- Something had to be done to combat the heat on the tiny dance floor. Roughly 50 or 60 people were crammed into a space built for 40, and no one was budging. A guy next to me pointed to a large, motionless fan perched above my head. I got on my tip-toes and began fumbling blindly for a switch, at which point the DJ—DJ Harvey—clanged the mix. A few people around me looked shocked, thinking my fiddling had somehow tripped a cable in the booth. (It hadn't.) When I eventually got the fan whirring, the crowd roared in relief.
Intimate dance floor moments like this don't happen often in Ibiza, which is partly what makes Ibiza Rocks House, AKA Pikes Hotel, such a prized venue. In 2016, the quirky spot has come into its own in terms of dance music. Where previously it was somewhere you'd go maybe once or twice a month to break the monotony of the island's super club circuit, Pikes is now a legitimate clubbing option with weekly house and disco parties. Soul Heaven, Music For Freaks, Pikes On Sundays and Art's House have all shone this summer, though the real jewel in the crown is DJ Harvey's all-night residency, which returned for an extended run after last year's stellar first season.
There are many things that make this party special, from the older crowd and wonderfully retro feel to the comfy outside area, but most important of all is the loud, sexy atmosphere on the dance floor. Harvey wasn't mixing much to begin with on Monday night, letting flagrant Brazilian cuts and downtempo guitar tracks play all the way through. In the time he had spare, he'd stoke the room by tooting on a whistle, or smiling broadly whenever an iPhone popped up to take his picture. When the music called for it, he'd reach over to the smoke machine and unleash a dense fog. He was more than just the DJ, doing everything in his power to break down the barrier between the performer and their audience. That's not something you see much in Ibiza.
Musically, it was as you'd expect: a dazzling blend of chugging house, vocal pop, Latin bits and various kinds of disco, from deep and groovy to wildly exuberant. Capablanca & T.Keeler's "No Hay Ritmo," Mandy Smith's "I Just Can't Wait" and The Fatback Band's "Spanish Hustle" were all highlights, and I'm still trying to figure out if an edit of Empire Of The Sun's 2008 hit "Walking On A Dream" was a step too far. Really, though, it doesn't matter. The music was only one of several elements that made for an insanely fun night. At 6 AM, when the lights went up, you could just make out Harvey's gruff voice over the appreciative din. He was saying thank you.