thejudge2k
Active Member
BACK TO THE TERRACE(S)!!
First up, here's a question for you all:
What is it that makes Ibiza special to you?
It's not necessarily the easiest thing to put into words, but I'd be intrigued to hear what answers people come up with. When I contemplated that very conundrum on my latest trip I came up with: ‘dancing on a terrace'.
Not the most obvious of responses I know, but what I mean is that feeling of dancing in an area that feels in touch with the outside world, but also remains intimate enough to generate a special atmosphere. It's something that featured heavily in Ibiza's journey to becoming a modern day clubbing Mecca and first properly occurred to me in 2002 on the old Space terrace. A few decades on from the birth of Amnesia, et al and I found that, for me at least, the role of the terrace is as strong as ever. For my 2nd trip back to the White Isle in 2010, it certainly was time to go BACK TO THE TERRACE!!
Look out for the blue sections below for more on the terraces!
Here's the more orthodox chronological review of my trip:
Friday 17th September 2010: The Arrival
After discussing a trip to the White Isle for most of the summer, my mate & I decided to get a long weekend in before the closing parties. We're both mid-twenties Londoners with a long-term passion for EDM & have been to Ibiza before – my mate once in 2008 and myself many times, most recently for this years IMS in May.
We took the post-work BA flight on Friday night, 17th September, at 18:55 from London Gatwick. Surprisingly it was on time and, as usual, was completely full with a mix of DJs, clubbers and promoters (incl Simon from Defected). Two hours later and we were back on Ibizan soil – bags arrived quickly, so straight out of the airport, <5 mins in taxi queue, then en route to Figuertas. Recent rain & continuing cloud cover meant it felt very humid & really warm, but it was good to be back.
Our home for the next 4 days was the Hotel Torre del Mar – a 4* resort-style hotel on the edge of Figuertas and Playa den Bossa. It was our first visit but we were pleasantly surprised. As with many hotels in Ibiza, it was built in the 70s and most of the original décor and staff are still present. However, it turned out to be a great base for a short visit. The pool was excellent and always had plenty of free sun loungers. There was also free WiFi throughout which made keeping connected easy and cheap. Reception staff were very helpful and were happy to print out documents, book taxis, etc. Location was also ideal – in a quiet area at the end of the beach, Playa den Bossa was a short 15 min walk along the newly refurbished promenade – whether it be for an afternoon on the beach or party action at Bora Bora, Ushuaia, etc. Ibiza town was a short 10-15 min taxi or boat ride – both readily available nearby.
We had a couple of drinks at the hotel bar and then retired in preparation of the parties that lie ahead…
Saturday 18th September 2010: Party Animals!
After a day chilling out by the pool, the evenings festivities began with a trip to Zoo Project. Despite hearing so much about various Gala Night events I'd never made it there and was brimming with excitement. We grabbed a taxi from the hotel, which took about 20 mins and cost around 25 euro. Arriving at 8pm the queue was about 10 people. Great, we thought. However, we were Zoo Project novices and it soon showed!
First, a rather thorough and somewhat invasive search by one of the door monsters concluded that I had my camera with me. ‘Ten points for observation' I thought. Then we were told in no uncertain circumstances that cameras were not allowed inside and to deposit it at the small shed in the car park. We wandered over, paid the ‘cloak' charge of a couple of euro and came back to the end of the queue. Having been tempted to smuggle it in regardless I was reassured my euros were well spent when a reoffender was identified by the bouncer and told not to come back again within the hour! Tip number 1: you leave your camera at home if you're journeying to Zoo Project in the near future!
Next up was our truly schoolboy mistake – not buying advance tickets. Having entered into the relaxed mood of the island, we'd forgotten to buy any, but were encouraged by the ability to buy on the door. However, at 60 euro each, it was pretty painful! Tip number 2: buy advance tickets and save yourself the cash and embarrassment of being rinsed on the door!
Having said all that, the night was brilliant! Vast open space, loads going on and a great atmosphere with loads of people in fancy dress. Drinks were fairly reasonable from memory (8 euro for spirit + mixer), there was loads of random animal-based entertainment and the music was spot on. We spent most of the night in the Seal Pit and that takes me back to my point about terraces…
BACK TO THE TERRACE!!
