This season Defected's Hannah Thomas will be bringing you weekly updates direct from Ibiza.
The high temperatures, inflated prices and hordes of people can be enough to put anyone off partying here during August. Indeed, for many an islander or worker, complete escape or hibernation seems to be the preferred option. Yet none of the above deterred me from venturing out to what is still one of my favourite parties on the island – Circo Loco at DC10. Yes it was uncomfortably hot, yes the tight guest list proved difficult to blag and yes the peak season European massive was in full force but in hindsight none of that bothered me in the slightest given the calibre of DJs and quality of music on offer.
When we first entered the terrace, Black Coffee was mid set and the vibe of the jam packed crowd was bizarrely lethargic. Although his production and technical skills were without question, something obviously wasn’t sitting right with the crowd – his creative Afropolitan house style perhaps a little bit too forward thinking and down tempo for the overheated shuffling contingent. The lacklustre atmosphere drove us to a darker, cooler and more spacious corner of the main room where the mood couldn’t have been more different. Detroit legend Delano Smith, who had me hooked last time I saw him play up in Leeds, was absolutely killing it; his head-down, driving techno injecting the crowd with some much needed energy. Next up and equally sick was Kevin Saunderson who dropped KiNK’s ‘Follow the Step’ and his Defected release ‘Future’, amongst many an old school techno track - such a refreshing change from the deep house sonic takeover! Before we called it a night, we popped back to the Terrace where Kerri Chandler was putting the die hard crowd though their paces, proving once more that old school DJs are just as relevant today as they ever were.
Monday’s antics really took their toll so I didn’t make it out again until Saturday to Defected where I was working on the guest list - probably the best place to see just how busy it really was; a never ending sea of San An top knots, white socks and spider lashes arriving in eager anticipation of catching one their heroes, MK. Just before 3, the kids in the queue were so panic stricken at the thought that they might miss his set that the bouncers literally had to hold them back to prevent them storming the door. Without question it was the busiest and most popular nights so far at Booom!. On the dance floor MK had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand, as he dropped his own massive reworkings of ‘Summertime Sadness’ and ‘Storm Queen’; the latter rewarded by the second Defected sit down of the season. My favourite set though was Sandy Rivera’s who played with decidedly more underground flavour.
After waking with a heavy head on Sunday, what better way to cure a hangover than with a bout of shopping and some good food? We headed north for a drive in search of the flea market at Cala llenya only to be disappointed as people were packing away as we arrived. All was not lost though as we discovered the hippy night market at Las Dalias is also open on Sundays during August. We killed some time first and had a late lunch in Bar Anita in San Carlos, one of the best cheap eateries I’ve been to on the island. A bar come café come restaurant which also serves as the local post office! The phone booth in the corner, rows of post boxes and the real mish mash of locals, hippies and tourists, coupled with a super friendly service create a really warm and welcoming atmosphere there.
If you don’t know about it already, Las Dalias is the ‘hippy’ market, home to a world of Adlib clothing, artisan jewellery, ethnic and decorative fabrics, Hindu antiques, exotic musical instruments and a whole load more. It’s not exactly cheap and so I’m not sure just how hippy it is, but its definitely worth a visit, especially if you’re looking for some interesting prezzies. I can never make it down to the night market on Tuesdays but if you can, you should because it’s where Nightmare on Wax do their weekly jam – it’s supposed to be funkin ace!!!
Ciao for now chicos. x
Defected In The House is at Booom! Ibiza every Saturday throughout the season - click here for full line-up details
