After attending one of Morillo's much loved Subliminal Sessions parties last summer and having a great time, my expectations for last nights opening were pretty high. I assumed that the 'Live your life' DJ would take advantage of Pacha's new layout and hydraulic DJ booth and after speaking with Erick himself last month where he hinted to a few surprises were hidden up his sleeve, I was looking forward to seeing what new things Subliminal would bring to Ibiza this year.
With no queue to greet me and little crowding inside the venue I was a little surprised but things soon fell into place past 1.30am and the dance-floor quickly filled up. Unlike last year the Global room was closed off and in its place stood a wall of Subliminal artwork which made a great place for party-goers to grab a holiday shot. Having a little nose around before Chuckie took over from Pacha resident Andy Baxter, who as usual did a perfect warm up set, I did my usual of venturing outside and lounging in the smoking area. Pleasantly surprised by the slightly deeper and bouncier tunes which I got to enjoy compared to the usual older tracks that can be heard outside.
2am had struck and it was time to enjoy Dirty Dutch Music man, Chuckie go nuts in the main room. I don't think there is anyone else who can match Erick Morillo's energy; both being renowned for their enthusiastic sets, Chuckie did a fantastic job of hyping up the crowd and really embraced the uplifting and bouncy mood of the room. His set was an exhilarating fusion of bouncy electro and finely selected house tracks and over the course of his set you could even hear the odd influence of dubstep. Throughout his set Chuckie dropped familiar house tracks such as Swedish House Mafia's 'Leave the world behind you' and he even incorporated an old school t-une into the mix with Blueboy's hit track 'Remember Me'. As an artist who is known for his mixing skills simply watching Chuckie passionately smashing his CDJ's was captivating enough but his infectious style really amplified the party vibe and made a perfect start to the Subliminal season.
Erick stated that he would be bringing 'a different reality for people to engage in and get lost in the club' during his interview with us and he definitely did; the dancers were sexier, cooler and oozed Subliminal style and the venue had a kind of magic to it which could even be felt through the lighting and production as well as the music.
The dance-floor was also larger with the stage now being hidden beneath the floor - although this was later raised in preparation for a larger than life vocal performance from Shawnee Taylor. Overall the opening party not only featured amazing vocals, dazzling productions and on point music but it was also a Subliminal family reunion; with sets from Sympho Nympho - the collaboration between Morillo, Harry Romero and Jose Nunez, Chuckie and the show stopping Shawnee Taylor.
