Last Sunday, the seventh and final party with DJ Steve Lawler and his Warriors took place in the Octan Ibiza Basement and shook Playa d'en Bossa to its core.
With just seven dates pencilled in on the clubbing calendar this season, it was essential that ravers made the most out of Sunday evenings at Octan.
As tech-house aficionados, we managed to tick an impressive four out of seven dates off the list. With the opening and closing parties being of the most anticipated, busiest and enthusiastic events of the season, we couldn't wait to see what Warriors had in store. It was important that they leave a lasting impression, and that they did. Here's why.
First of all, if you attended the triumphant opening party, you will remember the impressive number of shufflers who turned up to christen the dancefloor. The hype remained commendatory throughout the season and the closing party was no exception as Octan saw over 1,000 ravers assemble inside the intimate underground party space.
We headed in as Rich NxT was warming things up in the Basement. The room is lit by only a few strips of light lining and the low slung ceiling gives the sea of fist pumps a dim red glow. The minimal production made for an anticipating atmosphere. It was all about the music. The FUSE resident had us eating out of the palm of his hands. Closing parties are always massive, so the collection of more-than-just-functional tech-house beats kept everyone grooving at a steady pace with engaging features and heart-racing vibrations.
If anyone knows how to shape a set to fit a grungy rave like this, then Steve Lawler is the man. Although Lawler is an Ibiza stalwart and famous for playing at all of the biggest venues over the island like Privilege, Amnesia, DC-10, Ushuaïa and more, Ibiza hard-heads will agree that there is nothing quite like seeing the British house music producer in the famed Basement of his alternative residency.
Going full throttle from the outset, the deep and dirty sound consistently floods every shadowy corner of the room. Memories were being made as he dropped Patrick Topping's 2016 summer smash Be Sharp Say Nowt. This tune still bangs!
Apollonia were back in the Lab with Nicolas Lutz & Omar, gracing our ears with trippy melodic bangers like Acid Kut's 'Pure Science'. Luckily, Planet Claire will still look after the Lab on Sunday's at Octan until 29 September, but that didn't stop us from having a boogie upstairs as the infectious beats pulled us in for more.
The 6AM crew were still going strong as De La Swing took us into the final parts of the evening with an innovative and energetic set. Nobody wanted this night to end. Feeling like the short but sweet 2019 residency may have come to an abrupt finish, we are only left with high hopes as we have witnessed the exciting potential and rebirth of this fantastic event.
As the lights turned on, myself and the remainder of no-go-homers and new-found raving buddies that we had met earlier in the evening in the wild DJ toilets headed to Bossa beach to watch the sunrise and reminisce about the awesome night. This is what Ibiza is all about.
Warriors, stand down. We hope to see you next year.
