Circoloco closing line up at first glance – a complete headfuck. A ‘who’s who’ of everything that’s good about the beat world. I remember it clear as day – the moment I read out loud the Circoloco closing party 2015 line-up – an absolute monster of a sentence that came out my mouth… Seth Troxler, Tania Vulcano, The Martinez Brothers, Steve Rachmad, DJ W!ld, Jackmaster, David Squillace, Cassy, Ellen Allien, Nina Kraviz, Tale of Us, Damian Lazarus, D’Julz, Jamie Jones, Kerri Chandler, Black Coffee, Apollonia, Dixon, Dubfire… I’m outta breath even writing this and the list goes on!!!
Monday in Ibiza means only one thing, it’s what everyone thinks about. It’s why people still go to Circoloco after 17 years… Monday Dreamin’. The utter volume and quality of the artists doesn’t take away from the suitability of each and every one to the closing party of one of the biggest underground brands on this beat-blessed planet I love to live my life on. Firmly parking its ass at iconic Ibiza dancing venue DC10, Circoloco is a no-nonsense club, back to the original hedonistic vibes of how music should be celebrated (apart from the hefty door charge that never used to be in place at all – free entry was the key and what helped land it in history!!). No dancers, no fanciness just raw, bangin, hefty beats with some of the best artists in the world to provide us the best music ever made. Nothing but pure passionate beat-lovers along with myself crammed into one of dance music’s most famous temples.
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Bonobo releases live film of Royal Albert Hall concertYou can’t get away from the crazy clown face – all over the island poking fun at us with that tongue wherever we go to remind us to stay Circoloco. Monday trouble eh… Every year boasts a different theme yet still holds onto the clown that’s been the melting-pot’s mascot since the barmy beginning. So after a summer of Monday Dreamin’ it was almost time to cut loose the dreams of the lovers who crave cutting edge music with a sturdy surrounding and know that Ibiza ain’t Ibiza without DC10. With a 5pm start and garden, terrace + main room venues running right through til the clock strikes whenever, as far as closing parties go, this is it. No contest. Boom.
The garden in DC10 is the best place to start. On a sizzling summer day, the outdoor vibes are choice. There’s no other club on the island (or in the world) quite like it. I bopped in right about sun-setting time and just to catch a tease of Cassy vs D’Julz out there. The atmosphere was heavenly. The garden transformed with a skyline of tiny twinkly lights draped across the air imitating a starry sky. As the sun set more the garden lit up to the most beautiful shimmer, echoing the most beautiful beats from the curly haired Cassy who was rounding up her set to pass on the reign to First Lady of Circoloco and DC10 queen Tania Vulcano – she’s been there since the Monday mornings of 1999 and away from her usual headlining spot inside whether it be main room or terrace, she’s showcasing some quality underground grooves to us who wanna stay outside. Tania has a real toughness about her. She’s a strong woman of the scene and when she’s playing she’s firmly on the music. The crowd crack an occasional smile from the techno queen but she knows what she’s up there for! She means business! She’s now a label boss and unsurprisingly she’s the boss of behind the decks.
DC10’s renowned for getting so busy it almost bursts at the seams. The capacity’s still alright, busy but cool. I can flex my moves well enough. It’s an array of clown costumes, mutli-coloured wigs and red noses. The crazy Circoloco clown strikes again! The costume efforts were hilarious along with the attitudes of the dancing people. A proper fusion of worldwide professional party-goers, holiday-makers, workers who had slogged their guts out the whole season that could now go wild with no restrictions or work the next day, local islanders, promoters and world class DJs who love to get right into the stick of the DC10 vibes with no separation of anyone who wanted to be there. WAFF was givin’ it laldy next to me with his eyes closed and his bouncy trademark wavy hair, completely lost in the beats like everyone else out there who was in their absolute element. There was nowhere else me or anyone else wanted to be that night…
Over to Davide Squillace VS Matthias Tanzmann – both island well-knowns who have played all summer at a huge amount of parties, faithfully DC10. Tania stays up there to get down to the guys music – now she can let go she’s more involved with the crowd who all over the garden are showing her love heart signs with their hands. She had a smile that didn’t go away. Davide and Matthias played a crazy thoughtful set with each other. Records that rounded up the summer, faves from the past decade were chewed up with heavier more techy backdrops and basslines. Cleverly done. Thank you Davide + Matthias!!! By 11pm it was rammed. It didn’t matter cos there was so much love going on out there – smiles everywhere and sky-high passion for the music! People squishing by each other but with chuckles on their faces (mostly to laugh at the frolics or silly costume of someone else) rather than the unbearable shove that other clubs sometimes boast.
