Heard In Ibiza

Heard In Ibiza

21 September, 2009 | 12.43PM

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: dj charts, heard in berlin, ibiza

The pilgrims journeyed to the island to elevate their spirits, find meaning, and experience something divine.

Awed by natural beauty, calmed by turquoise waters, and warmed by the sun, they felt at one with the universe, and through the emphatic union of fellow dancers they joined harmoniously to one rhythm, and discovered inside of themselves a third axis, one that enlightened the soul.

That sounds like religious tosh, but it’s hard to ignore the spirituality of dance music when you’re in Ibiza. The Balearic island is often referred to as the ‘Mecca of dance music’, and since 1986, when the then young DJs Paul Oakenfold, Nicky Holloway, and Danny Rampling returned from Ibiza “spiritually inspired” with plans to bring dance music culture back to the UK, DJs and clubbers have spoken of the island’s special ‘spirit’.

Of course, Ibiza has changed quite a bit over the years. Mass tourism, sound restrictions, club closures, overzealous police, and price increases have all tarnished Ibiza’s image as a clubber’s paradise, but if you look hard enough, there is still plenty for dance music pilgrims to enjoy.

Ushuaia - taken from the name of the world’s Southernmost city - is Ibiza’s newest beach club, and promises relaxed clubbing vibes. Because Luciano holds a residency every Wednesday here, and Tania Vulcana plays regularly, some are calling Ushuaia the new DC10. Its small and open air dancefloor however, is really only capable of mild euphoria, and not the kind of sit-down dance music worship DC10 was known for.

The music is still excellent though. When we arrive, Felipe Venegas and Francisco Allendes ‘Llovizna’ gives Ushuaia a warm and sultry sunset cocktail vibe.

Soon the dancefloor is filling up to the sounds of ‘Electric Jones’, the Jamie Jones and Lee Foss remake of MGMT ‘Electric Feel’, and the gathered faces look happy.

Luciano’s parties are invite-only, and the sunkissed crowd dressed in flowing white Balearic cloth and earthy tones suggests that Ushuaia is, for now, an islander’s haunt.

The small DJ booth, built out of wood, pumps sound to a Funktion One soundsystem that is operating well below its potential. When the Cadenza boss begins his set, the sound remains below the ideal body-rocking volume, but his intricate house and melodic-infused tech house still gets the floor excited.

Moving from stunning vocal-led deep house like Basti Pieper ‘I Love You feat. Eddy Pirax’ to Damian Schwartz’ piano houser ‘Salson’, and later, the driving military drums of Shlomi Aber and Kenny Larkin’s ‘Sketches’ (Shlomi Aber Version), Luciano’s spins a richly textured set full of Latino rhythms and poignant moments that only he can do.

By midnight, the party is over. Ushuaia’s owners understandably want to remain on the good side of the authorities, and the crowd slowly drifts off into the night.

There are still plenty of good club options after dark. For the discerning, Ibiza Underground is a must-visit venue, a converted villa on the black hills behind Amnesia. With free entry, a beautiful open-air terrace, no security, and a dedication to raw tribal grooves, it remains one of the most authentic Balearic dance experiences in Ibiza.

A couple of hundred clubbers dance on podiums and joke around with friends as resident DJ Juanito spins deep house and hypnotic minimal grooves.

The DJ W!ld Dub of M.in and Bastian Schuster ‘New Orleans’ is a particular highlight, and as its chunky bongo house loops give way to a fruity jazz loop you can’t help but feel like you’re at a intimate house party.

Out on the patio, Ibiza Underground’s owner Nick Fry explains that this year has been really good for the venue. “We’re allowed to close at 5am now, so they’ve given us half an hour more than last year which has helped things,” he says. “Plus we’ve had some excellent guest DJs and some really good parties.”

Ibiza Underground never announces its line-ups and doesn’t advertise, so if you were there, you probably had the time of your life. And if you weren’t there, then you don’t know what you were missing.

And that’s one of the ideals of Ibiza dance culture - it’s about the here and now, and the shared experience of dancing to pure and unrecognisable rhythm with like-minded people, who want to experience some form of spiritual elevation, even if it’s just a laugh.

At the other end of the scale you have Pacha in Ibiza Town, one of the most famous and opulent venues in the world, a club where you can enter into zero-sum games of one-up-manship by spending your way to the top of the ladder, or in Pacha’s case, to the bottom and biggest VIP table in the club.

Whilst celebrities and grey-haired yacht-owners compete for the biggest spend (with approximately half the club behind velvet ropes, there’s plenty of opportunities to flash the cash and a lot of places ordinary folks can’t stand), house music fans can still enjoy a good dance. With DJs like David Guetta, Bob Sinclar, and the Swedish House Mafia, the sound is big room and accessible.

Tonight German duo M.A.N.D.Y. play, but unluckily for them a clueless warmup DJ spins some uninspiring music. An awful combination of gigantic house build ups, cheesy vocals, and woeful melodies causes about as much excitement on the dancefloor as a wet fart.

Patrick from M.A.N.D.Y. takes a long drag on a cigarette, and says “I’m not really sure how we’re supposed to follow this guy.”

So they don’t (musically at least), and instead begin the night’s soundtrack all over again, beginning with deep and spacey minimal techno, before dropping Tim Green’s wacky and excellent ‘Kitch In’.

As they struggle to get a laptop working, the pair work through wonky house, glitch-driven melodic techno, and a few curious Get Physical-styled tech house throbbers.

In the final stages of their set, they drop a true Ibiza anthem with the King Britt Remix of Josh One ‘Contemplation’, because, Mr. Pacha resident, they understand that one of the roles of the DJ is to warm up for the next guy, and with Erick Morillo following they had to end on house music.

After their set M.A.N.D.Y. escape to the nearby Blue Rose club, a former strip club that hosts underground techno parties, where Frankfurt DJ Federico Molinari and friends spin functional minimal and bleep-filled house to a few hundred wide-eyes. The venue is modest, and with clubbers throwing rolls of toilet paper around, it feels more like a friend’s birthday party than a club night.

In the night, a sparkling disco-filled house track, full of organic drums and a beautiful female vocal, causes a riot - Precious System ‘The Voice From Planet Love’ is simply brilliant.

Pete Tong revealed in his Beatportal blog on Ibiza recently that this year on the island, “ticket prices, drinks, and guestlists, things are not always as they should be...”, which is indicative of the lack of numbers on the island this summer. Even at Cocoon, the island’s most consistently busy club event, the guestlist is a little cagey. The music is not, however.

Loco Dice rocks the terrace - one of the best big rooms in Ibiza - with his usual blend of chunky tech house and deep grooves, which includes 2009’s summer anthem ‘Saxtrack’ by Sebo K.

Now 10 years down the road, it’s amazing to see Cocoon continue to dominate the island with its quality techno and house. Despite a police roadblock outside harassing people going to and from the venue, they still managed to pull in over 5000.

The special Ibiza dance music moments are now fewer and further between, but beyond the dancefloor and beats, Ibiza is still as uplifting as it has always been.

Its beaches, secret spots, pristine waters, restaurants, and sunsets are as perfect as ever, and for those willing to explore beyond the beaten path, there are still experiences capable of causing awe and wonder. For dance music’s committed, it was only ever about the journey anyway.

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