As the final closing party, it was crucial for Sankeys to go out with a bang. And what better way to celebrate their ‘Seven Wonders of Sankeys’ (ie opening their doors every night for seven cracking residencies) than attempting to break the world record for the most people wearing a toga at one time (makes perfect sense to me at least). David Vincent, as Apollo, God of Music, presented a line-up of epic proportions for this final curtain-closer which was planned to be 24 hours. In the end, the night was so good thanks to the secret special guests that they didn’t close their doors until 7am Thursday morning...
With such a lengthy event, I’ll just discuss some of the highlights, one of which being Ame (live) in the Lab (creatively dubbed the ‘Coliseum’). His own remix of Radio Slave’s N.I.N.A went down a right treat and he ended with his and Frank Weiderman’s beautiful and haunting Howling. This was a huge track of last summer and a real goosebump-giver, and I was glad to hear it at the final closing.
Another great set of the night was from Audiofly in the ‘Dungeon’ (basement). Shutting my eyes, I floated along to the Italian Flying Circus dons and their beautiful emotive vibes, imagining it echoing against dark dank stone and through the haunting space.
Miguel Campbell was the surprise of the night for me. I haven’t seen him play in over a year and was rather expecting him to be a one-trick pony (albeit it a good one), but his set was awesome and if it didn’t get your toes tapping there was something wrong with you. The relaxed disco vibe was slightly thrown off however by the DJ booth being as packed as the Central Line at rush hour, making me glad to be amongst the real ravers on the dancefloor. Campbell finished with Him Self Her’s Gone Too Long, bringing it back to a slightly darker melancholic deep house sound.
Darius Syrossian and Hector Couto’s back to back set was fantastic as always. These two work so well together both in the studio and behind the decks, and the great atmosphere in the basement increased as more people (including more togas thanks to the free makeovers on the Terrace) took to the floor, with tracks such as Darius' own special edit of the Masters@Work's version of Ruffneck’s Be Somebody getting hearts racing.
As usual VIVa Warrior Steve Lawler killed it, and the cheering from the crowd only confirmed what we already knew - like a modern-day Julius Caesar, this man as DJ and as King of Sankeys Sunday nights is a force to be reckoned with. A highlight was The Martinez Brothers' remix of Santos Resiak’s A Better Light.
To my sheer and utter delight, the secret special guests turned out to be none other than Dan Ghenacia & Dyed Soundorom. Two artists that have hugely impressed on the island this summer and are recognized for their style and unmatched chemistry behind the decks. In such an intimate space, their relationship was amplified and we all spent the next silly amount of hours dancing with huge grins on our faces to tracks such as Cpen’s Stack of Yesterdays- Don’t Be Scared and Tucillo’s Eve’s Sky.
Although the world toga-wearing record still stands, Sankeys succeeded in proving that, in an industry where many DJs and clubs take themselves far too seriously (thus losing the actual magic that only good music and the right crowd can provide) they are the much needed breath of fresh air. It was especially fitting as it was the final closing party, rounding off a season of change, growth and development which has got me excited to see what Sankeys has in store for us next season.
So, after the epic night, a gladiatorial 32 hours, Sankeys Ibiza ends its third year on a high; a night so good, not even Meg Ryan would need to fake it.
