For many clubbers in Ibiza, Cream isn't just a party; it's an institution. For over 20 years, the event has been a home for trance lovers all over the world, bringing them to the doors of Amnesia every Thursday. For any raver who wants to listen to the best in progressive house and trance, this is the place to be. The closing was a case in point.
In recent years they have also expanded into featuring house and EDM artists, giving the audience a choice of the musical vibe they want to experience that evening. For each summer season, their line-up roster is filled with big-name acts like Fatboy Slim, Paul Van Dyk and Above & Beyond taking up residency positions. They bring a party experience like no other each week, so it's no surprise that they were voted as Best Club of the Last 25 Years by Mixmag.
2017 has been another triumphant year for the mega event seeing some great acts play in both rooms of Amnesia. The party opened its doors on 8 June with Sister Bliss of Faithless in the Terrace, smashing out dance bangers. July saw legend Paul Oakenfold spin Cream classics in the Main Room; the atmosphere from that night was both nostalgic and electric. In August, Marshmello brought his high-octane sound to Amnesia, in a mash of electronic bass and EDM.
Now in September, we reached the end of 16 weeks of dance music bliss and we went to check out the spectacular closing. Here are 5 things that made Cream's final party an amazing one.
1. Main Room vs Terrace
One of the main reasons for Cream's success in 2017 and in previous years for that matter is their ability to balance their line-ups and rooms to create an overall brilliant experience. The main room featured trance talents Will Atkinson and Bryan Kearney who got the room pumping with stompers like Cotton Candy by Electro Sun. If you need a break from hard trance, you can venture into the house grooves of the Terrace.
First, you had the funky flavours of Anthony Probyn, who did a brilliant job of warming up the dancefloor at the beginning of the night. Cream had a surprise up its sleeve for the next act, Kristian Nairn aka DJ Hodor. The Game of Thrones actor was met with great cheers from the crowd and he played a tasty half an hour set. Later he was followed by UK Radio star Danny Howard who took the crowd on anthemic house journey with tracks like Cola by Camelphat.
2. Fatboy Slim
In the Terrace, you could feel the anticipation rising for the main set of the evening, the performance from Cream resident and UK dance music icon Fatboy Slim. His arrival to the stage was welcomed with rapturous applause. In the background, a magical sample of Carnival of the Animals: The Aquarium blended with a glorious Praise You vocal signalled the start of his set. With a flick of the fader he dropped in Eat Sleep Rave Repeat and the crowd exploded as confetti cannons fired above them.
Fatboy Slim is not just a DJ; he is an all-around performer, dressed in his customary Hawaiian shirt, bouncing around on stage firing his air horns. It's hugely entertaining to see him in his element. My favourite moment of his set, however, came from a track that set the dance floor on fire, Let Go of My Acid by Artwork. This acid banger has been a highly sought-after record for dance music lovers for many years and soon to be released later next month.
3. Visuals and Music
The visual decoration style of Cream is iconic in itself. The classic logo ornaments hang from the ceiling as the clubbers reach for them with the rise of each track. Lasers shine out from the stages to the back of the room as ravers excitedly dance below them. Dry ice blasts from cannons and cools the attendees. The visuals on the LED boards are both cool and trippy to watch, particularly during Fatboy's set.
The music at Cream has become a part of its heritage. You have the uplifting euphoric sound of trance in the Main Room. The violin and piano sample laden track In Silence by XiJaro & Pitch was a perfect example of this. Beautiful ascending tracks that dropped in powerful progressive dance beats. Popular hits from the clubbing world filled the Terrace, but every now and again a DJ pulls something a bit special. DJ S.K.T started his set with this dancefloor heater and set the pace for the early morning.
4. Paul Van Dyk
Of course, a closing night at Cream would not be complete without trance master, Paul Van Dyk. At 3:00 he stepped onto the stage. As he held his hands up in the air, the crowd responded by doing the same lifted by rising melodies and space-age sounds. The German DJ and producer is famed for his skills behind the decks. To watch him from the wings of the DJ booth was a special moment.
In the middle of his set, he dropped an edit of his own track For An Angel and the reaction was electric. Everyone was smiling emitting the euphoric vibe of the evening, dancing away to the beat without a care in the world. A poignant moment in his set was when he dropped Children by the late Robert Miles. The whole room chanted the tune back as red lasers shone above them. It was an incredible moment to experience.
5. Cream classics with Les Schmitz
Amnesia resident Les Schmitz took on the closing set of the Main Room with a set full of tracks you could immerse yourself in. The loyal trance crowd were dancing to tunes like Madagascar by Paul Oakenfold, a mixture of synth lines and stabs that make for one awesome electronic track. With it pumping through the Amnesia speakers, the energy in the room was high.
The best moment of his set was when Schmitz brought the levels down, only to bring them up again in anticipation for the next track. The familiar overlapping melodies kept rising and rising until I knew that it was Cafe del Mar by Cream playing. I threw my hands in the air one last time and danced to the track one last time this season. With the electric euphoric vibe still echoing inside from the fantastic Cream closing, we cannot wait until next year.
Photography | Amnesia & Michael Tomlinson
