Top raver, booth infiltrator and our very own AM to PM girl, Lissy Lübeck is back for summer 2023, sharing her thoughts, experiences and inner musings from Ibiza's clubland. A year older, but a year wiser? Probably not.
If you heard it from anybody else, you'd dismiss it as hyperbole, but Lissy Lü's real life is like that.
Partying as a profession is a hard life... but somebody's got to do it!
Saturday 1 July
To be writing an entry for July already seems pretty surreal. Where has the first half of summer disappeared to? Time flies when you're having fun.
Safe to say, we started the month how we intend to go on: hectic, fun-filled and with lots of LOLs. From the opening of Playa Soleil in Playa den Bossa yesterday evening (that's the old Bora Bora to you old timers), we wound up at a villa party in the hills of San Augustin until sunrise. This kind of spontaneity is exactly why a night out in Ibiza can never be underestimated.
Playa Soleil gets the Lübeck seal of approval
RUMORS did a brilliant job of hosting the newly and totally revamped beach club, which has been transformed into a classy and seductive sanctum of ambient lighting and perfectly fitting beachside interior design. I approve.
At around 01:00, the group decided to head to Marcel and Nathalia's pad for an impromptu after-party. Myself and Tim alternated on the decks until the early hours. Not having your own USB when you're still grasping the art of mixing can be challenging, so the audience got what they were given - a nice blend of Trance anthems and early Noughties dance classics.
The view from Marcel and Nathalia's place is priceless
It went down well with all five people in the room! But served as a reminder to never leave home without your USB, just in case.
Sunday 2 July
The clubbing team's official day off, it can be hard to drag yourself out of bed on a Sunday after a full week of clubbing until 06:00, however the enticing crystal clear waters of the island's beaches do make this a lot easier.
Our playa of choice today was Cala Bassa. It's one of my favourites for swimming, as there's no waves, just endless aquas and beautiful views. Of course Sundays are the busiest beach days on the island, so it was full with families and tourists by the time we made it, but this doesn't take anything away from the magic of its shores.
It wouldn't be a day at the beach without entrepreneurial-minded looky-looky men eyeing a business opportunity. Though I have to say they pulled through with the knock-offs this time.
After a lot of haggling, somebody within earshot purchased a Gucci monogram bucket hat from one persistent seller. Who can say if it was me? I guess we'll never know. Needless to say, whoever this mystery owner was, it was too good of a replica and too favourable a price to resist.
Later that evening, I was treated to a dinner at Ibiza Marina's newest luxury culinary venture, Novikov and WOW!
We indulged in copious amounts of their signature cocktails, alongside some spicy edamame, vegetable tempura and duck croquettes to start. For the mains, we opted for the special fried rice, baby miso chicken and sauteed beef.
Each dish was perfectly presented and oozed with flavour. I have to give a special mention to the staff, as they were super attentive and helpful throughout. I got a little more tipsy than originally intended, so our quick pop-in to Club Chinois to see Franky Wah did not happen.
Sorry, Franky! I'll make it up to you another time.
Monday 3 July
Today was the start of a relentless party week ahead for our clubbing team, so we decided that there was no better way than to line the stomachs at Tapas.
Monday on the island is one of the biggest nights in terms of the clubbing calendar, with all of Amnesia Presents, Flower Power, Worried About Henry, Circoloco and of course Eric Prydz's HOLO all taking over the super-clubs.
First up, we headed to Amnesia for the early part of the night, before jumping in a Sprinter over to Hï Ibiza for the opening of Eric Prydz's HOLO with Adam Beyer, Cristoph and Patrick Topping.
(NOTE: found some cool sunnies in the Sprinter and immediately claimed them as my own, only to later discover they were Matt from Gorgon City's. Still, they looked good for a moment)
We managed to squeeze ourselves onto a VIP table at the front right of The Theatre, which was such a blessing, as we had a front-on view of the Prydz in action and his accompanying visuals for which the party is so famed. I was blown away! It was like stepping into the future until he played Pyjanoo which took me back a decade to my early teens. Pretty epic.
Patrick Topping in the Club Room was jam-packed from start to finish, with eager fans keen to catch a glimpse of the Newcastle-born Trick label head. He played all of his classics including Be Sharp Say Nowt, Shake My Booty and his new certified banger Make Me Happy.
He also supported his fellow Geordie apprentice turned superstar Ben Hemsley by playing a few of his bangers too. Ben is his guest next week (tonight, 10 July).
Tuesday 4 July
Tonight was dedicated to Pacha. The island's OG club celebrating a whopping half a century here on Ibiza this year. From El Hotel cocktail bar to El Restaurante and then straight to Pacha club itself to see CAMELPHAT in action, it's safe to say we got our cherry fix.
