This year has marked a change in the way we have seen bookings being handled at the clubs of Ibiza. With so much competition, each night seems to have upped the ante, inviting powerhouse DJs who would have otherwise stuck to their respective clubs and residencies. Such was the case on Tuesday, when Music On’s curator Marco Carola dropped by Carl Cox’s legendary Revolution party. And when two of the island’s biggest nights combine forces, coupled with Marco’s debut appearance at Space, it was it was sure to be a night of mass proportions. Add to the mix some of todays leading purveyors of techno and house, including Carl Lio, Nicole Moudaber, Cassy and Just Be (Bushwacka!), you’re left with nothing but shear size and musical mayhem, exactly what you would hope for in a night out in Ibiza. The scene was set for a party that would leave the Island talking for weeks to come.
We arrived shortly after 1am, and made our way into the main room where Carola had already taken the stage. There was already barely enough room to move, but that had little impact on the vibe, with smiles a plenty and people dancing from front to back. With every build, every drop, every eerie sound, I was absolutely taken aback by Marco’s ability to surprise me again and again – never a dull moment. The ambiance was magnified by the amazing detail to sound and lighting on this particular night. The sound booth had seen a move from near the DJ booth to smack in the center of the dance floor. I can’t say why this change occurred, but I can say that there was a noticeable change in the lighting that accompanied Marco Carola’s set. Bright and three-dimensional LEDs filled the room, demanding your attention, getting audible responses from the crowd at some points.
After a quick smoke break and stretching of the legs, we slowly squeezed through the heaving masses and over to the terrace to catch up with Carl Lio. It was a party no doubt, and even more so up near the DJ booth where Carlo and friends were passing around drinks, dancing, and possibly having more fun than the crowd its self. Some DJs come in, do their job, and move on. But everyone that night seemed to be overjoyed to be invited to play on such a special occasion. Seeing your favorite DJs truly enjoy what they do always adds a sense of elation to the evening, as you know it’s going to reflect in the set they’re pushing out to the crowd. Carl Lio had an upbeat but hard-hitting techno set from start to finish, and the crowd did not waiver one bit. Every punter was firmly planted in place, and not going anywhere for the long haul.
As Lio finished up his set, Nicole Moudaber was just getting ready to blast us off with yet a few more hours of unrelenting techno. Nicole took stage at just about 2:30 in the morning, and even with Marco playing in the main room and Carl Cox coming up so quickly, you would’ve had no clue looking at the bodies packed on the terrace floor. I said it about Lio and ill say it about Moudaber. They were having such a good time playing that it actually made me smile. Seeing a DJ enjoy themselves that much is truly a pleasure, and really, that’s what its all about – playing good music with good friends and enjoying yourself, all while rocking the crowd from start to finish.
From there, we stepped away from the terrace for a bit to catch the opening of Carl Cox in the main room. There’s no two ways about it – when King Cox comes on in the main room, there will be no escaping his intro. New for this year’s revolution nights, Cox opens up with a massive laser show and voice over introducing you to revolution nights, letting you know your not anywhere else, and that you most definitely shouldn’t be either. In true Cox fashion, his sets have something for everyone, from upbeat tech house to dark, hard techno. Couple that with extremely well thought out and engineered lighting structures, Funktion Ones that surely could knock the wind out of you at close range, Kryoman descending from the ceiling, and Co2 guns blasting you with a massive breath of fresh air, its pure sensory overload and from start to finish. Ibiza baby.
King Cox kept the main room pumping, but we stepped away for a minute to catch up in the Salon where Pulse Radio was hosting the winners of the Carl Cox’s recent DJ competition with Italy’s Waltek on the decks this week. As we popped into the lounge and smoking area with deep, funky tunes kept people dancing and grooving along to the warm vibes, and as more people walked into the Salon you could see them immediately getting into the vibe. It was the absolute perfect sound for chilling out and having a few more drinks before heading back into the madness that is Space on a Tuesday night.
Just Be (Bushwacka!) was coming on in the terrace, so we quickly hopped across the hallway back onto the terrace dance floor to catch the ending of Nicole’s set and the beginning of what I considered to be the best set of the night. Just Be (or Bushwacka! as you may know him) came out of the gates so hard it gave me the chills. In fact, it was the first set of the night where I actually felt obligated to make my way dead center onto the dance floor so I could soak in his set in its entirety. The amount of energy he was pushing out was unreal, and everyone on the floor was commenting on it. Just Be was playing with CDs, but the layering and complexity of his builds and drops would have likely had most guessing Traktor or Ableton. Smashing in samples like ‘Rob Base - It Takes 2’ into his set, it was clear he was in control and that no one would be leaving until he let them do so.
As the sun started to rise there was a nice surprise waiting for all those that may have arrived late or thought that just wasn’t enough time given to Mr. Carola. Just after 6am, Carola was brought back on to go back to back with Cox until 9am. Needless to say if anyone was thinking about leaving early, plans changed very quickly. The two put on a spectacle only the likes of Ibiza could host, keeping every man, woman and VIP dancing like nobody was watching until dawn, rounding out an already stellar evening. Even having just turned 51, its still very clear Cox has more than a few tricks up his sleeve for us this season, and we haven’t even seen him on Amnesia terrace for Music On yet.
Photography by La Terraza Photography.
Listen to Just Be and Nicole Moudaber on Pulse Radio.
