Weird, cheeky, but with consistent quality and a flair for creative detail. That’s how I’d describe Wisdom of the Glove and, though I don’t know him personally, also how I’d describe the man who thought it all up whilst partying in the midst of the Mexican jungle during BPM festival (or so the story goes), Guy Gerber.
When the news of the new residency first broke, Pacha and Gerber seemed like an odd pairing, but this summer Pacha has reminded us all that if needs be it can shelve the glitz and hold its own in the underground scene. Firstly, though not most importantly, on a Wisdom of the Glove Wednesday the club looks fantastic – almost better than it’s ever been – with the exception of Tuesday’s venture into colourful psychedelia, Flower Power, which in decorations remains peerless. For Wisdom however, Pacha is a dark and twisted den, with eyes blinking from the murky roof and from giant sparkling hands, disembodied arms twirling like windmills and warped key holes hanging in the air. I’m increasingly aware of how lighting can affect the whole vibe of the party, and Wednesdays is about as dark as Pacha gets. The sparkling tiers become shadowy levels, splashed by mysterious blue and purple flashes and the odd laser squirt.
So this is the scene upon which I descended last night, peopled by dOP, Magda, Guy Gerber, his DJ guests and a sizeable chunk of the island’s music lovers. dOP kicked the party off for me, the last of a series of excellent live acts that have been rocking the early slot at Wisdom all summer, this being the trio’s third and final appearance. It was a great and alternative start to the night, with upbeat and funky music coloured, as ever, by the man-with-the-mic ‘JoJo’ who waltzed about the low stage in front of the booth with tuneful yelps and plenty of audience interaction.
Magda took control next and threw the music down unchartered bassy depths. It was a stark energy shift that it took me some time to get on board with, but once adjusted to the lack of melody I could appreciate some cracking rhythms and bone rattling bass. She toyed with her audience, bringing volume and pitch right down low before blasting out again with a confident kick. By the time Gerber took over the techno fists had had a strong work out and were angling for more. He kept the bass deep and strong but began to ease in his characteristic touches like eerie split vocals and the odd miscellaneous jungle squawk.
I took a moment outside for a breather and discovered I had sat myself next to a locked door that was usually open. A brilliant game ensued, of watching person after person confidently stride over to the door, leading their friends, only to end up rattling a handle and looking at me in confusion. It became addictive. Inside, things were getting rowdier and the DJ booth, like at many closing parties, was as rammed as the dance floor. Gerber was dancing around with October abandon and everyone around him seemed just as ready to party, as later he opened the decks up to his fellow DJs who had played throughout summer.
We’ve come to the end of the first season of Pacha’s big management and musical shake up and island consensus is that the club has resurfaced kicking, with Wisdom of the Glove one of its salient success stories. Guy Gerber has done good things with this party and if you weren’t sold on the music, at least you walked away with a free kaleidoscope. Ooooh colours!
