As the autumn dank muscles in on the sunshine isle we say farewell to the majority of Ibiza's sea-borne adventures. The 'Thank God We Are Rebels' voyages - run by the Capadi Rebels team - hold the suitable unmentionables to mirror their larger club-based compatriots and hold a 'closing party' equivalent, a resident filled Boat Battle. After birthing their dynamic party brand in the winter of 2010 the Rebels found their sea legs after touring extensively around Europe - culminating in a firm leaning towards boat based hedonism in Ibiza. Having hosted events in various venues along Playa d'en Bossa and across the island, this year saw the Rebels collaborate with Sankeys' Carnival Cities to host the Spektrum room every Saturday night. The German collective cites freedom, self-confidence and enthusiastic self-expression as their chief alma mater, embodied in playful nods towards social rebellion, a tough and techy audio policy and a worn, gritty aesthetic.
As I climbed aboard the spacious catamaran it was to go out of the white heat and into a hive of activity. Returning from an unrelated off-island excursion the Rebel production team was charged with transforming the cat into a party friendly space. Camouflage netting was strung, speakers were hefted over shoulders, brusque shouts rang out and the extensive cabling and pallets of alcohol were spirited aboard. At an earlier time of 4pm the largely European crowd was whisked promptly aboard and the mobile haven set a swift sail for the surrounds of Formentera, glass of cava and body-jacking rhythm in mind. The double-decked style of boat used by most Ibiza companies is ill fitted to two-stepping antics, the Rebel cat however offers a sizeable dance-floor both in front and back of the DJ booth, contained on every side by a custom sound rig - think white washed dance-pit stretched close over glinting surf. The Rebels put a firm focus on curating a complete and kosher underground experience and their honed troupe of residents obliged. The sun beat down to a warmed groove that was as dark as the surrounding vista would allow as a promoter took up the mic and teased the crowd to abandon themselves.
A 'closing' breathes recklessness, excess and a healthy level of insanity into any self-respecting affair and the Rebels weren't about to make an exception; the seven-foot gentleman in stripy pants and platformed leather boots offering buttered canapés with an unwavering grin was part and parcel of the party's organic, grass roots vibe - a product of its strong Germanic heritage. A swim stop at Formentera - where dancing was replaced briefly by lounging - and the sunset encompassing return leg began. Darkness signaled a well-timed changeover to resident Jiggy whose rough and ready FX driven grumbles swung any still prone bodies into a stomping, techno-fed gear. Chopped, roving hook of Rachmad's Virton Upgraded spun as the cat entered the gargantuan shadow of a docked cruise ship, not to go past it but to statically spin at the mouth of the port - like any other closing, it would be bad taste to end on time.
The Rebels succeed in carefully transplanting the communal, empathetic intimacy of an underground affair onto the waves beyond the land's horizon. Their drive will no doubt see the continued expansion and consolidation of what is a strong party brand. A boat party doesn't have to be a tongue-in-cheek, commercialised product; join the Rebels Capadi and experience some thankful grit and a glint of the freedom present within the most valued hubs of European electronica.
