Last night we were in for a serious session of “US garage and sexy house vibes” at the famed Manchester offshoot Sankeys Ibiza - a surprisingly welcome change after the thumping techno of the nights before. Introducing The Redlight, the brainchild of Sankey's head honcho David Vincent that premiered last night at the UK club institution.
Kerri Chandler once said “all you need is a basement, a red light, and a feeling” and we couldn't agree more as we walk into Sankeys basement with ambient red light pouring from all corners of the club and dramatic visuals shining down from behind the booth. The Sankeys team definitely did The Redlight justice, including the sexy line-up for the evening with Sam Holt, Todd Terry, Bontan and Redlight in the Basement, and Matt Jam Lamont and Low Steppa in the smaller Spektrum.
We are welcomed by the beats of Todd Terry, and dancing to his music is like dancing with an old familiar friend as he lays down classic after classic old-school house and garage hits, having the crowd completely swooning in sing-a-longs where even the boys weren't too shy to join the fun. In the midst of old favourites like Silver & Gold by Ninetoes, Push The Feeling On by Nightcrawlers and The Bomb by The Bucketheads I also catch On a Mission - a Todd Terry original and the crowd are eating it up.
I feel comfortable in Sankeys; it's like being in little England only with less clothing and warmer temperatures. The club is known to pull a predominantly UK following and maybe for The Redlight an ever so slightly older crowd. Todd Terry passes the torch to Bontan who continues with the nostalgic house classics dropping tracks like Whateva by Ralph Falcon and No Worries by Butch in a series of swift mixes and bouncy grooves.
Armed with our ginger mojitos we decide to explore the venue and get caught up in the little cinema on the terrace chatting to some of the other punters, who all agree that coming to Ibiza and in particular Sankeys is the best place on earth. We eventually peel ourselves away and return to The Redlight downstairs to continue the jackin' house music, and as the night comes to an end we leave the club with Bookashade vs M.A.N.D.Y's Body Language playing, completely satisfied at another night of heavy dancing and good tunes.
You can take the tunes home with you, as 'The Redlight Ibiza 2015' compilation is out now, presented by Sankeys and mixed by Redlight residents Tough Love including tunes from S Man (Roger Sanchez), Todd Terry, Low Steppa and of course Tough Love themselves.
WORDS | Maya Dupont PHOTOGRAPHY | James Gardner