OK, so the Seal Pit at Zoo Project reminds me more of a 1980s football terrace in terms of architecture, but the atmosphere is exactly what I was referring to earlier. It's a very basic tiered concrete structure with a makeshift covering of plastic over your head. You can feel the wind blowing through your hair, look out across the beautiful tree covered hills as the sun sets, and see the stars twinkling in the night sky above. Yet still people are packed in, dancing and mingling with each other as the DJ rocks out tune after tune. There is enough of a boundary to generate an awesome atmosphere with proper ‘going off' moments. What a great setting – definitely proper ‘terrace' material.
Jose De Divina finished things off with a cracking set and we decided to beat the rush by leaving at about 11:45pm. There was no queue for cameras and only a few people in the taxi queue. Add to that free buses going to the afterparty at Privilege and back to San An and the whole experience of Zoo Project was great.
We'd met up with a couple of girls from back home and between us decided to continue proceedings at Hed Kandi at Es Paradis. This was a new one on me, having not been to either the night or club before. We headed to Plastik bar & got 4 drinks for the price of 2. A DJ was playing fun tunes & it got quite full by about 1am. We bought 3 Hed Kandi tickets for 40 euro each and got a fourth free, so 30 euro per person – not bad! Headed over to Es Paradis and realised our deal meant that 3 people went straight in with tickets whilst one had to wait for c.30 mins in the guestlist queue. Still everything was good & club reasonably full by the time we all got in.
Was really surprised by the whole atmosphere - Es Paradis is a beautiful club but the production was great too. Classy dancers (much better than Pacha's recent crew IMO) cool decorations & good sound, etc. Crowd were so friendly - quite a few were glammed up, really good mix of sexes & everybody with a smile on their face. We had a great time - plenty of space to dance,lots of classic housey tunes and a brilliant friendly vibe. Another example of how Ibiza surprises and delights time and time again. I was expecting chavvy & cheap and actually got sexy & classy. Thoroughly recommend heading along for a fun and relaxed night out that wont break the bank. We eventually left at 4:30 ish, got a taxi within 5 mins on the main road & were back at the hotel within 20 mins. Quality night!
Sunday 19th September 2010: We Do Indeed Love Sundays!
A lie in was followed by some lunch at the Bull Tavern on PdB (incl free WiFi) and chilling by the pool. Sunday in Ibiza for me equals one thing – We Love @ Space, but shockingly this was my first visit since 2002! We decided that after being stung on the door at Zoo Project we'd get some advance tickets for this one & promptly booked online at clubtickets.com for 55 euro each.
Headed into PdB by taxi at about 8pm and stumbled upon an excellent little restaurant opposite the bungee rocket on Calle Ses Begones. Called Ciao Ciao, it's quite funky and serves tasty pizza and pasta for about 11 euro a pop. I've always struggled for decent restaurants in that part of town, but liked it so much we went back two days later.
Fed, watered & raring to go we headed down the road to We Love Sundays @ Space, arriving about 10:30pm. No queue at all so in we went & straight to the sunset terrace. This for me is the greatest club room in the world & I'll try to tell you why...
BACK TO THE TERRACE!!
Since the Space refurb, the sunset terrace is the terrace! I mean it has that special vibe – above your head lies a thin ceiling of matting-like material that ripples in the wind and allows the gleaming lights of incoming planes to twinkle through. The floor is made of Iberian looking tile, and the DJ booth is perched above the dancing masses in the centre of the space. There's enough room to dance, yet the feeling is intimate. There's a banging soundsystem, but the sound of swaying palms and aircraft engines is still audible. It's warm, but not uncomfortable and allows you absolute freedom.
This special place deserves a special soundtrack and last Sunday that was provided by Mr Pete Gooding. A DJ you wont find in the upper echelons of the DJ Mag Top 100, or playing London superclubs every weekend, but is a DJ who knows what the Space sunset terrace means – a license to play anything you like, as long as it fits the vibe. The soundtrack for that night featured everything from Bucketheads – The Bomb, to Planet Funk – Chase The Sun, Spiller – Groovejet, Coldplay – Clocks and even the fat bassline of Azzido da Bass (including live percussion accompaniment). But like many things in life, the best was saved until last…
In a beautiful terrace packed to the rafters with ravers, as the clock approached midnight, and the crowd began to think of the wonders of the night ahead, Gooding dropped Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You. My favourite tune, in my favourite club room in the world. Special was an understatement! Yes it was early, yes it was commercial, and yes it was clichéd. But that didn't stop me dancing like a loon with the biggest smile on my face you could imagine. Everybody in the place was brimming with happiness as the first chapter of We Love ended and the start of the rest of the night began. For me the feeling was unreal – one of those special moments when time stands still. To quote a cheesy phrase from the Swedish House Mafia: ‘Goosebumps never lie', and there were certainly plenty present as the music faded & Mr Gooding received a standing ovation.
