When it comes to music, people need to be shaken up, because it shouldn't always fall into the comfortable zone of giving them what they already know. Yeah, for sure, few things beat being in a club and finding yourself slammed into the centre of a track that's already become an obsession. However, those moments when you find yourself saying, “what the f&%k is that?” and reach out to hug a total stranger in sheer excitement – those are what keep our dance floors alive.
With his Mosaic residency at Pacha, Maceo Plex continues to draft in DJs rarely seen in Ibiza, or even those who have never ventured onto Balearic soil. And that means it's likely that you're going to get the latter – hugs from strangers. For Ben Klock, Rødhåd, Mano Le Tough, Levon Vincent, Henrik Schwarz and Moodymann, it'll be their first taste of Mosaic. While Jon Hopkins, Palms Trax, Röyksopp and Aurora Halal are here for the debut appearances.
Pacha is a superclub with a huge VIP section, and therefore, to some it initially seemed like an odd match – one that might stifle Maceo's artistic freedom. In his first year, he disproved those concerns, as neither he or his guests bent their style to suit Pacha's crowd.
Now in year 2, we got ourselves down there as Jon Hopkins, Axel Boman and Derek Plaslaiko joined Maceo Plex for the fourth instalment.
Check out our 10 tracks that did the damage on the dance floor.
Stephan Hinz & Philipp Ruhmhardt / Kachel / Played by Jon Hopkins
Jon Hopkins' fourth studio album, Immunity, is one that's given a rinse regularly. Rarely do tracks Open Eye Signal or Collider go without being played to ridiculous levels of repetition. I desperately hoped I´d hear either two, but with an assumption made on slot times, I got in there midway through his set. Maybe I missed out; I'll try not to be consumed by that thought. What he did lay down at my point of entry was this eargasmic production from German producers Hinz and Ruhmhardt. Instant energiser.
Eddie Richards / Someday / Played by Derek Plaslaiko
Nestled away from the Main Room, you have the intimate Prism Room (a.k.a Funky Room). This week, Maceo had in Berlin-based DJ and producer Derek Plaslaiko – an artist who earned his stripes on Detroit's rave circuit. He can slam down ferocious, cerebral techno - just give this Dekmantel Podcast a listen – but he mustn't be solely aligned with the techno field. Eddie Richards' 2001 deep house track, Someday, pounced from the booth and offered a little respite from the heavier stuff next door – should you have desired it.
Jon Hopkins / Halo (Unreleased) / Played by Jon Hopkins
Hopkins has had fans desperately waiting for this unreleased track to drop since 2010. Cruel it might be, but now that we can get our hands on almost everything musically, sometimes we should back off and not be so damn spoilt. Recently giving Halo airplay at Field Day Festival in London, no doubt he left more begging for a release, and hearing this in a club setting came close to making up for not hearing Open Eye Signal or Collider. Typically Hopkins, it's a track that is eye-wateringly rich in texture.
Lindstrøm / Closing Shot / Played by Jon hopkins
To close, he gave us Closing Shot – how very apt. Despite an unfortunate technical glitch, this little head-bopper of a track was a lovely entry to what had been a high-octane set. Building from quickened drums and claps, once we were fully immersed in its joyful embrace, the fluid melody brought nothing but cheesed-up smiles and starry eyes. Lovely, lovely stuff.
Bartellow / Saba / Played by Axel Boman
This date, as far as we're aware, was the only time we'll see Axel Boman in Ibiza in 2017. Hailed as a cheerful, jovial sort force of nature, The Swedish don's sets are known to be both eclectic and audacious. Bartellow's leftfield house track was the one to kick it all off, and as it began to echo through the club, we were quickly on Boman's side for his next move – but not before we soaked this bad boy up.
Jimpster / Silent Stars / Played by Axel Boman
Title track from Jimpster's recently released seventh full-length, Silent Stars is a eargasmic fusion of house and tribal. Take a look at the vivid album artwork – yes, it's a bit far-fetched to suggest this illustrates Pacha's dance floor – but a good few unhinged humans were seen willing to loosen their spines. Be done with the sidestep – we're blessed with hips for good reason.
Maceo Plex / Lucid Dreamer / Played by Axel Boman
Maceo fiends will have swooped down on this track at the diving speed of a falcon. Snatched from his newly released album, Solar, Boman tastefully chose to end with this ethereal beauty. And from there, we had our Mosaic residency chief.
Maetrik / The Poem / Played by Maceo Plex
And here we had a dosage of one of Maceo's aliases. Released on his imprint Ellum in 2012, releasing his alter ego did him good on that dance floor. Loaded with the kind of groove that has you down to glute-ripping squat position. With the dominant male vocal ripping in, there was a noticeable ripple from within the crowd. Make sure you batter through Maetrik's back catalogue if you haven't already done so.
Rebolledo / Discótico Pléxico (Maceo Plex Remix) / Played by Maceo Plex
Hands down, this was your “what the f&%k is that?” moment. As soon as that first echoing “ahhhhhhh” rushes in, you're off on one. Taken from Rebolledo's upcoming remix album, Mondo – Re-Alterado, Maceo's rework is a rumbling club thumper. Released through a sound system, this sounds incredible, and I´d hope that this will be remerging throughout the season.
Le Carousel / Carousel (Phil Kieran Mix) / Played by Maceo Plex
The way in which Phil Kieran's Le Carousel track was brought into the mix evidenced Maceo's deft abilities at pulling from different styles. Seconds before, it had a been a rugged, pounding 4X4 drum beat, and then with shimmering grace, Carousel entered the playing field. Within his set, this indie dance record sounded rougher and far more destructive than you may hear it in another DJ's selection – and that's the magic of music.
