Ahh, what's that saying? All good things must come to an end? After a victorious season of tomfoolery, the White Isle has eventually begun to wind down for the winter with British brand Sankeys the last of the super-clubs to clear the dance floors and close its doors for 2014. The discotheque that is renowned for cementing Manchester confidently on the map of clubbing cool has also shared success across the Balearic seas, marking the end of its fourth summer on the island this year. With the added celebration of reaching the twenty year milestone back home in the North West and the pressure to follow last year's mammoth thirty-two hour rave, Sankeys attempted to pull out all the stops to bring Ibiza a closing bash of epic proportions.
The internally focused line-up was always bound to be impressive as a host of great artists have graced the Playa d'en Bossa decks and helped contour the crunch of the Sankeys soundtrack. Big names on the bill included Duke Dumont of Blasé Boys Club and Darius Syrossian of Tribal Sessions and, although Amine Edge & DANCE from Sankeys' Thursday fiesta CUFF were notably absent on the final roster due to disagreements and Isla Blanca politics, Shlomi Aber, DJ Sneak, Sidney Charles and Just Be (Bushwacka!) were all there to wave adios to the club.
The simple, subversive venue kicked off the festivities at 10pm but with whispers of a marathon merrymaking spreading like wild fire we decided to play it safe and head out a little later. By the time we had arrived, The Basement was in full swing thanks to DJ Sneak's triumphant talents on the turntables. The darkly-lit room is designed to emulate the Manchester sister club, complete with LED screen and vibrating Bodysonic dance floor which provided the perfect environment for Sneak's ferocious gangster-house beats. Revellers were sent into a state of funk-fuelled frenzy when he dropped an exclusive unreleased track by Miami-based DJ Jesse Perez. The ghetto bass of the untitled tune set the tone for Sneak's set as he continued to churn out equally low-down OG vibes. There is no doubt that G House has exploded in Ibiza over the past five months and Sankeys has been at the helm in propelling this genre to its current stellar status.
Meanwhile Grammy-nominated Duke Dumont was igniting the party in The Lab, the larger room of the three. Commercial house hits like MK's chart topping remix of Wankelmut's My Head Is A Jungle and Second City's I Wanna Feel had ravers singing along like it was an X Factor audition. However, after dropping his latest offering Won't Look Back, Dumont then swerved his set in to the direction of more intense, underground, Sankeys-esque sounds, proving he's no one-trick pony. Just Be (Bushwacka!) inherited the booth next, distributing a consistent torrent of tough house grooves and every so often weaving in a smooth, contrary vocal.
Back in The Basement, island gem Darius Syrossian was commanding the clubbers with an array of fresh, contemporary mixes. Just like Sneak before him, many of Syrossian's selections were exclusive edits and dubs, creating a one of a kind set. The atmosphere was kept alive by raw, ruthless records like Klingenberg's T! (Dave Darell Radio Mix) and Trompeta by Sis. After striking out a series of vigorous house jams to his faithful following, the Leeds man rounded things up with La Mezcla by Michel Cleis (Paul Kalkbrenner Remix) which unfortunately signalled the end of the event around the 7am mark.
Syrossian commented that the night had been “the one we've been looking forward to” and although Sankeys supplied its innovative, alternative sound perfectly one last time, I couldn't help feeling a flavour of dissatisfaction from holiday-makers at what seemed like a premature ending. Whether it was the hype of last summer's epic stint still hovering in the Balearic air or the expectation of a birthday-esque two decade tournament that had catapulted our spirits in to orbit, it almost felt like we'd been served up a tasty main course with no dessert.
Nevertheless, the dish that Sankeys did deliver was a delicious slice of diverse, no-frills party ambience and they should be applauded on their consistency in providing an underground gathering that has transcended musical boundaries throughout the whole season. Of course, all good things must come to an end sometime and I am looking forward to seeing what Sankeys pull out the bag for summer 2015. But that said, something tells me the impatient party-goer in me will be booking the train to Manchester before then…
WORDS | Francesca Evans PHOTOGRAPHY | Sankeys