For those that are skeptical about how good this place really is, there's only one way to prove me wrong – get yourself a 150 euro plane ticket, get a 10 euro cab, exchange your ego for some dancing shoes at the door & get involved! I guarantee you'll not be disappointed! (Disclaimer: if you don't like it, please don't come emailing me for a refund!
)
The rest of the night was great thanks to the festival-like setup of We Love Sundays @ Space. We spent some significant time in almost all the rooms, including the covered terrace for Steve Lawler who played some quality pumping tunes-perfect for the time & place. El Salon provided the usual open-air-like oasis to chill out, sit down and generally recharge. The Discoteca also had a great selection of DJs pushing the thunderous soundsystem to the max. Foamo was OK earlier on, although not really our blag and Simian Mobile Disco were good fun.
The headline set fell to the man James Zabiela. As always he was technically brilliant, obviously loving his work as much as any other DJ in the world – his big smile and shaking blonde locks provided clear evidence of that (as seen in this video: http://youtu.be/ecXF0cLEjOs). But sometimes I think he can forget about the crowd he's playing to. Don't get me wrong, he rocked it with some cracking tunes, including a bit of drum and bass for good measure. But he can seem to drift into his own world of ipads, software & inch-perfect mixing rather than maintain that link with the crowd he's playing for. We eventually left about 5:00 & got into one of long line of taxies waiting outside and were back in bed within half hour. Job done!
Monday 20th September 2010: Rain, Rain, Go Away!
There's nothing quite as painful as being woken up by the glare of the midday sun after a big night out. Luckily, there was no danger of that on Monday afternoon as we were greeted by grey clouds and continuous rain! Time, then, for a taxi into Ibiza town and to take up residence at a local tapas restaurant. We spent the next 2.5 hours consuming various Mediterranean delights and supping on some delicious sangria. A post dinner wander around the quaint streets allowed for some shopping and the purchase of a couple of 30 euro tickets for that evenings Circo Loco @ DC10!
We headed back to Figuertas via the beach-front restaurant/bar Fusion, where we grabbed a couple of decent cocktails and wished our friends a safe flight home. Back to the hotel for a quick change, then for the 15 min taxi ride to DC10. Having been raining steadily for most of the day, the heavens decided it was time to open all over the South of the island. Never before have I seen quite such torrential rain in Ibiza – bizarre!
We arrived at DC10 for Circo Loco at about 8:30pm and sprinted inside (no queue) to avoid being soaked through. Needless to say nobody was outside and the main room and terrace were reasonably busy. We grabbed some drinks and headed to the terrace for Tania Vulcano, who proceeded to rock the joint for 90 mins. And yes, you've guessed it – it's time to go…
BACK TO THE TERRACE!!
It's labelled as ‘the terrace' on any line-ups you might see, but the now-red room that awaits those who make it to DC10 appears on the surface to be just like any other club room. But look a bit closer and you'll realise it still has many of those special characteristics I was banging on about earlier. The room now has a roof, but nature still manages to find it's way in – just stand under the lights when it's raining outside and see what I mean! But the beauty of this room is that it serves it's purpose brilliantly – to support the creation of a brilliant atmosphere, without actually being the focus itself. It has bare walls, a simple bar, a cool new sound system and simple DJ booth in the corner. It's dark, intriguing and provides a sanctuary from the outside world. It allows the soundtrack of pumping house to be accompanied by all manner of other activities (think sit down/stand ups, people handing out balloons, etc) without any seeming strange. It exists as a crucial part of the club, but it isn't what makes it.
