Back in July, I returned to the UK for a quick break. Not to put my feet up and take a break from partying, as you might have assumed. Quite the opposite. It was the height of the UK festival season. Junction 2 with my UK people was on the agenda - a "busman's holiday" if you will.
Two of the acts we caught that day were CAMELPHAT and Kölsch.
Last week, when the crew (me, Holly, Azaria and James) reunited on Ibizan soil, we felt compelled to see them again at CAMELPHAT's residency at Pacha.
An entirely different setting, for sure, so how would both experiences compare? Could we relive the euphoria we experienced in Boston Manor Park? Or would we fall short of trying to replicate an earlier one from summer? Always chasing the high, the gang hit Pacha to find out...
The range of CAMELPHAT b2b Kölsch
Getting into the club before 01:00, we were dying to hit the ground running. Fortunately, it didn't take long until the tunes started getting served up.
Kölsch dug way back in his USB files to pull out an old favourite of his: Sasha's remix of London Grammar's Hey Now, but it was the track that followed it that announced the start of the night proper. Does It Matter by Samm and Ajna, a huge track last year, lit the flame.
CAMELPHAT are big fans of the duo and would go on to play several more of their productions and remixes. The Belgian artists were even invited to play at one of CAMELPHAT's earlier dates. One of Ibiza's biggest dancefloor records of the year, Move, later rocked Pacha.
With the whole run-time to play with, CAMELPHAT and Kölsch touch just about every base imaginable. Much orbits their favoured Melodic Techno sound, but they also brush classic House, tracks that lean into Disco and jolts of growling Acid.
Soon it was time for the Dane to unload his own London Grammar remix. Hell To The Liars provides another rousing dancefloor moment and sounds optimised through Pacha's sound system.
Kölsch, in a playful mood, swaps his trademark fedora with a baseball cap from a fan near the front (don't worry, though, they re-exchange later in the night!)
Ex-England footballer Joe Hart appears in the VIP area and a group of lads muscle to the front and start chanting terrace songs in his direction. We've seen plenty of DJ worship on this dancefloor, but never this before.
We take the opportunity to retreat backwards, right into the middle of the mixer amongst everybody else here to dance.
Having made it to the last knockings, it felt as if the last hour had been specially earmarked for Ibiza classics and well-known crowd-pleasers - our reward for reaching the end. Jamie Jones' remix of Hungry For The Power, a throwback to season 2011, was one of many given a spin.
Did we recreate the same experience we had in England two months prior?
Well, no. But it didn't matter. We had a night that passed the test on its own merit - the kind of night that you can only find on Ibiza! Although one thing certainly remained the same: our ability to be the last to leave and face an arduous queue for taxis!
Some things translate, no matter where we party.
The very best DJs have the range and adapt to their environment. Therefore, whether you catch them on a dusty island under the concrete flyover of a motorway or inside one of the world's most decadent clubs, they still find a way of connecting with and uniting the dancefloor.
CAMELPHAT have two remaining dates at Pacha to fulfil this summer. Next, they are joined by Miss Monique, Josh Gigante and Arodes. At the closing party, Pete Tong is the big guest alongside Adam Ten.
Tickets are on sale for both, including early entry discount options for those looking to save. You can find them at the bottom of this page.
PHOTOGRAPHY | by Raul Sanchez
