Swedish powerhouse Ida Engberg has bowed out on a stellar season of ethereal parties in the opulent Ibiza Town niterie Club Chinois. Her Mystik showcase, brand new for 2023, has added welcomed zest and diversity to the island's party programme this summer.
Sasha, a name which needs no introduction, was Ida's guest of honour on my visit. Other names on the line-up included Chicago's Cole Knight and psychedelic House pundit Mita Gami.
Given that Sasha and I are namesakes, combined with an intriguing unfamiliarity with the rest of the guest DJs, it only felt right that I break my Mystik duct on this week. After attending, I only wish I had gone sooner.
Though arriving late, only just making it inside in time for the start of Sasha, it was clear that Knight and Gami had zero issues drawing a crowd. Club Chinois was already packed out.
Sasha reigned over the room with ease. Being the adept mixer he is, his outlandish track selections were layered and interwoven into an idyllic two-hour rhapsody. Rebrns' Koka was a particular highlight from the set.
For every Mystik instalment, Club Chinois is transformed into a glowing rainforest. Falling somewhere between the worlds of Fern Gully and Avatar, this sanctuary is rich in biodiversity. It's inhabited by fluorescent dragonflies and dendromorphic beings with branch-like limbs.
These strange creatures, some of them androgynous in appearance, no doubt serve as an observation on the genderless nature of music. As a principled environmentalist and staunch animal rights campaigner, these aesthetic touches are embedded with Ida's DNA and ideology.
Ida took back possession of her booth, opening with the Ruben Karapetyan remix of Baharat by Jerome Isma-Ae. As per usual, her picks and presence bestowed fascination and female empowerment on us all.
Mystik has not only served as a vehicle for Ida herself, but has helped elevate her peers. The aforementioned Cole Knight, as well as Yulia Niko and Öona Dahl have benefited from this increased exposure.
Ibiza still has a problem to confront when it comes to platforming artists from minority demographics, including women. Ida Engberg has shown that an appetite for more balanced line-ups not only exists, but that parties with a distinct feminine touch can be successful.
By no means a problem solved, I look forward to the positive knock-on effect this has in Ibiza 2024 and beyond. Thank you, Ida.
Mystik may have finished for this year, but Club Chinois' programme continues all the way to early November with La Troya, The Ritual with Anané & Louie Vega, NiiWA, Pablo Fierro's We're Here, TRIP and other late-season parties.
Tonight, Sunday 1 October, Sasha is back for the closing of Franky Wah presents SHÈN Ibiza.
For full listings and tickets, please visit our party calendar.
ADDITIONAL WORDS | by Stephen Hunt
PHOTOGRAPHY | by Mario Pinta