Arriving for sunset, the hotel's cocktail bar is the perfect place to sit and have a quiet drink before a night ahead. It's modern interiors are aesthetically pleasing, and the cocktails are made with all the love and care in the world.
Over the road, we sat down to eat in the restaurant's newly upgraded terrace area that consists of its own DJ and open kitchen, where you can watch the chefs making fresh sushi from scratch. We were lavished with classic cocktails, sushi platters, lobster tempura and a scrumptious signature dessert dish, served up on a royal ceramic pillow. Dreamy.
With free entrance into the club, if you spend €100 euros per head in the restaurant, it's a no-brainer - especially on the busier, more expensive nights. We headed straight in to the DJ booth, where we caught the end of Adana Twins and their handover to Kölsch. The vibe was pumping and the atmosphere electric.
Highlight of the night, however, was managing to get my hands on one of the limited edition Keinemusik x Pacha t-shirts from the merch shop right before we left. There was one last size, it was meant to be!
Wednesday 5 July
A night to remember. After recovering in the day from the last few nights out, tonight was the night that I finally went to Hï Ibiza to see my favourite Australian take to the decks for the second year of his residency. Yes, I'm talking about the man FISHER.
Not before a dinner with the man himself, with his wife Chloe and her best friend Ellidy, who I'm also a big fan of thanks to their podcast series!
Upon arrival at Casa Maca, we were escorted to the table where Chris Hemsworth (!!!) and his wife Elsa were also sat! I knew he was good friends with FISHER, but I wasn't expecting to be sitting opposite a Hollywood movie star at dinner. I didn't know where to look.
Rubbing shoulders with A-listers
They were all super lovely and down to earth, just how I imagined they would be. We indulged in some gorgeous dishes including grilled aubergine and steak which we cooked on our own hotplates. I drank my bodyweight in espresso martinis to keep me awake, ending on a pornstar for good measure. To my surprise, it's not a thing in Australia! No one had heard of a Pornstar Martini before.
Casually, FISHER dropped into the convo about going to the villa of England footballer Jack Grealish before heading to the club. Two people that I thought were worlds apart, are actually good mates!
The villa idea was soon scrapped, but a few of the football team did make it to Hï later for a boogie. I think they thought that wearing a bucket hat and sunglasses would prove to be an adequate disguise. If anything, it drew more attention to them.
FISHER lived up to my expectations and I can't wait to go again. Oh, I also got chatting with Martin Garrix too. What a night!
Thursday 6 July
We go again. I think today was the day when the hangover really hit home. Before heading to O Beach to interview long-reigning ON111 resident DJ Spoony, a mandatory trip to Skinny Kitchen was a must. Asides from nearly falling asleep face down in my brunch, the food was delish and set me up for the evening.
DJ Spoony was a cool guy, repping a matching two-piece and some designer trainers. He definitely thought that fit out carefully. Hayley did a great job at prompting him for the juicy goss and the video turned out great.
Next up, we headed to the home of the pool party Ibiza Rocks to catch ArrDee at his last Fire In The Pool of 2023. Run by Charlie Sloth, we caught the end of the Hip-Hop DJ's hype set, before the Brighton-born superstar took centre stage.
He played all of his chart toppers, and the crowd were going crazy - especially the girls.
Saturday 8 July
To end the week on a high, we had a back-to-back schedule on Saturday.
Our day started at Big Putts (great name), San Antonio's new mini golf course, located opposite the Marco Polo hotels. Owned by Callum Best and Wayne Lineker, it's the perfect spot for a little lighthearted competitiveness between friends. I'm not sure who won officially, but I'm claiming the W! I'm a sportsman at heart.
La Specialitá - a special kind of pizza at El Hotel Pacha
After we headed back to Pacha's El Hotel, to La Specialità to try out their famed pizza ovens. I clocked the pizzas being delivered to another table when we went on Tuesday and they looked divine, so I was beyond buzzing to give them a go. They did not disappoint.
Super light, with the highest quality of toppings in true Italian style, the taste buds were tingling. With pizza prices ranging from around €20 to €60 for their specials, I would say it's definitely worth it. The steak also hit the spot.
During our sitdown meal, I came to the realisation that both Dan Ghanecia and Traumer were playing for TRIP at Club Chinois. Two of my favourite DJs, it would've been rude not to pop in.
Dan performed a vinyl set, where he rolled out all the Minimal bangers. The accompanying visuals were gripping and very trippy too. I guess that's where the night gets its name. Talking of trippy, our night would take a bit of a turn west, with Eden and Es Paradis up next.
Completely spontaneous, we went from listening to underground, to Hip-Hop, then Spanish EDM at Fiesta del Agua. What a turn of events! I thoroughly enjoyed all parties, and it reminded me just how versatile the island is.
Ready for more misadventures in clubland? The next dancefloor diary entry An enforced detour back home is online now.
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