2019 has been a hell of a year for Bedouin's Saga at HEART Ibiza. The proof: it triumphed at the DJ Awards this year, bagging the industry award for Best Ibiza Night. All things considered, I was very much looking forward to seeing how its closing party would fair.
After being lucky enough to visit HEART's most illustrious party at the start of the season, I was thrilled to learn it had not lost its sparkle.
Sunday night marked the end of the mammoth 19-week residency at the club. Throughout the season, the likes of Jamie Jones, Adam Port, Guy Gerber and Black Coffee had all frequented the booth. Here's what went down.
It was another busy Sunday night on the island, but Saga had pulled in a healthy crowd. When I arrived just after midnight - relatively early as far as Ibiza standards go - the place was heaving. We were off to a great start.
Attracting a discerning class of clubber, HEART is all about the experience. After all, the decadent Ibiza Town nightclub stands in the reflection of Dalt Villa on the other side of lavish Marina Botafoch – what more could we expect?
Aside from the amazing soundtrack, scantily clad actors roamed the main bar area - busy stirring up a saga all of their own. Crowds gathered as they performed bizarre narratives with profound extravagance.
Each time they left it up to us to decipher exactly what was happening. And each time, we were just as baffled as the last. Still, they never dropped kayfabe, even as partygoers eagerly jumped in front of them to get that all-important selfie.
As much as I could have stood and watched them all night, I wasn't just here for the theatrics. Tonight was about Guy Laliberté, Damian Lazarus and Saga's lead protagonists Bedouin.
On arrival, Guy Laliberté was in mid-swing with his deep, downtempo electronica sound. Beautiful tracks like Markus Homm's Remix of Jala by Gorge filled the air and everyone was beginning to get into the zone.
Moon Chant by Valentin Ilie & Livia Andrei was a real taste of the sound of Saga. It was dreamy and conjured up images of trekking across a desert - if you had the imagination for it.
After taking it all in, I did a quick lap of the venue and terrace. When back on the dance floor, I could tell there had been a changeover. The beats had become slightly heavier. Obviously, this was Damian Lazarus's influence.
Lazarus and Laliberté appeared to play back-to-back for a short period. Planned or spontaneous - we weren't sure, but a pleasant surprise all the same.
Things had gone a bit more melodic, with only the occasional thumping beat. Echoey vocals and chords accompanied these moodier tracks. The change of pace was welcomed by the crowd who, by now, were well on their way.
Half an hour in, Lazarus was left to his own devices. The darker and deeper character reflected in the strobes and lasers which got noticeably more intense. The night was hotting up.
In honesty, I expected more of the same from Lazarus, yet his set was full of surprises. He swayed towards some house and tech house tunes which, personally, was right up my alley.
Even though there had been a slight shift in genre, the bongo drum sounds nestled within Comedown by Cappo and Mondragon retained that ethnic and exotic flavour that dominates Saga.
Lazarus had control up until around 03:30 when Bedouin took over and restored formalities with tracks like Journey by Black Circle - a new release on Saved Records. True to form, the New York duo took us on a journey - the clue being in the name.
As the night edged closer to the denoument, I wasn't ready to call it home time. With a hectic two-week schedule of closing parties in the back of my mind, logic pulled rank over desire. It was difficult to pull myself away, but tonight had been the perfect beginning to the end.
Saga is clearly doing something right - filling a gap that other parties had missed up until its arrival in 2017. Now having the pleasure of calling itself an award-winning party, in fairness, it's clear to see why. Touché, Bedouin!
The chapter closes for the time being, but we're already dying to turn the next page. Until next year, we're sure.
HEART Ibiza still has a handful of parties left this summer, which you can find listed on our party calendar.
