It seems hardly possible that closing parties are already upon us. Ibiza summers seem to fly by like videos on fast forward. Barely have we had time to dust down our swimmers, check we still know where all the hot spots are, and pack our best clubbing gear, before it's time to look back on the Summer and wonder how long til the next time (approximately 248 sun deprived days!).
First up was a chat with the ever delightful, Augmented Ibiza Insider, Daisy Heartbreaker. An island regular for the last 4 years who has steadily been building her presence on the island through gigs at Come Together, Reclaim the Dancefloor & this year @ Space's new night "Beat & Raw".
"Beat & Raw, where I DJ, has been amazing. I loved all the live concerts- Morcheeba, Thievery Corporation, Cypress Hill, Dub Pistols, to name just a few! ENTER by Richie Hawtin has been the greatest new party this season. I´m so happy it has been happening at SPACE.
"My favorite alternative place to enjoy cocktails, after spending the afternoon sun bathing at Las Salinas beach, has been the 'Boutique Hostal Salinas' (BHS). From Wednesday to Sundays they hosted the 'LoCura Lounge Sessions. 2Many DJs popped in to say hi and have a shot of local drink 'hierbas ibicencas'. The rumour mill says that the LO CURA LOUNGE DJ team may be flying over to the UK after its success at WE LOVE... to play a few dates in different cities through out the winter! I can't wait to be there."
A feature of the last few years has been the growth of an A-list culture, and parties to match. Fortunately, the Daddy of them all has an amazing charity at the heart of the event. This year's Teenage Cancer Trust event took place at the Groucho Pop Up. I caught up with organisers Darren Strowger & Bronwin Wheatley, & asked what had been most pleasing about this year's event.
"It was much bigger than last year - we had around 800 this year, compared to 600 last year. This year was a bit different, as it was a beach restaurant last year so a different vibe as it finished at midnight this one went on till 4am." This year, it was held at the beautiful Sa Talaia Boutique Villa on a hilltop in Ses Païsses, Sa Talaia.
"The Groucho have been a great supporter of Teenage Cancer Trust - we did an art auction at the Groucho in May which was massively successful raised £65,000 so decided to carry on the relationship in Ibiza as they were looking to do something on the island - it seemed a good idea to join forces and host their opening night for them in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust."
Every day, six young people in the UK are told they have cancer. Usually placed on a children's ward or with elderly patients, young people often feel extremely isolated when facing a cancer diagnosis, never meeting another young person going through the same thing. Teenage Cancer Trust believes teenagers shouldn't stop being teenagers because they have cancer.
So Teenage Cancer Trust & The Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC) (Spanish Association Against Cancer) host this event in Ibiza to raise funds. Guests including Mario Testino, Alice Temperley, Jade Jagger, Matthew Freud, Elizabeth Murdoch and Pete Tong, gathered to dance to Groove Armada, Neneh Cherry & DJ Antz.
What about the new trend of hotels hosting club nights (Ushuaia, Boutique Hostal Salinas, Hotel Es Vive)? Colin Peters dragged himself round Ibiza's finest hotels just to answer this question!
Colin's trip to see Santigold at Hotel Es Vive was a real highlight apparently.
"One of the joys of living in Ibiza is the expectation of the unexpected. One of these unexpected joys arrived on my mobile phone in the form of a text inviting me to come and see Santigold live at Hotel Es Vive. Being a big fan of Ms Gold, I dashed down to Es Vive at 8pm ... to find a couple of people milling around the pool to the sounds of Andrew Livesey from We Love. By 9.45pm the poolside was filling nicely with a mix of music industry bods and island folk. Finally at 10pm the speakers went quiet and Santigold bounded onto the stage accompanied by her two poker-face dancers."
"Without further ado she launched into Go! from her latest album Master Of My Make-Believe. It was a cracking way to start and made the wait well worth it. Keeping up the BPM's came the next track Say A-ha from her debut album Santigold. The raucous surf ska stylee of the song started to move the crowd slowly but surely."
"The show really came alive with the next two songs, The Keepers and Creator. Santi did a bit of chat with the audience and invited people to come up and dance with her, which also helped to draw artist and audience closer."
"The show came to an end with a mixture of first and second album tracks and you were left with the hope that she comes back to Ibiza next year on a bigger stage. She definitely deserves it."
A fine Summer indeed!