Evoking richness, glamour and an authentic Ibiza, Claptone's The Masquerade returns to its island home Pacha. For summer 2022, the masked one gets a promotion to Pacha's flagship Saturday nights.
This decadent party is heavily influenced by the traditional masked balls of 17th Century Italy, creating both an intriguing and elaborate atmosphere to immerse yourself in. Its 23-week residency is one of the longest we can recall, as well showcasing some eyebrow-raising names.
The drama and the extravagance kicks-off this weekend, on 14 May. Are you ready to don your mask?
The mystery of Claptone
Claptone's music will be familiar to most already, we're sure, but how much do we really know about the producer behind the mask?
Still incognito, a cloak of mystery remains - and deliberately so. The curiosity surrounding our gracious, yet elusive, host adds to the hyperbole of this most sophisticated of parties. Like an even more secretive Great Gatsby, and equally as affable.
Anybody who chooses to have candle chandliers hanging from the ceiling clearly has an eye for extravagance. Pacha is mocked up to look like something out of Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. The Venetian masks hide a variety of sins.
Who can sum up the party better than the myth himself? "The Masquerade stands in the true tradition of The White Isle and more so Pacha itself, embracing the rich musical history and the inherent vibe deeply rooted in the club."
That would be opulence, desire and a taste for the theatrical.
Pacha's SAturday night crowd
Speaking generally, Pacha tends to attract a slightly older, more metropolitan crowd with more disposable income. That is particularly true on Saturday nights, when the well-to-do and affluent gravitate to Ibiza Town - many of them mooring private yachts in nearby Ibiza Marina.
Pacha is certainly a club where you dress to impress. Nine-inch heels, elegant cocktail dresses and designer tailored suits are as common as shorts, t-shirts and trainers.
For the upper crust of Ibiza society and the tourists at the top end of the market, its easily to see why Saturday nights at Pacha are such an alluring prospect.
Since 1973 the club has been moulding an aspirational image promoting world class clubbing. The cherries symbol is a guarantor of quality.
In many ways, this also makes The Masquerade the ideal fit for Saturdays. It's not lost on us that the courtiers of Charles VI's France and nobility of Renaissance-era Venice would surely choose Pacha as their playground of choice for their bal masqués.
World's biggest House music DJs
Claptone aside, you can catch the biggest, most decorated names in House music at The Masquerade.
Each date boasts its own uniqueness in terms of their loving curation with first class DJs from all over the world. These include some clear stand outs nights. Standing applause for our esteemed host for securing the names he has. Here's a few to get excited about…
First up, Fatboy Slim. Perhaps not name you were expecting to see? FBS's routine may be widely known by now, but ultimately he is a larger-than-life performer in a similar vein to our host. Always fun to watch with infectious energy, not to mention being a living Ibiza legend.
More reserved, maybe, but equally as legendary is Radio 1 dance mastermind Pete Tong.
Pete has a long and storied association with Pacha, which currently sees him sit on the board of directors in a creative capacity. You can catch him out of the boardroom and in his natural habitat of the DJ booth on 23 July.
Fellow House music pioneer Kerri Chandler takes centre stage on 6 August, where he'll be joined by another genre original Felix Da Housecat. Two true spearheads that have both contributed greatly to the sound that we all call House music - that date is frankly unmissable.
We're hopeful the genius that is Kerri Chandler will showcase some tracks from his upcoming album Spaces and Places, set for release this October.
Joining the legends on the podium are also an array of younger talents within the industry.
Flight Facilities, John Summit and Nora En Pure are just a handful of names representing the new generation, while further veterans present in the form of Jacques Lu Cont, Faithless and Armand Van Helden.
Make sure to get yourself down and join Pacha's international and glamorous crowd on Saturdays this summer.
For everything glitz 'n glam and a guaranteed good time, a visit will have you feeling like a VIP, no matter if you have a reserved table with bottle service or are simply a custodian of the dancefloor.
With all dates already announced in full, check-out the line-ups to see which date panders to your sensibilities and acquired taste. Tickets for every date can be found there too.
WORDS | by Stephen Hunt and Lissy Lübeck
