Monday – Swedish House Mafia
The most improved party of 2010 and the biggest surprise of 2010. The Swedes went from a fair to middling 2009 season to reaching FMIF proportions for some parties in 2010. Pop acts like Kylie Minogue and Tinie Tempah took the SHM machine to an even higher level of commercialism and their track ‘One' was a ubiquitous anthem not just in Ibiza but across the electronic music world this summer. After just two years, it's fair to say this event is now a mainstay of the Ibiza club scene.
Tuesday – Pacha Seduction / Flower Power
Combining Pacha's gay party brands Scandal and Fetish with Pacha Classics and throwing Made in Italy in for good measure made what appeared to be the club's weakest night on paper into one of its most distinctive. Moreover, with guests like Louie Vega and David Morales, there was a definite appeal to older house heads. The half dozen or so Flower Power parties were, as you'd expect, super-busy and provided for a very atypical night out in Ibiza.
Wednesday – Subliminal
In short, Erick Morillo has been usurped as Don of Pacha by Guetta, the Swedes and even Luciano, but the party is not over by any means. Actually, the fact there are not wall-to-wall bodies means you can actually enjoy the club a bit more and Erick still knows how to rock it out of course. I guess the only criticism would be that some of the guests seemed a little bit like square pegs in round holes, such as M.A.N.D.Y., whose electro/techno clash sound was rather ill-suited to Pacha.
Thursday – F*** Me I'm Famous
Packed, packed and more packed. This night is more like a pop concert in a small venue, than a club night; everyone waits with cameras and phones aloft waiting for Guetta to appear, they all want to hear his hits and when they do, the place goes mental. If the biggest commercial dance tracks are your thing and you don't mind the scrum, FMIF is probably still the pinnacle of that scene.
Friday – Pure Pacha
It can't all be good for Pacha, even so that because the agenda is doing so well a mediocre night appears like a poor one, but arguably Fridays are the biggest struggle. The weekly changing from Sasha and Sander to Club 75 crew (Cassius, Justice, Busy P & Mehdi) to Wall of Sound only serves to leave Pure Pacha without any consistent theme or build up of hype. It's also clear that Fridays suffer from a bit of a post-Guetta hangover with a fairly touristy crowd that seems to be there for anything but the music. That said, I'm sure every other club on the island would be happy to take this as their weakest.
Saturday – Defected
The classic Pacha night out in many ways, with the full club open and characters from every walk of life standing side by side, Defected more than kept pace with its counterparts this year, without perhaps reaching the extent of the Swedes or FMIF. Specifically Dennis Ferrer, Quentin Harris and The Shapeshifters made this a safe bet for a decent night with the emphasis on quality house music. Maybe a more regular big name resident for 2011?
Sunday – Cadenza
To make a night work in Ibiza, you generally either need a concept (think The Zoo Project) or you need the best line-ups. With their Vagabundos theme and progressive booking policy, Luciano and Cadenza kind of ticked both boxes. The early days were as quiet as I've ever seen Pacha, but by mid July, it was clear the night was heading for great things. Some unprecedented performances and shows, including both Carl Craig and Moodymann twice at Pacha, but Luciano still has the pulling power, albeit his sound has – even in the space of a year - definitely gone through the Pacha mill a bit. Chapeau to all those involved!
Overall
This has to be Pacha's best season ever. 3 nights are amongst the most successful and sizzling on the island and the rest are anything but making the numbers up. They have the big brands, the club retains the charm of the Funky and Global Room and, through Cadenza, the blueprint has been well and truly changed for what may come from Pacha in the future.
