Yesterday afternoon Plan Be opened its doors for the first time as the White Isle's newest daytime party. The venue, which is just outside of Ibiza town on the way to Santa Gertrudis, is set off from the main road and hides behind a wall of sand bags. To some this may sound a little strange but the setting of Plan Be undeniably embraces an underground vibe.
Launching with a very impressive line-up featuring some of Hot Creations, Hot Natured, Illusion records and Crosstown rebels finest talents such as; Russ Yallop, Wildkats, Infinity Ink, Alexis Raphael, Tom Craven and Plan Be residents No Artificial Colours and Acid Mondays, the opening party was bound to attract a crowd with such a strong appeal to deep house lovers. Aside from spoiling clubbers with a sick line-up the party also offered free invites and guest-list as well as free transport from neighbouring towns Playa d'en Bossa and San Antonio. The first 200 into the venue also managed to enjoy a couple of hours of free drinks but regardless of whether you made it in time to bag some of the booze the prices were very friendly to your wallet at 5€ a beer or 7.50€ for a Vodka mixer - The venue uses a token system to buy drinks.
Arriving just after 8pm and unfortunately not in time for a free drink I was pleasantly surprised by the unique set up of the venue. As you enter Plan Be you are greeted by a large amount of space with authentic wooden flooring, palm trees, leafy mesh draped over the roof, a terrace and a pretty epically decorated London cab and of course enough bars to cater for the crowd. The presentation of Plan Be was understated and carefully executed to capture the passions of the underground scene and successfully provided party-goers with what they wanted and expected from a daytime rave venue.
No Artificial Colours were pumping their infectiously deep tracks from within the DJ booth - the booth was set within a tower of cargo craters which was not only a very quirky way to present it but also quite an ingenious idea from the team. Although there was definitely enough space for a few more house heads to get involved with the party everyone who was there was having a blinding time. The music was spot on and the atmosphere followed suit; there was a harmonious fusion between the DJs and the crowd all night long and at times it even felt like we were in our own universe riddled with rhythm.
Crèche creator Alexis Raphael took the party from a daytime event into a night time party with some really deep and penetrating beats. Dropping 'Masochist' by Funky fat & Digitaria and Mathias Kaden's track 'The Jackathon (Richy Ahmed remix) made the crowd really feel the beat with the majority of flat cap, vest wearing workers busting out the underground two step. During the evening there were touches of female vocals with a trance edge coming from Russ Yallop's set as well as escalating keyboard melodies. Then as midnight hit the much loved Ali Love and Luca C took control of the DJ crater as Infinity Ink and brought a bit of soul to the dance-floor. It was really nice to see Ali Love singing the duo's tracks live, especially in an intimate outdoor environment. Playing their Hot Waves release 'Games' and Crosstown Rebels track 'Infinity' definitely connected with the crowd on a different level.
Last night Plan Be oozed a garden party quality but on a larger scale and was a great place to not only party but also mingle with people and make friends; the layout and atmosphere made way for a very friendly party and I really hope the venue succeeds this summer.
