudes from the dancefloor, that makes it a unique clubbing experience.
Also pushing the underground but at one of Ibiza’s biggest nightclubs is Kehakuma at Space. Lead by resident Nick Curly, some of my favourite sets have included one of the most in demand DJs at the moment, Maya Jane Coles, for showing a much harder side to her sound, and Leftroom label boss Matt Tolfrey for playing the beautiful Joy Orbison track ‘Ladywell’ on Space Terrace. Canadian duo Art Department also really impressed, mixing up their signature slow, chunky beats with much faster paced material, proving their versatility and really engaging the crowd.
Space of course is also famous for We Love… on Sundays. Taking a completely different direction from Kehakuma, the eclectic line-ups have seen everyone from Claude Von Stroke to Derrick May. Personally, I like We Love… for its festival vibes, and Caribou live in the Discoteca brought me back to Glastonbury, just without the wellies and knee-deep mud!
Onto Tuesdays and Carl Cox has been celebrating 10 years at Space. Richie Hawtin has to be the top guest for me, aside from the closing when Loco Dice once again went back to back with the big man for an explosive end to the season.
Only a stone’s throw from Space, Manchester clubbing institution Sankeys has landed in Ibiza. A complete overhaul of the ex-Kiss discoteca and the installation of a VOID sound system have attracted some big names and weekly residencies from Monza, Carnival and Ferry Corsten. Being a medium-sized club it has offered house heads the chance to catch up and coming UK talents that are not yet headlining the super-clubs. Innovative producer Subb-an has played as has Jordan Peak, named by BBC Radio 1 as ‘one to watch’ this year.
Monza has been packed most weeks, not surprising with with DJ’s Tania Volcano and Paco Osuna on the roster, and Ricardo Villalobos is set to close the club by unveiling a new room. Sankeys has also been the venue of choice for London Sunday day-rave, Fuse, to throw its one-off Ibiza parties. Enzo Siragusa pumping out his deep, dark track ‘Sagamore’ in the main room really was a treat, made all the better by a few familiar London faces on the dancefloor.
One club that cannot be forgotten is Amnesia and on Mondays if you’re not a Swedish House Mafia fan, chances are you are going to Cocoon. I have had so many memorable nights in the cavernous Terrace; there’s an unbeatable atmosphere at 7am with the sun coming up and the air canons blasting down on you. Hats should also be raised to Stacey Pullen, who had the Terrace going off at 2am, and to Cocoon for showing more diversity in the line-ups this year with house-influenced bookings like Dan Ghenacia. But the one thing I will say about Cocoon is, catch Villalobos on a good day and he’ll take you on a musical trip like you’ve never had before!
And after the party comes the after-party…and wow were there a lot of those! The standout venue this year was the trendy Es Vive boutique hotel that became a regular afterhour’s hang out for super-cool London lot Kubicle. Always bringing an impressive array of DJ’s with them, I spent many a night dancing or chilling with friends well into the morning. Walking distance from my apartment, it also meant I could enjoy a magnificent morning walk home along the beach. Everyone raves about Ibiza’s sunsets but the sunrise can be just as beautiful and the perfect backdrop to a quick dip in the sea.
Kubicle also teamed up with Cocoon to throw a day party a Le Plage (the ex-Ushuaia beach bar). With half of Circo Loco’s DJ’s taking to the decks followed by the mighty techno father Sven Vath, it was one of those days that would only happen in Ibiza. When you live on the island you also often find yourself back at a luxury villa carrying on the party. Zoo Project has held a few intimate villa parties throughout the season for Zoo friends, one being a tipi party at the beginning of the season. Arriving at 5am it was too dark to properly make out your surroundings, but as the sun came up the location revealed itself to be perched at the top of a hill overlooking a lush, green valley. The Zoo DJ’s provided the perfect chilled soundtrack and it was another magical Ibiza moment.
Sick of dance music after all that? Don’t be silly! However the island has definitely embraced all genres more than ever with eclectic nights like Come Together at Space getting stronger every year and Luciano inviting artists like Jamie Woon to perform alongside him. I had the rare opportunity to watch the whole of Amnesia singing along to Snoop Dogg rapping ‘What’s My Name’, for new night I Want My MTV while a troupe of beautiful dancers gyrated across the stage. Usher, Kelis and even hip hop superstar 50 Cent have since graced the White Isle this year. You can only imagine which of RnB’s elite are getting booked up for next summer…my bet’s on Rihanna. Of course P Diddy was spotted party hopping again, toasting champagne in a number of DJ booths around Ibiza.
And after all the madness that has happened so far, I am salivating at what’s still in store for the final closing parties. Ricardo Villalobos, one of techno’s biggest stars, is set to play one of the island’s most intimate clubs Underground (make a point of seeking this hidden gem out if you haven’t already been). Plus Amnesia Closing that runs from Saturday well into Sunday afternoon always promises to be one of the craziest parties of the season. Then there’s Monza, Ushuaia, Kehakuma, Cadenza, Space, DC10…who knows what state I’ll be in at the end of the closing marathon! One thing’s for sure, when I’m back at the office again in 2 weeks times, I’ll be dreaming about it all over again.
Words: Henrietta Hutchon
Click here to check out the photos from the Defected In The House closing party at Ushuaia
Defected presents The Closing Party – Ibiza 2011 is out now
