Of all of Pacha's acquisitions in 2013, Solomun was always going to prove the most easily assimilated. The Diynamic boss has carved out a clever niche for himself in recent years, commanding that line between underground and mainstream. That said, his Solomun +1 venture was a bold conceptual move. Instead of bolstering his brand with the customary list of supporting acts, he chose to sharpen the focus on himself, accompanied each week by only a single guest. But it's a gamble that appears to have paid off. His most recent party saw him partner with the idiosyncratic DJ Koze, his most leftfield invitee to date.
Coming on slightly later than billed, Solomun announced his arrival with a complete change of pace, cutting from Angel Linde's frisky closing track to a slice of poppy electronica. From here he stuck closely by the more commercially viable side of his repertoire, keeping the basslines plump and the vocals pervasive. A brief interlude into darker, more driving selections harked back to his formative years, before he returned to the here and now with remixes of Foals and Noir & Haze. Whatever you may think of Solomun, his crowd adore him. Koze astutely followed the main man's lead, starting with upbeat, disco-geared records before beginning a rapid-fire run-through all manner of feel-good house. As Nina Simone edits ran into Charles Webster's touching remix of Justin Martin's "Sad Piano," the Pampa Records man made light work of what on paper must have felt like one of his more challenging gigs.
Way back at the start of the season, Guy Gerber hinted that Nicolas Jaar would at some point be making an appearance alongside him at Wisdom Of The Glove. As it turned out, Jaar brought his celebrated live show not to Pacha, but to its newest venue, Destino, on Wednesday. The performance would be Jaar's only show in Ibiza this summer, serving as the third in a six-part series of free Destino events. For all its blatant opulence, the space was hard not to like, oozing all the class of Pacha's flagship club. Palm trees led the way through to an open, well-lit courtyard, where Guy Gerber was spinning catchy, progressive beats from a carbon copy of the Ushuaia stage.
After a slight crossover delay, Jaar took to his position, starting off with a selection of new, R&B-infused material. Despite the slo-mo grooves, he kept the vibe upbeat and summery, forging a powerful interaction between visuals and music. A puppet-master of intensity, Jaar fused disco licks with his trademark, low-slung basslines, maintaining the gaze of the crowd at every move. Towards the latter part of his set, he brought out the hits with a live fusion of "El Bandido" and "Mi Mujer." Despite the nonchalant surroundings, the entire set was captivating, with Jaar expertly conveying his knack for conjuring up feeling and atmosphere.
Of all the island heavyweights, none can claim to be putting in as much of a shift in 2013 as Loco Dice. By far the most active member of this season's DJ swap phenomenon, Dice would preview the Kiesgrube Open Air special of his own Used + Abused party with a set at DC-10 the night before, his first since 2006. Given the relaxed manner as he entered the booth at Ushuaia on Thursday, one can assume all went by without a hitch. As Dice laughed and joked with friends, Dixon stood glued to the CDJs, spinning an hour of his signature dreamscapes.
As he crossed over into his final hour, the Innervisions boss injected some fire into his selections, dropping Cajmere's "Satisfy" as a marker of intent. A saunter through some of the season's biggest records followed, including Jimmy Edgar's drums-heavy "Strike." Never one to shy away from an entrance, Dice blended his way from Dixon's tender last track into something equally emotive, if a touch tougher. Once the first kick drum hit, Dice was off, laying a path of cantering basslines. Keeping the sounds heavy and housey, he seemed to be carrying his form through from the night before, instantly raising buoyancy levels and making the party his own. On reflection, it was the best I've seen Dice play in a while.
Elsewhere...
Richie Hawtin lights up the main room with his headline set at last week's ENTER. Earlier that day, the Minus boss had played an unannounced show at a bar in San Antonio.
Los Suruba spin for the worker ants at last week's in-house affair at Ushuaia. Andrea Oliva, George Fitzgerald and Martin Buttrich also played.
The Martinez Brothers get into the swing of things at the 15th anniversary on Monday. In what was described as the best Circoloco of the season, Kerri Chandler, Dyed Soundorom and DVS1 put in stellar performances.
Loco Dice joined Jamie Jones on the Terrace at DC-10 for some light-hearted fun (and his first show there since 2006). Richie Hawtin will play for Jones next week.