Hijacked by the Cirque de la Nuit team and motoring smoothly through what was an unusually enthusiastic swell the 'Five Star' catamaran was the vessel chosen to bear us revelers, a VOID sound rig and the famously capricious figure of Seth Troxler out to open sea. Though hosting a number of different parties this season this, in collaboration with Carl Cox and Spaces' ''The Revolution: The Party Unites' and Ibiza Sonica, is presented as the companies premier salt coated experience.
After the customary champagne reception at CDLN's pre-event location - Playa d'en Bossas' Backstage bar - a short walk and a coach ride to Marina Botafoch delivered the large group into the shadow of the waiting cat. After a lengthy wait in the sun and a spot of human tetris, owing to some confusion amongst the organisers, the boat set off and the bar was declared open - with admission comes a constantly on tap selection of cava, beer or the sea-faring blood of Ibiza: sangria. Topping RA's 2012 DJ Poll Detroit vinylist Troxler is known as much for his quirky off-field life choices as for his moments of reliably unexpected genius. This season Troxler has made the move away from his Visionquest compatriots and towards an increasing number of solo performances - DC10's Circoloco is rarely without a Seth cameo of some magnitude. Residents provided the sonic fodder on the journey to a spot within the protection of Formentera's outlying landmass - beginning with rounded yet unremarkable slices of machine-house choppy seas and a sizeable VIP component meant the dance floor experienced a tentative initial embrace. White shirted and boat shoed Troxler opened with the expected mix of sun-cuts and tinny house. Finding his legs, an excursion into gun-finger garage and down tempo dub signaled a well-received flash in the pan and as the sun set: bodies moved. Arriving at a mix of deep and grooving yet funky and pink hip-shakers an enthused super fan whooped with delight. As 11pm approached a cohort of speed boats arrived to whisk us through the lapping darkness and straight to the beach opposite Space, removing any need for decision, the included entry to Carl Cox awaited redemption.
Intimacy with a DJ of magnitude should make for a special experience yet on this venture the promoters must be wary of cultivating the stiff, sterile feel of a paid private-party performance. The magic contained within a dancefloor lies in the un-affected mingling of different people - walks of life, styles and tastes - on common ground: CDLN must be careful not to grasp the champagne flute too tightly.
