As an island new-bee, Pacha for me has forever been one of those clubs I get lost in the idea of, lost in a dream of experiencing the mysterious glamour this place holds. A reputation for over the top production and theatrical themed nights have left my curiosity itching and last night Ibiza Rocks House was nothing short of that.
One half of Groove Armada was on dance floor duty when I arrived, so I rushed to the centre to soak up all of the tasty sounds he was pumping out. The crowd was energised and his techno house mix had me dancing right along with them. Completely absorbed in the music I forgot to look around, but when I opened my eyes I had a hard time believing that what I was seeing was real… Beautiful dancers resembling white swans, girls in bunny outfits, transvestites dancing outrageously and.. wait… is that a moose hanging from the celling? Flying pigs? Did I just catch an inflatable banana? No, that midget in a disco ball definitely can’t be real. Lost in fantasy, Groove Armada still kept hold of the crowds attention by playing hits like Devotion by The Bingo Players and Jacques Lu Cont’s remix of Take This Thing Back.
Banana in hand, I decided to explore a bit and found myself on the rooftop terrace. A crowd of flashes surrounded a giant martini glass filled with water and garnished with a beautiful woman who danced and posed to the background music. She was magnetic- kicking water into the air and whipping her hair around- so, despite my hesitation I found myself taking snapchats, instagrams and selfies right along with everyone else.
A step down I found myself in the Funky Room, resident Antz was pushing out delightful sounds and not one person was standing still. A mix of R&B and disco classics had me belting almost every one. A personal favorite was his incorporation of Disclosure’s rework of Frontin by Pharell which couldn’t stop me from moving. The crowd ranged in age, but Antz captured exactly that house party vibe by playing anthems like Michael Jackon’s Billy Jean and Kaytranada’s remix of Lady. An hour quickly passed, leaving banana and I ready for our next adventure down to the main floor.
The vibe had changed and I found the biggest surprise of the evening: two guitarists playing acoustic club classics. The crowd was electric, everyone was dancing and the humming that radiated during the acoustic version of Sandstorm by Dardue felt like enough bass to shake the ground. Headliners 2many DJs followed sparing no time turning the energy up. Opening with crowd pleasers like Lazer Beams by Green Velvet and the instrumental version of White Noise by Disclosure had everyone’s hands in the air. An entourage of dancers in ball gowns surrounded the Belgian DJs while confetti bombs were shot off into the crowd leaving me lost in fantasy again. Half past five with a dance floor still packed and confetti filled shoes banana and I decided to peal off. The wild production and diversity of sounds has a little something for everyone and, like the party's mothership at Ibiza Rocks House at Pikes Hotel, eccentric characters and bizarre behaviour are most welcome.
WORDS | Sara McNutt PHOTOGRAPHY | Pacha
