After whetting our appetites at the start of the year with a special new year edition of his techno extravaganza, Marco Carola last night served up the first Music On of the summer season, with sides of Shaun Reeves and Ryan Crosson.
On entering Music On for the first time, it didn't take long for me to see why Carola had chosen Amnesia as the place to showcase his renowned underground sound. Its simple but impressive layout consisting of two huge, but vastly contrasting rooms fits perfectly with Music On's high quality, gimmick-free approach to music.
The legendary terrace, with its stunning interior and day lit parties, inevitably gives the slightly smaller main room a tough job of pulling in the crowds, but last night Music On regular Joseph Capriati and support act Neverdogs, whose heavy bass and hyper back beats worked perfectly with the main room's gut-wrenching sound system and inky lighting, successfully managed to hold a steady crowd throughout the best part of the night.
The stripped back, simplified approach Carola takes to his sets was reflected in the decor. Ibiza opening party staples like confetti and podium dancers had last night been replaced with just a few carefully selected graphics on the large screens and a sculpture of the Music On logo made from recycled materials. Arty.
Shaun Reeves took the middle spot on the terrace, with an infectious mix of warm, post-minimal techno and house. The shuffling beats and upbeat runs paved the way perfectly for our main man and head-liner, who at four was welcomed back by his faithful following. As ever, Carola was on absolute form, with a seamless stream of his trademark, minimalist tech house, keeping the dedicated crowd dancing well into Saturday.
A couple of hours into Carola's set came sunrise. You often hear people say that San Antonio's sunset strip is the best place on the island to see the sun set, well Amnesia has to up there with one of the best places to be when it rises. It was only my second time in the terrace and its sun drenched party, but from speaking to Ibiza veterans, I'm glad to hear the experience seldom gets old.
The Music On motto is "it's all about the music" ... last night we saw why.
WORDS | Joanna Wright PHOTOGRAPHY | Amnesia Photo Team
