The Pacha-hosted Dj Awards dished up an ensalada mixta at their ceremony last night. It's not easy to combine ingredients from scenes as disparate as urban music, techno and trance and not unexpectedly it was the easily-digested house awards that went down best.
Adding the cheese topping was Bob Sinclar (note no i Dj Awards people) who got best house dj and best track of the season for the shamelessly emotional 'World Hold On' which exhorts "children of the sky" to "open up your heart".
Other winners included trance dj Paul Van Dyk who went to Pacha once several years ago but has not been back since.
Neither was there much likelihood minimal master Richie Hawtin would enter the hallowed home of happy house to collect his best techno jock gong. He didn't.
Typically the most touching part of the ceremony is when Pacha, perhaps to counter its anti-competitive reputation, gives out the award for Best Ibiza Bar.
The definition of 'bar' is stretched to include venues which do loud music and getting down. This year San Rafael's petite yet powerful Underground was the beneficiary of the senior venue's largess.
owner & dj Juanito @ Underground - September 22, 2006
Underground - August 17, 2006
Adam Freeland @ Underground - Augst 17, 2006
Resident dj Jus Rock (right) describes the reaction of the champagne-quaffing crew who attended last night's event as "well chuffed". They should be.
With no billboards, no magazine advertising, no posters, no highly co-ordinated web marketing campaign they effortlessly attracted a hip and pleasant crowd every week to their completely free music-focused events.
Our congrats to all of last night's winners (see below)
- Techno Dj - Richie Hawtin
- Track of the Season - 'World Hold On' by Bob Sinclar featuring Steve Edwards
- House DJ - Bob Sinclar
- Tech House/Progressive Dj - John Digweed
- Art Design - Pure Pacha
- Outstanding Dedication - La Troya's Brasilio de Oliveira
- Urban DJ & Urban Set - Jazzy Jeff
- Ibiza Bar - Underground
- Technology - Pioneer
- Newcomer - Paul Woolford
- Trance - Paul Van Dyk
- Set of the Season - Masters At Work
- Breakthrough - Jamie Lewis
- International Dj - Erick Morillo
- Ibiza Night - Carl Cox Global at Space
- Outstanding Contribution - Sonar
- Urban Set - Jazzy Jeff
- Ibiza Dj - Sarah Main
- Lifetime Achievement - Simon Dunmore
Click here for an Underground mix from Jus Rock
Underground closes next Wednesday (October 4)