Last night Solomun returned to Pacha’s decks for the island's best Sunday tradition since the siesta - Solomun +1. This was the fifth date of his new residency at one of the island’s best clubs. With Nick Curly joining as his ‘plus one’, it was clear that Sundays are anything but a day of rest for these two.
For Sundays, at Solomun’s request, the booth is centred in the middle of the room, almost on the same level of the crowd. It also meant that walking down Pacha’s steps you’re immediately greeted with the music which makes it intimate and visually impressive. Delectably eerie cartoons were projected onto hanging canvases, a mixture of Medusa-like freckled faces and Cheshire cat grins. As always though, Pacha’s vibe of effortless glamour was still present, with locals and kaftans galore. Magnums of Belvedere were being hoisted around amongst the bobbing heads of partiers while resident Angel Linde got everyone well warmed up for Solomun's first visit to the decks at 2am.
After a gentle start, Solomun got onto doing what he does best in his sets: reading the crowd just right and keeping them guessing. He dropped curve balls such as House Of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’ into a heavily synth-based set full of gradual build ups and off-tempo claps before moving onto tech-house tracks such as The Martinez Brothers remix of Santos Resiak’s ‘A Better Light’. A highlight of his set was when he played his new haunting remix of Foals track ‘Late Night’ with its melancholic vocals. His set as a whole nodded strongly to German electronic, with Kraftwerk-like driving rhythms and catchy melodies that showcased Solomun’s distinct sound.
Meanwhile in the Funky Room, bongo drums and staccato beats bounced off the crystals and exposed brick into eager ears. Even if you prefer your main room madness, this room is always worth a visit throughout the night as the residents always play a fantastic set. Out on the terraza, the Pacha girls were dancing in cocktail glasses to soothing beats and a sea of contrasting traditional white walls and anime artwork on this hazy Mediterranean night.
Nick curly came on at 4am and the atmosphere shifted almost immediately with references to acid house and music that had me salsa dancing around the main room. Curly clearly loves an audience and played up to the crowd, exaggerating his movements and making sure they could see every little thing he was doing. He dropped wAFF’s ‘Ibiza’, a song which is constantly cropping up as we get into the summer.
The last hour saw them go back to back where they complimented each other’s styles and still shone as skilled individuals. For me, the bongo-fuelled remix of Simply Red’s hit ‘Money’s Too Tight to Mention’ was definitely the finest moment of this final hour.
After yet another strong Sunday night of brilliant music and great chemistry, the marriage of Solomun and Pacha seems to be off to a fantastic start.