It was a smiles-all-round kind of evening. Great tuneage was supplied by Tania, Cirillo, Dyed Soundorom and Jose de Divina on the terrace and David Squillace inside. Crowd started thinning out about 12:00 (presumably for Cocoon) but we stayed until about 1:30. Were too wrecked for Amnesia, Privilege or Pacha so just headed outside into the now-clear morning to grab a cab. Queue was about 10 people/15 mins long and were soon en route back to hotel. There was also a free bus back to Playa den Bossa. Another terrace, another top night – gotta love this island!
Tuesday 21st September 2010: Pool > Beach > Plane
It was the last day of our short trip and we were rewarded with clear skies and bright sunshine. Was a perfect day to chill by the pool so we packed, checked out at 12:00 and flopped on sun loungers. We grabbed some decently-priced lunch at the hotel and checked twitter to find the minus crew were playing Ushuaia. We took a wander along PdB, following the loud minimal sounds emanating from yonder. Pitched up outside on the beach (as were bouncers on the door) and just enjoyed the soundtrack from who we thought was Richie Hawtin. Was a end to the holiday, sitting on a wide, clean beach, great tunes playing in the background, sun setting to the right and planes roaring over head on final approach to the airport, bringing another wave of people to the promised land. It's difficult to describe just what a great combination of sights and sounds that was, but hopefully this video provides some idea: http://youtu.be/r0KKpQ0rPwI.
As twilight faded into darkness we headed back along the beach, grabbed some dinner at Ciao Ciao and jumped in a cab from the hotel back to the airport. Having checked in online earlier in the day, we just dropped our bags and headed to the departure lounge. After a bit of duty free shopping it was time for an early departure back to Blighty. Once again BA scored top marks for an on-time departure and smooth flight – very impressed.
So that's that for another year – here's to the closing party tales, winter rumours, and dark days spent longing for those never-ending summer days on the best island in the world – Ibiza!
PS in terms of tunes, we heard a whole range, with lots of classics, but one that does stick in the mind is Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand
PPS If you enjoyed this, you might like to read some of my other reviews:
IMS Ibiza 2010: http://www.spotlight-forums.com/showthread.php?t=67914
Global Gathering 2010: http://www.spotlight-forums.com/showthread.php?t=67898
SW4 & LED Festivals 2010: http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night/reviews/2010/review_sw4_led_festival_i.htm
First up, here's a question for you all:
What is it that makes Ibiza special to you?
It's not necessarily the easiest thing to put into words, but I'd be intrigued to hear what answers people come up with. When I contemplated that very conundrum on my latest trip I came up with: ‘dancing on a terrace'.
Not the most obvious of responses I know, but what I mean is that feeling of dancing in an area that feels in touch with the outside world, but also remains intimate enough to generate a special atmosphere. It's something that featured heavily in Ibiza's journey to becoming a modern day clubbing Mecca and first properly occurred to me in 2002 on the old Space terrace. A few decades on from the birth of Amnesia, et al and I found that, for me at least, the role of the terrace is as strong as ever. For my 2nd trip back to the White Isle in 2010, it certainly was time to go BACK TO THE TERRACE!!
Look out for the blue sections below for more on the terraces!
Here's the more orthodox chronological review of my trip:
Friday 17th September 2010: The Arrival
After discussing a trip to the White Isle for most of the summer, my mate & I decided to get a long weekend in before the closing parties. We're both mid-twenties Londoners with a long-term passion for EDM & have been to Ibiza before – my mate once in 2008 and myself many times, most recently for this years IMS in May.
We took the post-work BA flight on Friday night, 17th September, at 18:55 from London Gatwick. Surprisingly it was on time and, as usual, was completely full with a mix of DJs, clubbers and promoters (incl Simon from Defected). Two hours later and we were back on Ibizan soil – bags arrived quickly, so straight out of the airport, <5 mins in taxi queue, then en route to Figuertas. Recent rain & continuing cloud cover meant it felt very humid & really warm, but it was good to be back.
Our home for the next 4 days was the Hotel Torre del Mar – a 4* resort-style hotel on the edge of Figuertas and Playa den Bossa. It was our first visit but we were pleasantly surprised. As with many hotels in Ibiza, it was built in the 70s and most of the original décor and staff are still present. However, it turned out to be a great base for a short visit. The pool was excellent and always had plenty of free sun loungers. There was also free WiFi throughout which made keeping connected easy and cheap. Reception staff were very helpful and were happy to print out documents, book taxis, etc. Location was also ideal – in a quiet area at the end of the beach, Playa den Bossa was a short 15 min walk along the newly refurbished promenade – whether it be for an afternoon on the beach or party action at Bora Bora, Ushuaia, etc. Ibiza town was a short 10-15 min taxi or boat ride – both readily available nearby.
