Managing to avoid getting caught up in the whole Pacha vs. Booom! debacle, Pete Tong and his newly formed Friday party at Ushuaia have benefitted from slipping slightly under the radar. The Radio 1 jock has always kept his electronic appeal as broad as possible. Since it opened at the start of July, Le Grand Bazaar has hosted Pharrell, Fatboy Slim and Tensnake. Before their debut album drops in September, last week saw Hot Natured headline their first and only Ibiza show of 2013, where they were joined by System Of Survival, Dyed Soundorom and Tong himself.
As one third of the increasingly in vogue Apollonia collective, Soundorom is garnering quite a reputation amongst the scene's more recent disciples. He kept his selections buoyant and groovy as the sun dipped over the largely British turnout. Taking over the reigns with a flurry of popular house tracks, Tong's set had the feel of one of his iconic Radio 1 weekend warm-ups. Wankelmut & Emma Louise's "My Head is a Jungle," Paul Woolford's "Untitled" and Jamie Jones's remix of Azari & III's "Hungry For The Power" elevated the vibe on the floor in preparation for the main event. However, if truth be told, Hot Natured themselves were a slight anti-climax. The set was solid and well-executed, but with none of the high-end production values that defined their milestone shows at the Brixton Academy —Jamie Jones performed in jeans and a t-shirt—something of the magic was lost.
Finally, after repeated delays, bouts of in-house fighting and a complete name change, Booom! opened its doors for the first time last week. A quiet first few days (Avicii reportedly walked out at the opening because there weren't enough people), meant Defected's inaugural party at the new venue was approached with curious trepidation. The space was smaller than I imagined it to be, with a strong emphasis placed on the power and imposing layout of the custom-built Pioneer system. Despite the many layers of VIP areas, it felt rugged somehow, even intimate.
As Copyright threw down their trademark polished take on house to warm-up, which included MK's remix of Storm Queen's "Look Right Through," the club appeared comfortably busy. Frankie Knuckles seamlessly took up the mantle, rolling back the years with a mixture of classic records and deep, soulful jams. By focusing on the past, Knuckles never fell foul of the cheesy, contemporary house music that went on to define David Morales' subsequent set. As edits of Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition" met Adele remixes, the groove fell out of the night, lost as soon as Morales emphatically removed his vest. That aside, with Danny Tenaglia, Derrick Carter and Luciano lined up for coming weeks, Booom! could well start to make a name for itself for all the right reasons.
The lineups at Guy Gerber's nascent Wisdom Of The Glove have been consistently strong, pushing some of the most underground, forward-thinking fare to be heard anywhere on the island. When it comes to the deeper sounds, however, Pacha makes for a potentially tricky bedfellow, more readily suited to a more commercial crowd. Judging by the smattering of people stood bobbing to John Talabot on Wednesday night, this looked set to be one of the quieter parties.
Talabot, nevertheless, was in fine form, cutting his usual studious figure as he stood over the controls. While the music was nothing short of superb, his intense, synth-heavy output felt a little ill-matched for the tepid floor. Closing with L.B Dub Corp's "It's What You Feel" and Motor City Drum Ensemble's "Escape To Nowhere," the floor finally began to stir, with the occasional whistle and cheer heading the Spaniard's way. Over in the Funky Room, numbers weren't faring much better, so it was time to head back to catch Reboot's opening. The former Cadenza man, acknowledging there was work to be done, instantly picked the pace up several notches, leading the way with his driving, percussive beats. With the music so on point, it was just unfortunate there wasn't a larger, more receptive crowd.
Elsewhere...
Loco Dice takes a moment to contemplate his next move during his headline slot at Used + Abused last week. On the night he was joined by Robert Dietz, Willie Graff and Matthew Styles.
Frenchman D'Julz looks out over a bustling Terrace during his set at the Salinas club on Monday. Next week, the party celebrates its 15th anniversary.
This proved to be another busy week on the island for Loco Dice, who returned to the Terrace at Cocoon for his debut show of 2013. On the night, he was joined by Desolat teammate Guti.
It was all about the pairings at Get Physical this week, as Anstascia and Vivie-Ann, better known as DJ duo Blond:ish, delivered a blinding set for the M.A.N.D.Y. boys. Mr.C also put in a performance.
tINI dropped by after her party at Sirocco for her debut performance at DC-10. As if that wasn't enough, Radio 1 decided to commemorate the occasion further by recording an hour from each of her and Jamie Jones' sets for a special edition of the Essential Mix.