RA Ibiza Weekly: Jamie Jones, boat parties, Cocoon

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    Fri, Jul 27, 2012, 09:00
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    Chandler Shortlidge
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  • We chat with RA's #1 DJ of 2011 about his new party at DC-10 and more.
  • RA Ibiza Weekly: Jamie Jones, boat parties, Cocoon image
  • In this week's column we chat with Jamie Jones about his new residency, take a look at some of the best boat parties on the island and go to Cocoon to see Ricardo, the Romanians and Sven. For more White Isle coverage, head over to our comprehensive Ibiza microsite. Jamie Jones on Paradise Jamie Jones is one of the biggest stars in house music at the minute—not to mention RA's #1 DJ of 2011. He recently minted a new night at DC-10 called Paradise, so we decided it was high time that we caught up with him at his villa outside of San Rafael to find out more. How did your night with DC-10 come about? Well, I had a load of offers from other clubs on the island, and one came along which was pretty life changing, (both as an) opportunity and financially, but I was never willing to leave DC-10, so I was trying to work it out in a way so I could still showcase the artists I'm bringing through with the label and the brand, but still remain connected to Circoloco. So after several meetings with the guys from Circoloco and DC-10 they offered me my own night there to keep things within that group. Why now and why on Thursday nights? I think it's the right time. I've been coming here for so many years, not only behind the decks at DC-10 and other places, but I've been on the dance floor since the late '90s. I've grown up with all the guys who are promoting and DJing, so it just feels like the right time to do it. As far as Thursdays, I think Monday is the staple party night. You go out to DC-10, you go to Cocoon, there's always after parties on Tuesdays, and I think people need a day of rest. Wednesday is a good day to chill out, go out to dinner or whatever. Obviously on Wednesday's there's lots going on, but I felt like Thursday is another good opportunity to go out and have it properly. And we wanted to have after parties, so we wanted it on a night where people could go out and give it their all. What have you tried to do in terms of artists that you've booked? Well, obviously showcase a lot of new talent from the label, as well as people that I trust as DJs like Art Department and Craig Richards... I haven't booked anyone I don't trust to rock it. Whether it's Harvey, Anthony Rother, Ben UFO. I also wanted to bring people that don't play in Ibiza. They might do something, but maybe not in that kind of club and to that kind of crowd. Also, I wanted to bring people that I personally want to hear. The problem with Ibiza is you tend to get the same names over and over again, and I'm probably one of them. Don't get me wrong, I'm one of them. [laughs] But people want to see those DJs. They want to see Richie Hawtin; they want to see Marco Carola, Loco Dice, Ricardo Villalobos and hopefully they want to see me as well. But I think there's a market for people like myself and a lot of other heads. They want to come here and see that big room business, but they also want to see the cool people they get to see in Berlin or London or wherever—like Harvey or Ben UFO. I mean Metro Area don't play that often, but I want to see them, and where better than in a club with great sound and great production? You mentioned DJ Harvey. How did you persuade him to come back to the island? Harvey came to the first Hot Natured party in Miami, about four or five years ago on a Sunday. That's how Hot Natured began. Myself and Lee Foss had just been playing disco to each other in a house, and we thought, why not do this with some friends? So the next year we booked a venue, and started Hot Natured as a party. Originally Hot Natured was about disco, it was not really related to 4/4, and Harvey was there and loved it, so since then we've been trying to book him, but the dates haven't quite worked out. He's not an easy person to book, but we managed to get him, and he seemed to be pretty excited about it. His manager and his crew were really looking forward to it. Boat parties In the last few years, the trend toward more and more boat parties on the island is undeniable. They vary in length, size and style, but they all do something a standard Ibiza nightclub usually can't—they get dancers outside, surround them in the natural beauty of the island, and allow them to swim, tan and catch the sunset all to a great soundtrack. To get a taste of the action ourselves, we hopped on