- RA's Will Lynch recently wrote that catching Ricardo Villalobos at his best has become something of an elusive task. Prior to his recent set at Amnesia, I found myself asking the same questions; notably, what kind of Villalobos would I encounter? The one who'd disappointed at Watergate last month? Or the one who excelled at Ireland's Olympia Theatre this past April?
Suffice to say, he's still as popular as ever on the White Isle, with a jam-packed terrace emphasizing the fact. Flanked by Romanian native Raresh, Villalobos took to the stage after the former, who incidentally weaved a wholly uninspiring opening set from start to finish. Lacking any real momentum and with elements of surprise or spontaneity practically nonexistent, Raresh trudged along in seriously formulaic fashion—almost as though he was reluctant to throw anything unique into the mix.
Looking jaded from the start, Villalobos arrived on stage around 3 AM and immediately began with monotonous tech house, which deviated little throughout our stay in the room. Following Raresh's set, I was optimistic that the Chilean would redeem the night, but he continued this mundane tech house vein for the first hour. And the second. As the third hour began sneaking up, enthusiasm was truly on the wane. Allegedly Villalobos is manipulating a Marvin Gaye a cappella recently in his recent sets, which seems ironic, as this was a soulless performance.
To compound the disappointment, from where I was standing in front of the DJ booth, it was clear that while Ricardo picked the vinyl, Raresh seemed to be in charge of much of the technicalities, whether be mixing or adding effects. Make no mistake, however: This was not some sort of back-to-back set. The Chilean, it later transpired, arrived at Amnesia straight from an impromptu set at DC-10. Unsurprisingly, he also played like a man who'd been partying all day. I've no doubt in my mind that production-wise, Villalobos is one of the most proficient in his field. It's just a pity he brought none of the same mannerisms along on this night.
Fortunately, Sven Vath was on hand to ensure the night didn't go down as a complete disaster. In fairness to the German ringmaster, he rarely disappoints, and this night proved no different.The perfect antidote to Villalobos' lackluster set, Vath drew on an arsenal of typically big room tracks such as MMM's "Nous Sommes" and Johnny D's "Leave or Love Me," creating an atmosphere that'd been so badly missing on the terrace. With competition between clubs especially intense in Ibiza between Sunday and Tuesday, Sven seems determined to keep Cocoon on the right track. Yet, on the night in question, there can be little doubt that Vath was let down by one of his most consistent recruits. Amnesia has previously provided the backdrop for some of Villalobos' most heralded—and, indeed, his most contentious performances. Unfortunately, his most recent set at Amnesia emphatically falls into the latter section.