After a week of reviewing different dishes of house music, I decided it was time to get out of my comfort zone by experiencing something like the Ibiza videos I'd seen before venturing to the island, and Steve Aoki's Neon Future extravaganza on the almighty stage at Ushuaïa seemed like the perfect place to do exactly that.
The bus journey wasn't as lively as usual, so I spent the duration with my head on a stranger's shoulder and power napped my way to Playa d'en Bossa - I was in dire need of some aural attackage to get me back in action. At Ushuaïa, I sheepishly jumped the long queue with my press pass and wandered in to see what all of the fuss was about. I had an instant feeling of exclusivity - the venue looked like it had been picked up from LA and placed gracefully on the white sands of Ibiza.
It was a young crowd, and who better to please them than DJ Fresh, who mixed banger to banger, curating excitement as you'd find at a fairground, with the music to match. We were kept on our toes and taken on a journey through genres - from chart classics to reggae, the crowd were forced into a non-optional workout session - jumping on the spot and head bobbing as he played Dr.Dre's ‘The Next Episode'.
"A sea of glittered-up girls had persuaded the lads to get on their shoulders, holding a signs that read 'cake me please Aoki!'"
Headhunterz bounded on stage and shared his energy, somehow managing to not break his neck in the process. By the time he'd finished my brain was in overload. The crowd were ferocious - throwing themselves around to the rhythm of the songs playing in the mist of broken sunglasses and Spanish flags. Suddenly the ‘schools out!' vibe changed into something much more serious. The visuals at the back of the DJ booth transported us into a space invader video game and cubes of LED lights lit up as Steve Aoki took to stage. The acclaimed DJ received one of the best responses yet - a sea of glittered-up girls had persuaded the lads to get on their shoulders, holding a signs that read “cake me please Aoki!”
Aoki is the epitome of modern dance music - his appearance was accompanied by fire shooters, smoke, lasers and the most mindblowing visuals I'd ever seen - so it only felt right to match the overwhelming show with his music. Aoki was a master of his own work, showcasing his track ‘Ilysm' - this party was everything I'd dreamt a party would be as a child. A girl was pulled up on stage to rave behind the decks with her favourite DJ and the sound system shook the floor as Aoki played his own ‘Youth Dem Turn Up'. At no other party can you lose yourself like I did, nor listen to an EDM version of Nirvana's ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit' while watching a video of Donald Trump's head edited onto a pornstars body. Aoki does not have fans but passionate followers, all of which he undoubtably deserves.
WORDS | Ruby Munslow
