Despite having opened its doors back at the end of May, it would only be in the second week of July that Space began operating to its full potential. Richie Hawtin's ENTER. party returned bigger and with a sharper and more rounded concept, as well as a broader booking policy. Setting out to cover all corners of the 4/4 spectrum–from the housier climes of Jamie Jones to th experimental techno of Andy Stott–it certainly felt as if ENTER. had evolved more than most in preparation for their second season.
The arrival of ENTER.Mind arguably represents the night's most daring addition. Transforming El Salon into a murky cavern, avant-garde duo Demdike Stare played alienating soundscapes (the first kick drum sounded 30 minutes into their set) to a sparse yet inquisitive crowd. Over in the Terrazza, Tale Of Us were busy indulging the darker side of their club-centric output, moving from Ten Walls' "Gotham" through to a fitting, closing rendition of their own "Another Earth." In the packed Discoteca, Hawtin was deep into his quickfire groove, cutting a suitably busy, robotic figure. Rather than jostle for a place in the sweaty crush, I took to admiring the meticulous attention to detail of the club production. When combined with the music, it makes for the kind of cohesive, immersive clubbing experience that is much sought after, but seldom found, in Ibiza.
Since Circoloco and Cocoon rose to prominence at the start of the noughties, Monday nights on the island have rarely been about anything else. London-based imprint Hypercolour are the latest outfit to try their luck, occupying the first slot in Sankeys' new look seven-day roster. Unlikely to shy away from a challenge, label managers Alex Jones and Jamie Russell invited the heavyweight UK trio of Skream, Huxley and Mosca to ensure their Ibiza adventure set off to an upbeat soundtrack.
Entering around 2 AM, the Basement felt lively, though far from capacity. With the remainder of the night clearly in mind, Russell, AKA Cedric Maison, played airy, considered house to warm up, ending on Will Azada's remix of FCL's "It's You." Skream followed with more upfront selections, at times awkwardly toeing the line between credible pop (Prince's "Erotic City") and chart hits (Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines.") Picking up a bit towards the end, the latter stages of his set carried an urban-inflection, culminating with Tessela's raucous "Hackney Parrot." Huxley, opening with his own "Diesel," picked up the party baton with ease, cleverly lending his tracks a UK garage lean, to suit the young, British crowd. Hypercolour would do well to carve themselves out a niche as an accessible, feel-good alternative to the aforementioned island veterans's more involved fare.
Few relationships are as emblematic of Ibiza as Carl Cox's with Space. 2013 marks the DJ's 12th year at the club, and while this summer offers more opportunities than ever to catch Coxy elsewhere on the island, the general consensus is that he's at his best closing out the Discoteca in the early hours of Wednesday mornings. The opening party, which officially completes Space's weekly roster, is typically a cause for celebration on the island, with Seth Troxler, Marco Carola, Loco Dice and Little Louie Vega all dropping by to wish Cox well. On duty behind the decks were the seasoned trio of Nic Fanciulli, Dubfire and DJ Sneak, with Tania Vulcano billed for a rare and intriguing show away from her beloved DC-10.
Warming up the Terrazza was the enigmatic Copy Paste Soul. Mixing contemporary, vocal-laden house with a practised flair, CPS adeptly primed the room ready for Vulcano. The Circoloco resident instantly traded vox for added groove, sticking to her preferred trajectory from house through to duskier shades of techno. The pervasive bounce of her style led seamlessly into Sneak's output, as the Chicago veteran beat the crowd with an array of modern, '90s-inspired house cuts, including Cajmere's “Satisfy”. Moving through into the Discoteca, Cox was well into his headline show, effortlessly shaping and building on the room's electrifying energy. Seeing out his set with Lil Louis's "The Conversation," you could tell the heaving, 8 AM crowd were nothing but glad to be back.