Who we thought made the double club summer starter a special spectacular!
Better Together – The Night League’s answer to “How do we relaunch our dual club enterprise in style for 2022?” The line-up for the day to night to morning event was stacked with crowd favourites and respected selectors from around the globe. From rarely seen artists to stalwart staples of the resident roster, there really was something for everyone at this double club shindig.
It’s not unusual for the Hï Ibiza and Ushuaïa to feature these kinds of artists in their season openings. Back in 2019, their Odyssey opening concept brought in the big names like Tale Of Us and Peggy Gou to whip up the crowds into a frenzy. Those that attended will remember the horrendous downpour and the subsequent clear skies for Paul Kalkbrenner’s sublime live set.
So with the promise of more electronic music amusement to be had at the 2022 opening, we went along to see who really wowed the crowd at Better Together.
Ushuaïa
Kölsch
The first of those crowd favourites could be none other than Danish DJ Kölsch. The sun beat down on the open-air dance floor of Ushuaïa as he spun an upbeat blend of his own productions with a few nice surprises along the way. Indeed, the world-famous artist effortlessly conquered his section of the afternoon with his most famous hits.
He is truly a master behind the decks, adored by a worldwide dance music audience he’s sometimes described as a DJ loved by DJs. To tip his signature fedora to the event’s name, you could hear the elements of French Touch classic Together in the closing moments of his set. His mixing style lends itself to big festival stages like this in particular, so you’ll be pleased to know he’s back to do it all again on Saturday 23rd July, this time for the ANTS colony.
ARTBAT
Turning up the heat around dusk were melodic techno maestros ARTBAT. This line-up placing is a poignant one and a huge step up for the Ukrainian duo. We can remember when the duo were fairly fresh on the Ibiza scene, playing the likes of Blue Marlin following their “Breakthrough Artist Of The Year” DJ Mag Award back in 2019. Three years later and a whole heap of bangers, remixes and collaborations later they have ascended to superstar status.
It’s not just about the number of productions they put out though, there’s a load of artists creating a mountain of melodic techno. ARTBAT. have cultivated a sound and DJing style that’s very much their own, which can only be described as emotive, driving and powerful. They too, completely spellbound the crowd with their back catalogue, weaving in a reworked clubbing classic, which really energised the late afternoon set.
Stephan Bodzin
As darkness fell upon the outdoor dance floor, live wizard Stephan Bodzin was in session. Behind his myriad of samplers and electronic gizmos, he can only be described as a mad scientist, an alchemist of electronica. Experimenting wildly with his own productions and remixes, his popularity derives from this style of performance as each set is truly unique.
You could also see that he fully enjoys the thrill of this kind of performance. There wasn’t a moment where the German magician wasn’t adjusting his apparatus with a smile on his face. This particular outing with Bodzin featured a lot of fantastic reworks from the Boavista remix album which features names like Denis Horvat, Kevin de Vries, Innellea and more. But if you want our highlight of his set, it was when he conjured up this Afterlife label epic through his marvellous machines.
Hï Ibiza
Martinez Brothers
Fast forward hours later and the Theatre room in Hï Ibiza was rocking. At the helm are the Bronx sibling duo The Martinez Brothers and they were giving us a sample of what their residency at the club this summer will look like. Chris and Stevie Jr will be hosting a no holds barred series of fiestas from Tuesday 14 July until 27 September. If their set at the Hï opening is anything to go by, then we can expect their summer in the club to be very popular indeed.
They were giving it some welly in the early hours, and with the tunes of their imprint, Cuttin’ Headz at their disposal. The ticker tape video graphics made especially for the Better Together party flowed behind them like some kind of a multicoloured bunch of tentacles. The two brothers opted for a tribal tech house sound, one which appealed to both thrill-seeking tourists and white isle dwellers alike.
Charlotte de Witte
Over in the club room, Charlotte de Witte was raising the roof by raising the BPM to stratospheric levels. The low ceilings lit by flashes of neon lighting were the perfect space for Charlotte to unleash her personal brand of pounding techno. Stomping in perfect rhythm were the crowd who cheered rolling drop after rolling drop. This darkly intense soundtrack made for a great alternative against the funkier grooves of the Theatre.
At the forefront of the Belgian DJ’s mix were selects from her KNTXT label. Her commitment to supporting quality underground techno within this venture is clear when she spins the tunes behind the decks. She played each record like it was the last one of the evening, with sheer and utter purpose, all whilst stomping along to the banging beats herself. After also hearing tracks from her upcoming Universal Consciousness EP, it is no wonder she was crowned No. One in the DJ Mag Alternative Top 100 DJs in 2021.
Black Coffee
An Hï Ibiza opening wouldn’t be complete without an appearance from the king of Saturday nights at the venue. Black Coffee has ruled over Saturday nights since the club’s first year back in 2017. Now five years on his presence in the Theatre and skill in the booth are unmatched, he is in a league of his own. Add to this his cultivation of up and coming artists by curation and collaboration, he has now attained legendary status within the international dance music community.
Needless to say, right from the first beat he had the crowd hooked on his distinctive blend of Afro House. The emotive synths and soul-warming vocals played in the early morning were spellbinding, to say the least. Along with his peers, he stole the show that night and will steal hearts at his weekend residency, which commerces for the summer on Saturday 14 May.
