Stranded at sea or as happy as can be? The latter I reckon.
Music heads visiting Ibiza might overlook the option of a boat party. Say the words and your mind immediately runs to sloppy champagne sprays and cheesy drinking games fit for boozed-up Club 18-30 types or naive first-timers. We all have our prejudices.
However, the Lost In Ibiza boat party kills that stereotype.
Perhaps one of a kind, Lost In Ibiza is truly underground with music at the centre of its appeal.
In previous years, the rave out at sea has seen some huge DJs mix on the waters. Richy Ahmed, Alan Fitzpatrick and Detlef are just a handful to have gotten lost with partygoers on the Balearic blues. Well, the boat party is affiliated with Paradise, so that makes a lot of sense.
Stranded in paradise
I arrived at the Playa d'en Bossa meet-up location a little too late to get any real pre-drinks in at BXXCH Club Ibiza, but for a €40 top-up attendees can get unlimited drinks on the boat. Suddenly my sober issue was an issue no longer.
Banging tunes, lush views and on top of that some knock-out scran? (If, like me, dancing works up a ravenous appetite, organisers also throw in a generous portion of Paella. Not to be sniffed at). Boat party reputation redeemed and I hadn't yet stepped a foot on board.
When boarding, I found the tailored event decor and lounge beds around the edges of the dancefloor an inviting welcome. Downstairs, the bar was spacious and had plenty of areas for ravers to relax, chat and take in the stunning Ibiza scenery.
Not that I personally did much relaxing. The music was just too good to sit down.
Setting-off to a great start, was Pierce Rogerson under his DJ alias Paps. Think Sunwaves festival meets Paradise kind of vibes. A few tracks from his set that stood out, were his most recent collab with Enygma, I Know Da Name and his solo track Move. Both spun heads.
It's hard to tell if it was the rocking of the boat itself or the pure intensity of the its Void sound system that had us all wobbling about - probably a combination of both. Given the sounds, scene and setting, I gleefully wobbled away.
Next on the roster was Manchester's Michael Quadelli, a good friend and even better DJ and producer. He has broken into the Ibiza scene with earnest this summer and fully deserved the booking.
As you and I know, the best parties are always the ones where the DJ is just as hyped as the crowd. In this instance that was exactly the case. Taking over from Pap's bad ass warm-up, Quadelli played a Herculean set as the boat halted to let passengers take a dip in the sea.
By this point the energy was paramount. Michael's selections included Nathan Inman's Sound System and Roots' Stronger (Organ Mix).
Seeing us off on our journey back to the shore was Lucas Alexander with some seriously succulent warm House tracks. You know, the type that get you moving involuntarily. His set included some major tunes that I couldn't ID much to my frustration (damn you, lack of 4G).
Luckily, the videos I took allowed me to heist some post party. In particular, a few that blew me and my fellow seafarers away included Stef Davidse's The Reason (Lucas Alexander Remix) - insane - and Dare To Feel Good (Chris Gialanze Gorillaz Edit), another absolute beast.
As you can no doubt conclude yourselves from the snapshot of music above, Lost In Ibiza fulfilled its promise of keeping things underground. All killer, no filler - and not a champagne spray in sight.
Not only was I relieved, but I vow never to write-off anything before I've experienced it myself again.
Did we end up rolling through to Paradise? Erm, it would've been not only rude not to, but foolhardy. Seriously, I urge everybody to take advantage of this killer deal.
Being stranded in paradise never tasted so sweet.
This week, Lost In Ibiza is joined by Amo & Mills from Una Más Ibz and Just Amy. More underground goodness incoming.
You can find tickets to that sailing and the rest in the summer 2023 calendar below. These include that tantalising upgrade to include entrance to Paradise at Amnesia. Well worth the extra money, since you save big time on buying a separate ticket.
PHOTOGRAPHY | by La Skimal
