On a very competitive evening of parties, Cova Santa threw a spanner in the works with SHADOWS last Friday. Leading lady Magdalena showed us the way up into the beautiful hills for a night of incredible music with herself, Solomun and Tale of Us.
As a worker in Ibiza, we go out and party our fair share. Whether it be for work or for pleasure, out of the hundreds of nights we attend, some days and nights go down in our personal memories as highlights of the summer. These are moments that we keep on reliving in our minds and will remember once the summer is behind us.
Shadows at Cova Santa ticked this box, and thinking back to this magical night gives me goosebumps. I can only try and share with you my musical journey.
Last Friday had to be one of the busiest of the 2019 Ibiza clubbing calendar. On Friday afternoon, Cova Santa announced that Tale of Us would join the line up for SHADOWS along with resident leader Magdalena and her famous brother and Ibiza favourite, Solomun. I'm sure the news turned the heads of a multitude of ravers; myself being one of them.
Magdalena has been part of the dynamic family since its origins, along with label boss Solomun. Tale of Us and Solomun are famous for having two of the biggest residencies on the White Isle—Tale Of Us with Afterlife on Thursdays at Hï Ibiza, and Solomun +1 on Sundays at Pacha. They've been supporting at each other's residencies for many years, so tonight felt more like a special family affair than just three DJ's performing together.
All three names are amongst the biggest of the techno scene, so it's no surprise that those in the know made their way down to the magnetic venue nice and early to catch every minute of the melodic masterclass and dance into the shadows as the sun sets.
The night started early with Magdalena on at 19:00 followed by Solomun B2B Tale of Us at 21:00. By this point, the intimate location was filling fast and it was evident that the night would be a sell-out. By 22:30 the party had officially sold out; wow!
On the hills of San José, we had the perfect view of the stage as the anticipated b3b with Magdalena, Solomun and Tale of Us was now underway. The energy inside the venue felt hypnotic.
Solomun's signature funky bassline, ethereal melodies and emotionally charged vocals were noticeable throughout as he stands in the centre of the decks shaking his shoulders and lapping up the sounds.
As mentioned previous, the relationship between all of them is incredible to watch and the infectious happiness is transported from behind the decks to the crowd. Shots were being knocked back behind the decks (yes, we saw you!) as we were being knocked out by the endless selection of bangers, and maybe the odd elbow to the chest here and there from that overexcited raver. Can we blame them? Absolutely not.
The vibe inside the venue reflected hundreds of free spirits bouncing from wall to wall. Tale of Us knew exactly how to conjure mystifying ambience and suspense with melodic remixes like the Erly Tepshi & Earthlife edit of Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy". - (This track is unreleased, but if you have attended any Tale of Us gigs recently, you will recognise this one).
A highly unpredictable number from the evening was Double 99 - RIP Groove; any raver will have heard this track. The tune mirrored the undeniable energy on the dancefloor and albeit a risky selection, it was taken with pleasure by a deep blue sea of clubbers who were refreshingly all there to enjoy the music and get amongst it - that we did too.
After huge applause for Magdalena herself, the music stopped at 00:00 and it didn't take long for the encore to echo the venue. Just like the Pied Piper, Solomun waved us all downstairs to the afterparty where he continued to whisk us off on an underground musical journey (literally and figuratively).
We danced for five hours straight in the cave downstairs to one of the best sets, if not THE best set if I have ever witnessed. The afterparty started with the feel-good classic "Pump Up The Jam" by Technotronic. The Ejeca remix had everyone grooving and itching for more.
The pumping jams just kept on coming in-between Magdalena's signature melodic groove holding everything in place. We had forgotten all about Tiga & Zyntherius: Sunglasses at Night. As you can imagine, the deep groove sent everyone into a frenzy.
Caribou: Can’t do without you (Tale Of Us & Mano Le Tough Remix) is a track I have appreciated for some time and hearing it live would have to be the stand out euphoric moment of the night. The spine-tingling vocal created a verdant atmosphere on the dancefloor and the percussive snap's central to Tale of Us's sound form the spine of this celebrated remix and the joy of the event.
Overwhelmed with such a fantastic evening, I wish I could pick up this song and squeeze it for what it is.
My only wish is that this night went on longer. Catch Magdalena at her spectacular residency SHADOWS every Friday at Cova Santa.
Words: Holly Woulfe
