 On the weekend I traveled to Frankfurt for Sven Vath's 50th birthday. I first met Sven properly about four years ago when he was playing at the Future Festival in Sydney, Australia. I had briefly met the Cocoon family during the Kave parties in Ibiza before that, but here I was Sven's back-up dancer. Literally. I had been in the crowd with one of my best friends, dancing like we were back in high school. Electronic music still didn't demand a large stage at Australian music festivals back then, so Sam and I had almost a whole dance floor to craze around on. We were both plucked up and put on stage where we continued to dance for the remainder of the set. As the world continued to prove smaller, when I moved to London the following year I was sharing the same apartment with Sarah Qaiser - head dancer at Cocoon, who is now sister and partner in crime. Later on, living in Ibiza Mondays were spent in Amnesia for Sven's Cocoon residency, then I would go on to work for Cocoon and thus a relationship with not just Sven but the whole Cocoon group would make them family. So there was no question that the trip to Mannehim would not happen. It was also an opportunity to write a feature for Pulse Radio, detailing the night. Check it out below >> http://pulseradio.net/articles/2014/10/time-warp-papa-sven-turns-50-in-review 
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 Birthdays. Just another excuse for a part-ay. And what better place to celebrate than in Ibiza. Personally, the stand-out party for me this year is "Rumors" at Beach House, the new chiringuito that's given skanky Playa den Bossa a facelift. The guys from El Chiringuito are behind Beach House - so you can expect top notch quality and service. After being spoiled with a delicious lunch it was time to his the dance floor. "Rumors" is the brainchild of Israeli DJ and music producer, Guy Gerber. Guy has always been a personal favourite of mine. His style is unique, his sound is special and can teleport you to another dimension. I haven't had that experience with any other DJ. The dedication he puts into his work, living and breathing music every second is impressive.  Rumors is perfect for a beach location. Dancing in the sand, under the stars to the breeze of the ocean ... what more could you want. Even better, Beach House charges no entry - so everyone is free to come and no table is needed to enjoy the space. With so many friends around, great music and vibe you really can't go wrong with having a great birthday. And that is was.  To Cocoon or not to Cocoon ... what a silly question. Of course YES. Monday nights in Amnesia are just the cherry on the cupcake post a DC10 session. After mingling and having a wee boogie, I set off with some friends to Cocoon to dance away to the beats of what could only be a great back to back set between two greats and inspirations - Luciano and Ricardo Villalobos. The club was well packed even at the early time of 2am. Sure enough, those tribal beats and melodies that we have learned to associat  After settling in my usual corner near the DJ booth, I ran into a friend who would then be my partner in crime for the night - Ross Evans.
Ross apart from being Carl Craig's tour manager, has that other talent of music production - which just quietly, he is killing at the moment. His records have been released on a host of respected labels including Cecile (one of my personal favs), Saved, Noir Music, Get Physical Music and of course, Cocoon. After spending some time on the Terrace we moved to the Main Room to visit Papa Sven. There I ran into another surprise - Scott Roberston whom I met at Future Festival two years ago at the Cocoon Stage.  As the fiery sun lights the sky with it's amber, saluting another day what better place to see this sight than a beach. And what better inspiration to play a set than facing such a view. This is one of the many reasons why I love being a DJ in Ibiza. Playing at a beach club, surrounded by such breathtaking acts of nature, you are filled with a sense of gratitude towards life. Watching people as they luxuriously laze about and enjoy the simply things in life as you provide the soundtrack is a lovely place to be in. I had the pleasure of playing at Experimental Beach Club - part of the Experimental Cocktail Club group that holds posts in London and NYC. It was actually in NYC that this gig came to fruition. After meeting Cameron, a Canadion presenter and entertainer living in NYC at the taping of The Colbert Show, he introduced me to Elisa - the owner of the Experimental Cocktail Clubs and after much planning, a gig in Ibiza came to life. Don't you just love life and its little ways? My six hour set was made more enjoyable with the familiar faces who came to support me and the wonderful staff at the club. And of course playing with a view like that, how could you get bored. I'd timed the sun setting so that "Sun" by Caribou was the soundtrack as it slowly edged down between the two mountains, leaving with a glowing ray of light and dusky pink remnants.
Track List: "Sun" by Caribou "Claustrofobix" by Gabriel Slick "Mission Venice" by Nightmares on Wax "Night Drive" by Lake People "Hand in Hand" by KlangKuenstler |
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