board the Lost In Ibiza boat party on July 12th with VIVa's Darius Syrossian. We boarded around 6:30 PM and were greeted with two free cups of sangria before even grabbing a seat to ease the wait as the 200 or so guests loaded on. After a safety brief reminded us not to jump into the sea as the boat was moving—something I was told happened a few years ago and caused "major problems"—we headed out into a very choppy Mediterranean sea. Syrossian kicked things off, pumping tracks like Nathan Barato's "Back Up Queen" through the Funktion-One soundsystem, and partiers popped out of their seats and started dancing, though it took considerable effort to keep upright. One swell even pushed the giggling dancers several feet towards the bow, and turned Darius green in the face. But his set was on point, and the mood was high as we sailed past breathtakingly sheer cliffs, giant rocks and villas perched high atop the landscape. The sea was much more calm on the way back, and the special guest DJ, Nakadia, took over for a very seasick Syrossian. Nakadia weaved her way through groovy tech house and techno, intermittently providing her own vocal accompaniment that resembled Native American chanting to tracks like Chelonis R. Jones' "I Don't Know" and Florian Meindl's remix of Lexy and K-Paul's "Like a Bird." The highlight of the ride, though, was watching the sun dip below the horizon to Larsson's "Got the Choice." Passion Cat is a more intimate boat party—it only holds 80 passengers to Lost In Ibiza's 200. The event started last year, but has clearly already made a name for itself: It's sold out each week it's been held so far in 2012. "It's an after-hours boat party for workers of Ibiza who don't want to stop partying after the clubs shut. It leaves at 7:30 AM, and comes back at 11:30—just in time for everyone to get to work," explained resident DJ and ticket seller, Ali Oop. The morning we headed on the boat after a night at DC-10, Ali Oop kicked things off with tracks like "Time to Get Physical" by Nice7 and Walker And Royce's recent release "You're Not Welcome," as some people danced, swam, sat and chilled out, or headed to the back of the Cat and laid out to sunbathe. The more intimate setting on the catamaran provided a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere, which was very welcome that early (or late) in the day. These days there are boat parties to suit almost anyone's musical taste or party preference. Pukka Up is the largest, with a fleet of seven boats, and the most commercial-leaning programming. If it's a longer, more relaxed party you're after, Ibiza Sea Party offers a six hour trip to Formentera and back, with room for 150 people, and boasts an open bar, DJs, "erotic games," catering, fruit and BBQ. Bermuda Boat Party Ibiza, meanwhile, broadcast performances by the likes of Tobi Neumann, Uner and Steve Rachmad live on Ibiza Sonica radio. Cocoon at Amnesia On Monday night, Cocoon Ibiza hosted its party at Amnesia, with Cocoon regular Ricardo Villalobos playing a back-to-back set with Romanian's Petre Inspirescu, Rhadoo and Raresh on the terrace, and Cocoon boss Sven Vath keeping things going in the main room to a packed crowd. The quartet on the terrace traded off, with Ricardo flipping his hair about, smiling in trademark fashion. Over the course of the night, they pumped out dark and techy tunes—at one point dropping Tuff City Kids' "Bias." It's interesting to see them work in the big room—you get the sense they'd play the exact same tracks if they were playing a room 1/20 of the size. Over in the main room, ever the showman, Sven Vath threw his hands up and screamed in joy to unusually upbeat, funky house music like I:Cube's "Transpiration," only straying into his dark and weird territory for the odd track or two. The upbeat vibe worked great, and kept things going until dawn, once again revealing Vath's uncanny ability to read a crowd. Late in the evening, Dixon made a surprise appearance in the booth, stopping by to say hello to Vath and have a drink or two after his set at DC-10 earlier that night. The week in pictures
    We Love… at Space The lasers were in full-effect this past week at Space, as Carl Craig, Miss Kittin, Joris Voorn and Paul Woolford performed. This Sunday tune in live on RA as Blondes, The Mole and Octave One present live sets throughout the night.
    Circoloco at DC-10 We almost didn't recognize them behind those beards: The Martinez Brothers and a rare appearance from Dixon were among the many at DC-10 on Monday for Circoloco. This Monday is The Anniversary, and it'll feature—in addition to the usual suspects—Derrick Carter and Agaric.
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