I had myself a cushty spot in the garden that meant I was goin nowhere… Exploring the club at this point was defo not an option. Although the sight in front of me was one I would most likely never see again – behind the garden decks – Tania, Davide, Matthias, Dubfire, Seth, Jamie Jones and the Martinez brothers all in one booth. Dancing different moves but showing similar animated expressions. They were just about to go Seth Troxler VS Jamie Jones VS The Martinez Brothers. I hadn’t seen much of the inside of DC10 but I decided if there was a time to stay put, it was now. I could break through the crowds into the wall of heat of either the main room or terrace to see another star of my beat world or I could stick with my devotion to the garden for a bit and see 4! Plus the Martinez Brothers have been my stars of the summer (alongside a couple of others that have hit the jackpot), seeing this cast play alongside each other was the epitome of a Circoloco celebration. To everyone’s absolute delight one of the best vocal house tracks in history completely blew us away – I didn’t expect that one from the boys!! Kings of Tomorrow ‘Finally’ was the token track. My heart melted as people sang through the whole track in complete lust. Unimaginable vibes! When the garden usually winds down to a close at midnight, tonight was another level and staying open til past 4am, hands in the air till the very last minute. Good show from all garden party contributors I’d say!!
Venturing through the hoards of beat-lovers and making pals with some randoms on the way, I stepped through the heat barrier that separated the garden from the main room. Nina Kraviz and her huge grin overlooked the whole room, lasers gave everyone a bright red glow. Her crew behind her in the both were all doubled over in joy and I’d just caught the last shift of her set. The last track the techno beauty belted out being a complete forerunner of house music – ‘Age of Love’. Awesome! The applause she got said it all! It was official – I was in a techno circus and I was lost.
Usually the terrace is my home for the evening but I’d merely bopped in + out whenever I could get through. I’m pretty sure it was the most rammed of the whole of DC10 for the most part of the whole night. Way too busy for me to even fit into, even after the Ibiza summer diet, a well deserved break was needed. Phew! 8 hours in and loads more to go!! To the garden for a recharge of my batteries, load more dancin’ power into my feet and a few giggles with the other locos who had travelled across waters and lands far and wide for this closing party was exactly what the rave doctor ordered…
As a first time for me being introduced to the mysterious one called Damian Lazarus, I made sure I was there for some of his time in the main room. The master of dark techno was clearly having a great time! ‘Tell No One’ by Raw District. A spellbinding track that you can’t not embrace in a place like DC10. One I closed my eyes to and let my body feel it! Cheesy but true!! If you appreciate music like I do, you’ll know the feeling I mean!
Kerri Chandler VS Black Coffee were generating a crowd building up VERY quickly outside the terrace filling up what was a rave pit in the garden. I could hear the tunes but this was madness! I’m sucked into what the other people were crowding round for and spent most of their b2b that was in fact so busy inside that people were gathering to get involved around the entrance of the terrace and bringing the party outside!
I was one of the outside ravers and as the sun came up what a delight everyone’s faces and dance moves were – as if it were still 2am in the morning and we were ravin’ it up inside the dark or laser-lit club. I’d love to watch that back now haha! Ninetoes original mix of ‘Finder’ escaped through the terrace doors with it’s tropical tune and there was a bunch of French people pokin’ the sky repeatedly with their pointy dancin’ fingers singing ‘OOH LA LA’ in a hilarious manner. Everywhere I seemed to attempt to go while Kerri + Coffee were playing was an epic fail… they lured me right back to my outside dancing spot with their constant quality of tracks that captured me. Such an outright amazing set to finish off the terrace with!!
Believe it or not the best is yet to come…
Seth Troxler and his therapist, Vinyl, made a completely unannounced appearance to close down the main room. A disco and funk infused techno set was a therapy money can’t buy after my 13 hour shift on the DC10 dancefloor to celebrate the Circoloco summer we’ve had. His choice of tracks was amazing, his hilarity was on top form and I can’t express enough that the club couldn’t have been closed in a better way than what it did with the people who rode it out til the very end (what a ride to be on!).
And the very last track to get into our souls in DC10 summer 2015?? CeCe Peniston – ‘Finally’. Weirdly, a tune that’d been in my head for that whole day before. What a way to end a season with an artist than can read your beat filled little mind!!! Emotions ran high and it was a moment i’ll never forget. Seth – congrats, you made a part of the history of my life (not the first time but probably the best!). It’s a sad thing that I can’t go back and do this whole party all over again. But the clown’s goin nowhere. Circoloco has a world to tour and a New Year’s Day to enchant on the perfect island of Ibiza. Anyway it’s not the end of the season, it’s the start of a new one. 2016 will be a belter!
This was a closing party that lived up to what it stands for. I met some randoms who will be friends for life, I heard some music that’s embedded into my brain for life and have hilarious memories that will make me laugh all through my life. Mostly though, I’ll sure as hell be Circoloco for life…
Images [Circoloco]
