I'm becoming a regular at Pacha and I've absolutely no qualms about it. Every night I've stepped foot in that club, it's offered me something completely different - from a night of French glamour, to Maceo Plex's techno fiesta, to EDM heaven - last night stepped up the game and flashed back to old school clubbing with the Knee Deep In Sound boys, who were in town for the first of three takeovers at Insane at Pacha.
And Knee Deep in Ibiza they were, as Hot Since 82 kicked off the first of the series in the Pacha den last night. The Yorkshireman, alongside joined-at-the-hip DJs Santé and Sidney Charles, started a contagious, unignorable buzz on the Isle by kicking things off going b2b at Mambo, before heading off to a slightly less windy DJ booth.
"It was a night with simplicity at its core - one that spoiled clued up clubbers with a pure, quality soundscape."
At the club, it was necessary to push our way to the front of the crowd, as Santé and Sidney Charles bounced off each other and ramped up the revellers with tracks like Max Chapman's ‘Inside', a beast with a bass that slowly creeps up on you, before bursting from your chest. Tonight it was all about the music - visuals and dancers were kept to a minimum, with only three stood tall around the booth, wearing nothing but simple netting. Electronic duo, Booka Shade, also stepped up. We watched with front row seats from behind the booth and it became clear why they hold such a reputation - the crowd refused to stand still for even a second. Juan Medina's ‘The Beyond' seeped its way into every crack in the Pacha main room, before the pair showed off their own work off with ‘Neon Gods'.
The mastermind behind the party rightfully rounded up the night - polishing off the perfect performances by his fellow DJs, Hot Since 82 proved why he is worthy of a residency at Pacha. The whole club seemed to plunge into dramatic slow motion as he teased us with bubbling drops, spinning only the most atmospheric tracks such as Wehbba's ‘Turning Point' (Anna Remix) and Adrian Hour's ‘That's It'. It was a night with simplicity at its core - one that spoiled clued up clubbers with a pure, quality soundscape. I felt like I had been invited to an exclusive night of music, promised only the best and most articulate mixing by the official connoisseurs of house.
WORDS | Ruby Munslow PHOTOGRAPHY | Pacha