- Some people in Ibiza roll their eyes when you mention Privilege, but the mammoth club has a lot going for it. Ignoring the main room, which is too big and oddly shaped, the venue is mazy and fun to tear around, with great sound, lots of foliage and a handful of pleasant spots away from the dance floor, not least the open-air dome whose lattice structure can be seen for miles around. The jewel is Vista Club, a mid-sized room with floor-to-ceiling windows that, when the sun comes up, has spectacular views of San Rafael and Ibiza Town. It's not got the imposing power of Amnesia or DC-10, but what it lacks in muscle, it makes up for in style.
This is what makes it such a nice fit for Afterlife, the Thursday night residency from Tale Of Us. From the bookings to the lighting, the party is a smart affair. The ashen aesthetic is ambitious yet natural, with flashes of artistic flair. (As event insignia go, the Antony Gormely-esque fallen corpse has to be up there.) The dance floor was filling up fast with trendy Europeans when I arrived last week, as SOMNE, given an extra 30 minutes due to delays, punctuated his dark, mellow tunes with the occasional sparky rhythm. Above him, a horse-shoe of blue lights sent beams flinging around the room. Every so often, one would strike the body hanging from the ceiling.
Since launching at the end of June, Afterlife has breathed fresh life into Vista Club, demonstrating that, with enough effort and creative nous, it's possible to make headsy (at least for Ibiza) house and techno work at the venue. Some of the music on Thursday was up there with the best I've heard on the island, a style of deep techno that rarely makes sense here or finds an audience. Mathew Jonson worked hard to get the crowd moving, peppering his bouncy, rumbling grooves with violent snares and riveting synth hooks. Daniel Avery capitalised on this lively yet sinister mood with an early run of sleek cuts, gloomy but with plenty of drive. He kept the breakdowns short and impactful, introducing fresh textures—wispy pads, clanging synths, swirling pads—with every new track. Af's "Teknox" and "Degreelessness" by Nathan Fake and Prurient were two of countless highlights.
Something curious happened when Tale Of Us took over: while the atmosphere fizzed with anticipation, the energy in the music dipped considerably, the result of muffled sound and a sharp turn towards more downbeat grooves. After Jonson and Avery's punchy sets, this felt like a backwards step, although it didn't seem to dent the crowd's enthusiasm. Whatever you think about Tale Of Us, their emotional sound connects deeply with people. Minutes before 7 AM, as the first streaks of sunlight dappled the floor, they rewarded the die-hards with hits like Âme's "Rej" and, to finish, their fervid remix of Hans Zimmer's "Time." Slowly, people opened their eyes, joined in the applause and mentally prepared themselves for the taxi scrum outside.
Photo credit /
Julián Farina