- No artist in recent years has risen through Ibiza's clubbing ranks as quickly and emphatically as Maceo Plex. Between 2012 and 2015, he's held residencies at Circoloco, ENTER. and HYTE, and been booked for five out of the past six opening and closing parties at Amnesia. His appeal is obvious—he's a slick DJ who plays loud, lively club music with bags of personality, making him exactly the kind of larger-than-life act the island's super clubs are desperate to pin down for season-long residencies. Pacha, Plex told RA recently, tabled three offers in as many years before he eventually agreed, signing up for 20 weeks across summer 2016.
Because of Plex, Mosaic By Maceo might not seem like a risky venture, but within the context of Ibiza it's as experimental as it gets. For one, Plex only played Pacha for the first time at last month's pre-season party. He hasn't built up a crowd there, and it's not safe to assume that those who loved him at Space, DC-10 and Amnesia will just follow him—Pacha's flashier reputation puts a lot of people off. Much to his credit, he's also gone out on a limb with the programming, balancing household names with nerdy acts—most of them techno—that you wouldn't think would work in Ibiza, let alone Pacha. (At the opening on Tuesday, four of the artists made their island debuts.) It's a setup comparable to Guy Gerber's Wisdom Of The Glove residency in 2013—which ultimately fell flat—except with a much bigger name behind it.
The party's biggest challenge will be filling the Funky Room, Pacha's intimate upstairs space that Plex has renamed Prism and which will host the bulk of the edgier acts. The room was meant to be decorated in warm blues and blacks come Tuesday, but a delay at the factory on the mainland meant that Matrixxman and Conforce played against the usual glitzy backdrop. The US DJ ultimately fared better, warming up for the Dutchman's tougher, more esoteric selections (Polarius's "Nemo Airfield") with a mix of sleek techno (Radio Slave's "Don't Stop No Sleep") and big tunes (Steffi's "Yours," Octave One's "Black Water"). There must have been 40 or 50 people dancing to Matrixxman at one point, which in my experience is pretty solid.
Downstairs, the audience ran into the thousands. The DJ booth had been moved, facing you on your left as you walk into the club from the main entrance. Rising pair Red Axes got the early arrivals moving with a DJ set of ethno-tinged tech house, full of chanting, flutes and live percussion. The tonal variety was pleasant and the mixing smooth. Italian live trio Agents Of Time (now playing minus the hoods) hit that peak-time sweet spot, setting a stream of catchy synth hooks to big-room drum tracks and trancey pads. It was a suitably sized lead-in for Plex, who opened with a flurry of maximal, modern-sounding techno and electro records. About five or six tracks in, he worked in Kraftwerk's "Numbers" and raised both arms aloft. Everyone on the dance floor did the same.
Photo credit /
Jonathan Ferrer