We had a couple of drinks at the hotel bar and then retired in preparation of the parties that lie ahead…
Saturday 18th September 2010: Party Animals!
After a day chilling out by the pool, the evenings festivities began with a trip to Zoo Project. Despite hearing so much about various Gala Night events I'd never made it there and was brimming with excitement. We grabbed a taxi from the hotel, which took about 20 mins and cost around 25 euro. Arriving at 8pm the queue was about 10 people. Great, we thought. However, we were Zoo Project novices and it soon showed!
First, a rather thorough and somewhat invasive search by one of the door monsters concluded that I had my camera with me. ‘Ten points for observation' I thought. Then we were told in no uncertain circumstances that cameras were not allowed inside and to deposit it at the small shed in the car park. We wandered over, paid the ‘cloak' charge of a couple of euro and came back to the end of the queue. Having been tempted to smuggle it in regardless I was reassured my euros were well spent when a reoffender was identified by the bouncer and told not to come back again within the hour! Tip number 1: you leave your camera at home if you're journeying to Zoo Project in the near future!
Next up was our truly schoolboy mistake – not buying advance tickets. Having entered into the relaxed mood of the island, we'd forgotten to buy any, but were encouraged by the ability to buy on the door. However, at 60 euro each, it was pretty painful! Tip number 2: buy advance tickets and save yourself the cash and embarrassment of being rinsed on the door!
Having said all that, the night was brilliant! Vast open space, loads going on and a great atmosphere with loads of people in fancy dress. Drinks were fairly reasonable from memory (8 euro for spirit + mixer), there was loads of random animal-based entertainment and the music was spot on. We spent most of the night in the Seal Pit and that takes me back to my point about terraces…
BACK TO THE TERRACE!!
OK, so the Seal Pit at Zoo Project reminds me more of a 1980s football terrace in terms of architecture, but the atmosphere is exactly what I was referring to earlier. It's a very basic tiered concrete structure with a makeshift covering of plastic over your head. You can feel the wind blowing through your hair, look out across the beautiful tree covered hills as the sun sets, and see the stars twinkling in the night sky above. Yet still people are packed in, dancing and mingling with each other as the DJ rocks out tune after tune. There is enough of a boundary to generate an awesome atmosphere with proper ‘going off' moments. What a great setting – definitely proper ‘terrace' material.
Jose De Divina finished things off with a cracking set and we decided to beat the rush by leaving at about 11:45pm. There was no queue for cameras and only a few people in the taxi queue. Add to that free buses going to the afterparty at Privilege and back to San An and the whole experience of Zoo Project was great.
We'd met up with a couple of girls from back home and between us decided to continue proceedings at Hed Kandi at Es Paradis. This was a new one on me, having not been to either the night or club before. We headed to Plastik bar & got 4 drinks for the price of 2. A DJ was playing fun tunes & it got quite full by about 1am. We bought 3 Hed Kandi tickets for 40 euro each and got a fourth free, so 30 euro per person – not bad! Headed over to Es Paradis and realised our deal meant that 3 people went straight in with tickets whilst one had to wait for c.30 mins in the guestlist queue. Still everything was good & club reasonably full by the time we all got in.
Was really surprised by the whole atmosphere - Es Paradis is a beautiful club but the production was great too. Classy dancers (much better than Pacha's recent crew IMO) cool decorations & good sound, etc. Crowd were so friendly - quite a few were glammed up, really good mix of sexes & everybody with a smile on their face. We had a great time - plenty of space to dance,lots of classic housey tunes and a brilliant friendly vibe. Another example of how Ibiza surprises and delights time and time again. I was expecting chavvy & cheap and actually got sexy & classy. Thoroughly recommend heading along for a fun and relaxed night out that wont break the bank. We eventually left at 4:30 ish, got a taxi within 5 mins on the main road & were back at the hotel within 20 mins. Quality night!
Sunday 19th September 2010: We Do Indeed Love Sundays!
