This was a big week for Space. No, we're not talking about Pluto getting re-awarded its planet status, we mean Space, Ibiza's super club holding its annual Closing Fiesta! Legendary on the island, the closing is one of the rare times that Space turns its car park into a huge outdoor arena, boosting the already massive club to a festival-worthy 15,000 capacity.
The closing kicked off on Sunday afternoon and, seeing as Space's Opening Fiesta was one of the first events I reviewed after touching down in May, I was particularly excited to be counting this among one of my last. The flight arena was already buzzing when I arrived with a sizeable crowd outside enjoying Disclosure's feel-good set in the last glow of dusk. The fact that we were very much in the first leg of the night wasn't deterring the sea of heads, with everyone bouncing along to the duo's stream of dance-fuelled melodies. A wave of excitement erupted as the opening beats of last summer's smash F For You came pumping through the huge stacks of speakers either side of the stage.
Up next, was ENTER. main man Richie Hawtin's turn to steer things away from the pop end of electronic and get people ready for what awaited us inside with some darker, dirtier beats, before arguably the jewel in Space's crown, Mr Carl Cox himself hit the decks to round off the Flight Arena for the night.
The impressive size of the domed stage was made apparent when even Coxy was dwarfed by the gigantic booth; the screens lining the stage displayed huge pillars of stars towering over him, Cox's very own Colosseum. His set was a master class on getting people moving, full of feel-good tracks like ATFC's I Called U ('S Heated Conversation; The Converse). The tribal drums and up-beat sax solos had everyone on their feet, and gave it a festive vibe that could have been plucked strait from a carnival, perfect for celebrating what an amazing summer Space has had. He ended his set with the pounding beats and commanding vocals of Chris Count's Go Harder before, ever the gentleman, thanking his onlooking fans as white and silver streamers rained from above. As the crowds began to head inside, the large screens above the stage were emblazoned with the message 'Gracias a todos, nos vemos el ano que viene', 'Thanks to all, see you next year'.
Heading into the sunset terrace, Yan M!kale was manning the decks, providing a perfect mix of minimal house and techno for clubbers to make the transition from daytime festival to early hour clubbing. The chugging bass and industrial synths in tracks like Boy Next Door's Living A Lie (Oliver Koletzki Remix) were expertly weaved into more relaxed sounds like the dream-like melody in Mr Raoul & Loalu's Sene Kela (Mr Raoul K & Loalu Version).
As the hours crept on it was all about the main room, which had been expertly warmed up in the evening by Josh Wink, who played one of the smoothest, most beautiful warm up mixes of the summer - ideal for those struggling souls with perfect closing party attendance rates and very tired feet. ENTER. resident Paco Osuna took the reigns at 4am for an hour and a half of deliciously brooding, moody techno. The echoing vocals in the Cristian Scaglione mix of Mixshow washed over the huge space, the pounding beat pumping through each and every person in the room. A master of the less-is-more approach, the Spanish DJ stuck to this minimal, sombre vibe throughout the majority of his set, meaning maximum impact was made when he did pick up the pace with tracks like Gary Beck's Get Together - the frantic synths shaking the room as Debra Deb's syrupy vocals flowed out of the speakers.
Like with most of the closings, Space Closing Fiesta required putting in a long shift, with five long hours separating Coxy's two sets. After playing the grand finale out in the Flight Arena, the terrace was where Cox was on for round two, in his back-to-back set with Nic Fanciulli that had everyone talking after their performance at last year's closing. The room was full to the rafters in anticipation for the head-liners, and the crowd went mental as the two legends entered the booth. Wasting no time, they went straight in with bass-fuelled house numbers that had the whole room in a frenzy. Highlight of their set had to be the new cut from the hallowed house label Hot Creations, Filsonik's Dogsish. With its infectious break beats it's no surprise that in the past month it's blown up on the island, and will undoubtedly carry through to the festivals and clubs in the coming months.
With the darkness come and gone outside, the party was still going strong into Monday afternoon, with Cox and Fancuilli giving Space a well deserved send off after what has been a momentous 25th year for the legendary venue.
WORDS | Joanna Wright PHOTOGRAPHY | Nel G, Space Ibiza
