Ibiza is a magical island, but that's no news. In the craziness of life on la isla, it is sometimes easy to forget what it is capable of. Sometimes it only takes one party to leave you spellbound and oozing with gratitude. Friday night's gentle reminder of the spiritual magnetism of Ibiza was Sankey's new weapon of choice Rebels Cave.
When you have only slept for two hours, going out can go two ways. You could end up sleeping in the corner or you can have a sudden rush and feel revitalised due to sheer excitement. Within the first three minutes of entering Sankeys, it was clear that option two was the route I would be taking throughout the night.
The usual open-air smoking area was coated with beanbags. A handmade campfire sat in the middle of the cushion ring while a crew of unusual instrument players supplied us with exotic sounds. A rendition of hip-hop classics gave the party a unique twist with vintage camera and hippy clothing stalls in each corner.
On the entrance to each room, paintings that could have been created by cavemen hung off the walls. The faint sounds of bongos and didgeridoos had followed me down the stairs to the Basement, where a number of rugs had been spread across the dance floor. Above hung a sign that asked us to take our shoes off. Like the nerdy raver I am, I complied.
The Basement had transformed into a cave. German producer Sece delivered what was promised: a concoction of minimal sounds that floated between barefoot dancers, such as Rozzo's hit The Powers That Be.
An interest had already been taken to Jan Blomqvist, who had been setting up a microphone behind the main booth. As Sece stepped off with a humble smile, Jan began his awaited performance. An orchestral resonance filled the Cavement. Using his own voice mixed with Indian-esque harp sounds, he put on a beautiful live performance that had every punter in the room wavering with the music.
As he sang his own track Something Says, it was as if the circus had met a yoga retreat. Performers bearing hoops waltzed into the crowd, entering the Old Cave, where Ben Fhurst went back on his earlier word of playing a ‘melodic set', getting stuck straight into a set that could warm up Club Der Visionaere.
Upstairs the storm hit. The sky bled lightning strikes as the rain trickled onto sweating ravers. As the saying goes, “Some people feel the rain, other just get wet”; predictably, this party felt the rain. The Da Vinci Cave was go-to for house lovers. Zuer played the best of breakbeat house. By now each room of Sankeys was full to the brim. East End Dubs brought back his usual minimal sound with an almost buggy-twist.
Rebels Cave could not have booked more fitting DJs and perfected every aspect of the fiesta. The entire venue was the most creative I'd seen it yet. Amazing things are expected of this party in the future.
