It really is all far, far too much. Any vague hopes the Ibiza-Spotlight Club Intelligence Gathering Unit had of a more orderly end to the High Season have vanished like friends on four day benders.
The suburban sleeper cell we call an office is in bad shape. Through a combination of fucked wiring and 28 different appliances running onto one plug, our electricity supply has been more sporadic than is desirable. It even went off when it rained the other day. A large shelf managed to detach itself from the wall, tho by some fluke no-one was actually sleeping on the couch underneath it when it fell.
Additionally we've been invaded by random members of the media core, including Rowan from the culturally incisive yet unashamedly divisive Gurn.net (www.gurn.net) and now Gavin Herlihy from Mixmag, who we slagged a while back. Rowan threw up on the floor and nicked things (that owl mask from your party will be back ASAP Sophie) but so far Gavin's arrived only to pass out promptly wearing eye protectors.
Also putting in a sterling effort are the ranks of working men and women who are gradually taking on less hours as the parties close one by one. We interviewed one of them, Kyle Gordon (below), about his experiences of:
Cocoon closing @ Amnesia, September 20
What was the guest list queue like?
Kyle: It was horrendous. The paying queue was actually about a third of the size.
How did you get to the front so fast?
I had bartering tools of refreshments. Can you use that? There were a few minor incidents - a girl fainted and a bit of a scuffle which distracted the attention of quite a few people.
Who played?
Sven Vath in the main room. As soon as I came in there was no space in there at all. And luckily enough I seen Markus and co they were on the podium. So I cleaned my head out with Sven Vath's techno for a while and then decided it was time for a rest after dancing so much so I went in to the terrace which was really nice as usual.
Why was it so nice?
Because it's just a great place to socialise. Inside it's more of a shut up and dance place where on the terrace the music's a lot more relaxed tho with enough there to twist you.
Who was doing the twisting?
Ricardo Villalobos.
What was the after party like?
The after party was one of the craziest parties, if not the craziest party I've been to this year. That might have had something to do with the acid that we found.
Anything else?
A special thanks to the Cocoon guys, cheers. Can't wait till next year.
Manumission @ Privilege – September 20
Manumission's closing at Privilege was both vast and vastly entertaining. Easily up to the standard of any of last year's classic series, hopefully it is a foretaste of future seasons.
We're not sure what happened to the absent resident band the Juju Babies tho. They must have slipped out a side exit somewhere. The last we heard the lead singer Misty Woods was heading a new outfit and has anybody seen the Theremin player recently? Please post your sightings in our forums.
Anyway The Faint, dance-inflected rockers from Omaha, filled in more than adequately and helped pump the Music Box with the energy it deserves. The three guys with the crowd-participation dance moves that came on at six were great too.
Following that there was a bit of crowd surfing, a ‘New York New York' chorus line routine from the ‘Mish bitches and general mayhem in the Coco Loco to close.
Renaissance @ Pacha, September 23
Nicely busy, Renaissance on Thursday night exemplifies perfectly why Pacha is the moneyed tourists' club of choice. Every aspect is a cut above in quality – the top drawer lineups (this week featuring Yousef, Dave Seaman, Angel Linde and X-Press 2), the sound system on the main floor, and the dancers (oh, the dancers!).
But it sometimes lacks that extra oomph that makes partying in Ibiza so unique and it must be said the proportion of hard core ravers is lower. The VIP area on the other hand looks like a blast, but at around 1,000 for a table it's a bit beyond us or our mates. But Pacha is packed Monday to Sunday, so they must be doing something right.
Amnesia closing, September 25
The great thing about this party is you can squeeze in a good night's sleep between the official start time (midnight Saturday) and the best bit where everybody goes gaga on the terrace. Alarms set for nine on Sunday morning did their job and sleepily we made our way to the big barn on the hill that is Amnesia, for one last lusty lunge.
By this time there was no set entrance fee, just a donation for the staff. Alms administered we made our way in to the main room which was still busy at 11am. As anybody who has experienced it knows, the system in the sala principal there will not take standing around for an answer. You must dance or you must leave.
The terrace on the other foot was a more welcoming place for those fresh from their beds. Dj Oliver had obviously decided the crowd could do with a rush or two, and pulled out a few of this summer's anthems, but thankfully they've been used more sparingly than in previous seasons.
Many jocks have eschewed the dance as pop aesthetic altogether, and gone for a soundtrack-y feel. The click, beeps, distorted bass noises and insistent thump thump of the kick drum have formed the flow of many nights here at Amnesia, most notably at Cocoon. Residents Richie Hawtin and Ricardo Villalobos have also both appeared at Dc10, connecting the dotty dots between their two approaches.
Pacha has melded hip hop into their programming seven nights a week, bonded by their mutual love of the bling, and Manumission stirred in still more rock into their electro stew at their Privilege party.
Less is more in 2004. Cheese is dying a deserved death.