Ibiza: Pacha

[Music: John Summit and Hayla “Where You Are” just popped into my head]

Dedicated to my best friend. Grateful to someone who came into my life not a minute too late and with the few moments we have left, someone who I think I won’t even know the importance of until I’m gone.

I wasn’t expecting to go to Ibiza- many surprised I haven’t already been being someone with such a deep relationship to electronic music- but in this case, the universe made it known that after being away from my friend for so long, that it was time to have these moments converge on this tiny Spanish island.

I carefully curated out time in Ibiza- a balance between artists and venues (misses were the Wild Corner toilets room at Hï and Pikes but can’t win them all)- making sure that I could cross off the places and people I did and did not know, the process of learning seems never complete honestly. Each moment so rare and even when seemingly so banal- it feeds in an incongruous way between the past and the future.

Upon arriving at Pacha (the first time) I knew instantly in my whole heart, body and spirit that I was home- like being received in an embrace only someone as special as my friend with me could give. To have this chance to be with her, to be in this place, to be doing something I loved so much- all the stars aligned and for that I am grateful. I will never forget this initial moment at Pacha- I would return to Ibiza for Pacha alone.

This night at Pacha I wanted to arrive right when the doors opened as set times were posted and I was going to see Dom, silly people, not Solomon. That being said, I had been putting off this magical wizard of a man called Solomon and mad respect- he impressed in his skills to melt my mind with the sounds he combined. But Dom- he’s a fun guy and I like the fun ones (came to this conclusion after also seeing Adam Beyer, a first as well, on this trip).

I love the character of Pacha- so hip, so posh, yet still something so grounded in it’s connectedness to a meaning, to the mission of the rave. Sure, people popped bottles of champagne- it’s probably the most elevated of a scene on the island- and yet maybe like Space, for those that didn’t know it the people there would become part of an energy that lives there and that would become some small part of them as they departed away in the warmth of the rising sun.

So much did I love Pacha that on our last night in Ibiza, instead of laying back, we headed to Pacha again- this time with dinner plans and a VIP table (Camelphat played all night long with their friend Sonny showing up to say hello) which allowed us to see so many more parts of the venue.

It’s much bigger than I imagined- the restaurant being split indoor and outdoor (dj set up as part of the bar impressively and also indoors- music is the answer clearly), the club itself with it’s amphitheater arrangement, and an outdoor VIP bar hang out area where I think where the Pacha family perhaps can also access. So many nooks and crannies to Pacha- just like a place so mystical would be expected to have. The mystery further emphasized by the smoky incense in the air.

Another friend (also graced to me by some unbeknownst reason from the universe), recently asked me “if I could open a club what would it be like?” – in the context of a brutalist building we were chatting about. I said that my top 5 clubs were (in no particular order) “Space, Fabric, Pacha, Audio, Sound” covering Miami, London, Ibiza, SF and LA but that my club would probably be something like Pacha in character- it’s not just a place to dance, it’s more like a sanctuary where the truth of our spirit can be both lost and found.

There’s so much gratitude I feel when writing this post and so with that, I’ll say “Where there is darkness, may we bring light. Where there is sadness, may we spread joy. May all beings live in peace- thank you for this day.” For this day and whatever remains in this life, I owe everything to those that I love.

Address: Av. 8 d’Agost, 07800 Eivissa, Illes Balears, Spain

Website: The Guardian: ” ‘Everything we do is about connection’: 50 years of Pacha and the Ibiza club scene”