Ushuaïa always attracts a colourful crowd and it's no different for the much anticipated ANTS opening party. Before we even enter the club I already spot a wide array of outfits ranging from banana suits to sailor costumes and everything in between.
We arrive at the ant colony and join Deetron at the sunny poolside, where scantily clad bodies are splashing about in the paddling pool to the warm and soulful tracks laid down for us by the Swiss DJ/producer. For the next hour and a half we join the half naked dancing neon tribe and lose ourselves to the music, flailing our hair back and forth and feeling the rays on our sun-deprived skin. Passing the torch to Spanish talent Uner, Deetron brings his set to a climax with one of his own productions Photon which Uner seamlessly mixes with the Mediterranean sounds of Adrian Oblanca with his track Body Back setting the tone and the standard high for the rest of his set.
Looking around me at the beautiful backdrop of Ushuaïa I am always impressed by the décor that ANTS creates. With creepy crawling ants dotted around the entire length of Ushuaïa and black nets stretched over the dance floor you truly feel part of the ANTS colony - including the dancers who are dressed in full black structured ant themed costumes, leading the way in dance moves for the ant colony to follow.
ANTS is the only party at Ushuaïa that starts the day with music by the poolside to really get that intimate underground housey vibe that ANTS is famed for. At 9pm Uner plays his last banger of a track and the switch is made to the main stage where some of the crowd are already eagerly awaiting ANTS resident Andrea Oliva's take over (check out our feature interview with the man here). With the drop of that first beat the production team goes all out with fireworks, smoke machines and amazing intricate lighting to really take the crowd to the next level.
By the time the first set of fireworks is over, Andrea Oliva has the crowd completely pumped and ready to take on the night after the daytime pool party. The sound system is vibrating with the banging beats that Andrea lays down for us, including some tracks of his newly released album 4313. As the sun has fully descended, Matthias Tanzmann takes to the main stage. With the usual accompaniment of pyrotechnics and confetti cannons, his set is masterful. Reading the crowd in exceptional fashion, he produces a fantastic atmosphere of techy bangers, closing with the old classic currently enjoying a dance floor revival - Domino by Oxia - and was arguably the stand out set of the night.
WORDS | Maya Dupont PHOTOGRAPHY | Ushuaïa