A lie in was followed by some lunch at the Bull Tavern on PdB (incl free WiFi) and chilling by the pool. Sunday in Ibiza for me equals one thing – We Love @ Space, but shockingly this was my first visit since 2002! We decided that after being stung on the door at Zoo Project we'd get some advance tickets for this one & promptly booked online at clubtickets.com for 55 euro each.
Headed into PdB by taxi at about 8pm and stumbled upon an excellent little restaurant opposite the bungee rocket on Calle Ses Begones. Called Ciao Ciao, it's quite funky and serves tasty pizza and pasta for about 11 euro a pop. I've always struggled for decent restaurants in that part of town, but liked it so much we went back two days later.
Fed, watered & raring to go we headed down the road to We Love Sundays @ Space, arriving about 10:30pm. No queue at all so in we went & straight to the sunset terrace. This for me is the greatest club room in the world & I'll try to tell you why...
BACK TO THE TERRACE!!
Since the Space refurb, the sunset terrace is the terrace! I mean it has that special vibe – above your head lies a thin ceiling of matting-like material that ripples in the wind and allows the gleaming lights of incoming planes to twinkle through. The floor is made of Iberian looking tile, and the DJ booth is perched above the dancing masses in the centre of the space. There's enough room to dance, yet the feeling is intimate. There's a banging soundsystem, but the sound of swaying palms and aircraft engines is still audible. It's warm, but not uncomfortable and allows you absolute freedom.
This special place deserves a special soundtrack and last Sunday that was provided by Mr Pete Gooding. A DJ you wont find in the upper echelons of the DJ Mag Top 100, or playing London superclubs every weekend, but is a DJ who knows what the Space sunset terrace means – a license to play anything you like, as long as it fits the vibe. The soundtrack for that night featured everything from Bucketheads – The Bomb, to Planet Funk – Chase The Sun, Spiller – Groovejet, Coldplay – Clocks and even the fat bassline of Azzido da Bass (including live percussion accompaniment). But like many things in life, the best was saved until last…
In a beautiful terrace packed to the rafters with ravers, as the clock approached midnight, and the crowd began to think of the wonders of the night ahead, Gooding dropped Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You. My favourite tune, in my favourite club room in the world. Special was an understatement! Yes it was early, yes it was commercial, and yes it was clichéd. But that didn't stop me dancing like a loon with the biggest smile on my face you could imagine. Everybody in the place was brimming with happiness as the first chapter of We Love ended and the start of the rest of the night began. For me the feeling was unreal – one of those special moments when time stands still. To quote a cheesy phrase from the Swedish House Mafia: ‘Goosebumps never lie', and there were certainly plenty present as the music faded & Mr Gooding received a standing ovation.
For those that are skeptical about how good this place really is, there's only one way to prove me wrong – get yourself a 150 euro plane ticket, get a 10 euro cab, exchange your ego for some dancing shoes at the door & get involved! I guarantee you'll not be disappointed! (Disclaimer: if you don't like it, please don't come emailing me for a refund!
)The rest of the night was great thanks to the festival-like setup of We Love Sundays @ Space. We spent some significant time in almost all the rooms, including the covered terrace for Steve Lawler who played some quality pumping tunes-perfect for the time & place. El Salon provided the usual open-air-like oasis to chill out, sit down and generally recharge. The Discoteca also had a great selection of DJs pushing the thunderous soundsystem to the max. Foamo was OK earlier on, although not really our blag and Simian Mobile Disco were good fun.
The headline set fell to the man James Zabiela. As always he was technically brilliant, obviously loving his work as much as any other DJ in the world – his big smile and shaking blonde locks provided clear evidence of that (as seen in this video: http://youtu.be/ecXF0cLEjOs). But sometimes I think he can forget about the crowd he's playing to. Don't get me wrong, he rocked it with some cracking tunes, including a bit of drum and bass for good measure. But he can seem to drift into his own world of ipads, software & inch-perfect mixing rather than maintain that link with the crowd he's playing for. We eventually left about 5:00 & got into one of long line of taxies waiting outside and were back in bed within half hour. Job done!
Monday 20th September 2010: Rain, Rain, Go Away!
