SPACE IBIZA, CLOSING FIESTA REVIEW

Rich, luscious, gorgeously multi-layered techno and house. Pumping and searing through the Balearic night. Gripping our senses and tugging us deeper onto the dancefloor. We're caught in a pulsating slipstream and we don't want it to ever stop. That's Space Closing Fiesta for you, the best party in the world. This year they've been celebrating their 25^th anniversary, and who better to bring their season to a close than the mighty Carl Cox? 

“It's a pleasure to be part of the look and feel of what Pepe has created,” Carl says of the owner and founder. “You know that when you go there you're going to have the best time possible.”

It's not just the end of the season though, it's the very beginning of the next, it's time for the island to ready herself for the following year. A time to breathe and rejuvenate.
People speak a lot about the energy on the island, about something spiritual and otherworldly. It's there alright and it's what keeps us coming back for more every year. Chris Blackhall eloquently sums up his feelings earlier in the day prior to his Blackhall & Bookless slot in the main room: “Buzzing me fucking nuts off to be playing Space Closing tonight”. Charming. But he's right, the chance to play or be a part of Space Closing is a chance not to be missed. The duo play a balmy, dubby warm-up set for Josh Wink, with Auden's 'Whispers' and Kuba Sojka's 'Dance of Noise' taking centre stage; the DJ Mag team look on with pride, and so the infectious dancing begins.

Ibiza and Space have an uncanny way of bringing people together. We bump into friends on the dancefloor, experiencing their first time there.
“Box ticked. It's fantastic and I'm coming again,” they beam as the Disclosure siblings cause eruptions of mayhem in the open-air Ultra Ibiza arena. Confetti guns spew sparkling strips across the vast dance music playground. And when they drop Armand van Helden's classic anthem 'U Don't Know Me' the energy levels in the place could light up a small city.

There's something very 'no nonsense' about Space. No gimmicks, no over-the-top themes as such, just good and proper electronica, simple and pure, on the best soundsystems ever. Always has been for the past 25 years. And this journalist remembers when the Closing party was a date for the workers on the island, a little thank you gathering for the people in the background, whose efforts help to make it what it is. That party has grown somewhat, but the essence remains the same. It's a time to lose yourself, to find yourself and remind yourself that everyone's experience is unique to them.

We gravitate to the Premiere Etage where Jonathan Ulysses is conducting his crowd; it's packed and it feels like everyone knows each other and even if you don't know anyone you still feel welcome, and you're invited into the throng. We Love resident Ian Blevins follows with the sublime, acid-kissed 'Proseco' by C.P.I. He keeps the vibe going on a delicious techno tip and when he later lightens the moment by spinning Duke's 'In Love With You' it's goose-bumps time. “It's a pleasure as it's one of the best clubs on the planet,” he later tells us.

Carl Cox starts his midnight set by thanking Richie Hawtin for his. And not being one to shy from using the mic, when he shouts “Are you ready? I said, Space are you ready?!” we dance just a little bit harder. The Megatrons explode and we're off! And when he starts to weave in Dennis Ferrer's 'Hey Hey', we're reminded of what a genius DJ he is. And now we're wondering how the devil heck we'll be able to fit it all in, knowing full well that Carl will be playing back-to-back with Nic Fanciulli on the Terrace seven hours later.

Back in the main room, Jose Da Divina is bringing on the wow factor thanks to his 'Barlume' collaboration with AudioHell and Tania Vulcano.
“The perfect energy and spectacular people to end a perfect summer,” Jose later remarks. The crowd are with him, and dancing the night away is the only thing on our minds, but we seriously need to pace ourselves. Gracias Space. It's been emotional.