It's 23.53 on Monday 29th May. The infamous vocals of Donna Summer I Need Love ring around the garden at DC10 as Gerd Janson comes to the end of his 90 minute set at the 2nd week of Circoloco. The garden is glowing in a blaze of red lights. Planes set to land at the nearby airport fly overhead. The atmosphere for the last two hours has been at fever pitch as Janson chops and changes from genre to genre with ease. If there is any outdoor space that really gives the feeling of Ibiza, it is the DC10 garden on a Monday afternoon.
The line-up for the second week of Circoloco is always a bit more experimental than the opening. The opening line-up was stacked with headline names, while Week 2 has some more unknown names on the bill. How many loyal Jamie Jones and Seth Troxler fans would be aware of artists like Steve Bug, Oskar Offermann and Satoshi Tomiie? I would guess not many. Two acts the crowd were very familiar with are The Martinez Brothers and Disclosure, the later making their first appearance of the season at DC10 before kicking off their brand new residency at the club in July. More on them later....
I arrived at DC10 at around 21.30 to find Tania Vulcano in full control of the garden, working her way through a blend of minimal and tech laying the foundations for Running Back label boss Gerd Janson. Janson is one of my favourite DJs right now. Earlier in the year, I was treated to seven hours of pure bliss inside the famous walls of Panorama Bar, which easily goes down as the best set I've ever seen a DJ play.
Gerd Jason rocking the garden...
What I like about the man is that he pushes boundaries. He's not afraid to test the crowd out with his selections. If you have listened to his BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix from earlier this year you will know about his fascination with dolphin samples. It takes a brave DJ to use these samples at all, never mind over the unique vocals of Depeche Mode Enjoy The Silence. Some nearby me in the crowd found the dolphin samples a little strange, as they should: it is strange but it also works in some weird way. The fact that Janson has the confidence to do this on the world's best dance floors is something I admire in a DJ.
Once the garden closes at midnight, everyone flocks to the terrace and the main room. Since the rise of Dixon, Âme, Recondite, Mano Le Tough and Tale Of Us the peak time sound in the terrace has become dark, thunderous techno with dramatic breakdowns and huge drops. Two acts who are very much on the rise with this sound are Rampa and &ME. The two played back to back incorporating a number of their own productions in their set. At times the b2b lacked a little bit of flow but what it did have is plenty of bass and groove, keeping the crowd in the Terrace interested throughout. When it went off, it really went off.
Disclosure made their first appearance of the summer at DC10
The next act up on the terrace was Disclosure. At the beginning of the year, Disclosure announced they would be taking a break from touring. The UK duo revealed the news in a letter posted to Twitter, saying that they're "going to be taking some time out and enjoying some much-needed rest." The duo promised they would still do a "few special things" this year, surprising everyone when they announced their first solo 'Wildlife Ibiza' residency at DC10 on Fridays with four dates running from July 21st to August 11th.
Although Disclosure have been touring as DJs alongside their live act for a few years, their relationship with the crowd at Circoloco and DC10 is still very new. The feeling amongst the crowd was one of curiosity: how will these guys play at peak time on one of the world's most famous dance floors?
With Rampa and &ME's sound being suited to big room techno, it was understandable for Disclosure to bring it down a bit and build their way into their set. The beginning was housey with plenty of groove, but after about 30 minutes you got the feeling the UK duo were a little lost. Luckily, they adapted quickly and concentrated on what was working. The crowd stayed with them and created a good atmosphere when the beats kept them on a high. The last 40 minutes gave me hope that Disclosure can make this work, especially with their own residency coming up and a more loyal fan base in front of them on the dance floor.
The Martinez Brothers closed out the Terrace.
Closing the terrace was The Martinez Brothers, who as usual were bang on their game. After hearing them speak so passionately about their roots at IMS just a few days ago, one has to admire the progress they have made in such a short space of time. Right now, they are right amongst the A-list DJs on the island and rightly deserve their headline status as one of Circoloco's main residents.
Next week at Circoloco, a number of the regulars return with Davide Squillace, Damian Lazarus, Dyed Soundorom and The Black Madonna all on the bill. Who says Mondays are the worst day of the week? They certainly aren't on this magical island.
PHOTOGRAPHY | Tasya Menaker