There's nothing quite as painful as being woken up by the glare of the midday sun after a big night out. Luckily, there was no danger of that on Monday afternoon as we were greeted by grey clouds and continuous rain! Time, then, for a taxi into Ibiza town and to take up residence at a local tapas restaurant. We spent the next 2.5 hours consuming various Mediterranean delights and supping on some delicious sangria. A post dinner wander around the quaint streets allowed for some shopping and the purchase of a couple of 30 euro tickets for that evenings Circo Loco @ DC10!
We headed back to Figuertas via the beach-front restaurant/bar Fusion, where we grabbed a couple of decent cocktails and wished our friends a safe flight home. Back to the hotel for a quick change, then for the 15 min taxi ride to DC10. Having been raining steadily for most of the day, the heavens decided it was time to open all over the South of the island. Never before have I seen quite such torrential rain in Ibiza – bizarre!
We arrived at DC10 for Circo Loco at about 8:30pm and sprinted inside (no queue) to avoid being soaked through. Needless to say nobody was outside and the main room and terrace were reasonably busy. We grabbed some drinks and headed to the terrace for Tania Vulcano, who proceeded to rock the joint for 90 mins. And yes, you've guessed it – it's time to go…
BACK TO THE TERRACE!!
It's labelled as ‘the terrace' on any line-ups you might see, but the now-red room that awaits those who make it to DC10 appears on the surface to be just like any other club room. But look a bit closer and you'll realise it still has many of those special characteristics I was banging on about earlier. The room now has a roof, but nature still manages to find it's way in – just stand under the lights when it's raining outside and see what I mean! But the beauty of this room is that it serves it's purpose brilliantly – to support the creation of a brilliant atmosphere, without actually being the focus itself. It has bare walls, a simple bar, a cool new sound system and simple DJ booth in the corner. It's dark, intriguing and provides a sanctuary from the outside world. It allows the soundtrack of pumping house to be accompanied by all manner of other activities (think sit down/stand ups, people handing out balloons, etc) without any seeming strange. It exists as a crucial part of the club, but it isn't what makes it.
It was a smiles-all-round kind of evening. Great tuneage was supplied by Tania, Cirillo, Dyed Soundorom and Jose de Divina on the terrace and David Squillace inside. Crowd started thinning out about 12:00 (presumably for Cocoon) but we stayed until about 1:30. Were too wrecked for Amnesia, Privilege or Pacha so just headed outside into the now-clear morning to grab a cab. Queue was about 10 people/15 mins long and were soon en route back to hotel. There was also a free bus back to Playa den Bossa. Another terrace, another top night – gotta love this island!
Tuesday 21st September 2010: Pool > Beach > Plane
It was the last day of our short trip and we were rewarded with clear skies and bright sunshine. Was a perfect day to chill by the pool so we packed, checked out at 12:00 and flopped on sun loungers. We grabbed some decently-priced lunch at the hotel and checked twitter to find the minus crew were playing Ushuaia. We took a wander along PdB, following the loud minimal sounds emanating from yonder. Pitched up outside on the beach (as were bouncers on the door) and just enjoyed the soundtrack from who we thought was Richie Hawtin. Was a end to the holiday, sitting on a wide, clean beach, great tunes playing in the background, sun setting to the right and planes roaring over head on final approach to the airport, bringing another wave of people to the promised land. It's difficult to describe just what a great combination of sights and sounds that was, but hopefully this video provides some idea: http://youtu.be/r0KKpQ0rPwI.
As twilight faded into darkness we headed back along the beach, grabbed some dinner at Ciao Ciao and jumped in a cab from the hotel back to the airport. Having checked in online earlier in the day, we just dropped our bags and headed to the departure lounge. After a bit of duty free shopping it was time for an early departure back to Blighty. Once again BA scored top marks for an on-time departure and smooth flight – very impressed.
So that's that for another year – here's to the closing party tales, winter rumours, and dark days spent longing for those never-ending summer days on the best island in the world – Ibiza!
PS in terms of tunes, we heard a whole range, with lots of classics, but one that does stick in the mind is Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand
PPS If you enjoyed this, you might like to read some of my other reviews:
IMS Ibiza 2010: http://www.spotlight-forums.com/showthread.php?t=67914
Global Gathering 2010: http://www.spotlight-forums.com/showthread.php?t=67898
SW4 & LED Festivals 2010: http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night/reviews/2010/review_sw4_led_festival_i.htm
I'll defo be back next season for my 40th(!!) birthday party!