There has been a lot of DJ swapping this season, bringing in unexpected artists and special guests from other residencies around the island, shocking some Ibiza natives and regulars. But having Richie Hawtin come back for another night at Cocoon for the second time in two years after starting his own weekly party with ENTER. at Space last year was without fail the best of them so far.
Richie and the terrace at Cocoon went hand in hand for years when the techno god held his residency there, along with the night’s curator, Sven Vath. And those unlucky enough to miss Hawtin’s time in the cavernous terrace were blessed this season with the opportunity to see him back on his old stomping grounds. It’s when nights like this occur that one can’t help but think that the terrace at Amnesia was built for these leaders of the scene.
This year’s new jungle theme, with bright orange and green banners floating above the terrace, fit perfectly with each DJs set. At certain points, the stylized jungle leafs adorning the terrace ceiling even had lights reflecting on them to imitate the look and feel of tropical rain.
Papa Sven kicked things off early on the terrace throwing down track after track of the most hard hitting techno we could have hoped for, infused with tropical vibes to suit the theme of the night. Knowing when to keep things hard and dark, hitting it just at the right time with bongos and slightly funkier bass lines, keeping the crowd moving up until 5am, Vath perfectly left everyone prepped and ready for the destruction that would be Richie Hawtin’s return. Sven has never been one to be called a warm-up DJ, but being the true gentleman he is, he took the reigns as the opening DJ for the night, knowing exactly when to hold back and when to push, leaving the crowd screaming.
Ellen Allien took to the decks first in the main room. I don't know if surprising would be the right word to describe her set, but having not seen her outside of DC-10, I was interested to see the style she would bring to Cocoon, and style it was. Taking us on a tour of her very well curated techno tunes, we got to hear a bit of everything, ranging from the dark and ominous to the absolute bass slammers that had the room jumping, the massive LED overhead behind her putting a new spin on the jungle theme, flying us through digitalized urban-jungle cityscapes that complimented the lighting and overall feel of the room tremendously. Throwing her hands in the air, Ellen had amazing energy behind the decks, which passed right on through to the crowd, and of course, to her set that evening.
Richie kicked things off at 5am on the terrace, and not a soul who remained at that early hour was even thinking of giving up their rightly earned spot on the dance floor. Start to finish, he light room on fire, taking control with his sci-fi like sounds and noises most human beings have never even been exposed to. It’s nights like this that one truly understands the phrase, ‘the DJ had the crowd in the palm of his hand.’ With every flick of the fader, twist of the EQs, the crowd pulsed and gasped, completely under the spell of the Minus maestro. Surely Hawtin felt right back at home on the terrace, and without a shadow of a doubt, the crowd was happy to have him back. People from around the world dancing from wall to wall covered in sweat – it was clear that this pioneer of techno was hammering it.
Adam Beyer playing at the same time as Richie could have sounded like a bad time slot, but when you’re Adam Beyer – head honcho of Drumcode, one of the most prolific and defining labels around – the name speaks for itself. Laying down huge and relentless techno tracks, Beyer was giving the crowd a set that only gave everyone a short amount of time to catch their breath, building up to the next tune by tossing in vocal builds, sending tingles down the spine of any onlooker.
Needless to say, if there was ever any doubt that Cocoon was still not the king of techno, all those thoughts can be forgotten. After a night like this, Cocoon remains sitting far above any other night in its genre. Well done Sven, and the entire Cocoon team.
