There was a full moon, it was a hot steamy night and we were headed for a secluded Ibiza beach… No, I’m not getting into the business of writing romance novels in my spare time (Spare time? In Ibiza? You’re kidding aren’t you?), I’m talking about the officlal launch party of Diesel Island at S’Estanyol in Ibiza last Friday night!
The concept of the event was ‘the birth of a nation’ (for the foreseeable next six weeks anyway), a place where it’s all about freedom, the beach, the sun and the Mediterranean Sea… but I have to admit, I was a little hesitant when the invites declared it the ‘land of the stupid and home of the brave’! What kind of new world order was this?
The only way to find out was to be one of the brave…
Along with a few hundred other brave invitees (some familiar faces and other unknown peeps who looked so cool and Diesel-esque I had to wonder whether they’d been flown in as ‘stunt guests’ for the occasion), we made the pilgrimage to S’Estanyol (oh alright, it’s only a ten-minute drive from town so not much of a pilgrimage, but it is a bumpy ten minutes!), where we arrived to free flowing mojitos (and when I say free, I mean quite literally) and crisp, cold Singha beer…
By the light of the full moon, and some serious Diesel branded spotlights on the cliffs,we were treated to a killer live performace by Nightmares on Wax – and seriously, I have seen NoW about a zillion times, having the good fortune to live on an island where they play at least once a week and this was THE BEST YET! With some truly amazing guest vocalists – including the young MC Charlie, who was making his debut and had a huge crowd of (fresh out of Morna school) mates in the crowd showing their love and creating an awesome atmosphere – in tow, DJ E.A.S.E. and crew whipped the crowd into a full-moon frenzy, and at one point, as each and every member of the dance floor was pulled up onstage, it felt like it had turned into a rave of sorts!
Later on, French DJ duo DJinger and Kiddy Smile treated us to a funked up selection of eclectic tunes, as entertaining with their rather interesting costume changes (or costume swapping!) throughout the night as they were with the beats – and a very refreshing change to see some new faces (and thus hear some different sounds) on the Ibiza party scene. Bravo Diesel Island!
While many other party goers fell under the spell of the full moon (or perhaps it was the über-strong mojitos!), poor little Miss W was suffering from a case of the dreaded midsummer Ibiza flu, which meant sadly an early getaway was in order this time before I could get myself into any more trouble – doctor’s orders. Even I wasn’t brave OR stupid enough to argue with that!
THE LOWDOWN
THE GOOD: The free shuttle service – and we’re not talking about a bumpy old bus ride here, we’re talking a sleek and sexy Diesel Land Rover – to and from the party was the perfect way to arrive in style AND ensure guests didn’t drink and drive, given the party’s hard to navigate location. And it felt pretty V.VIP to boot!
THE BAD: What was with the hardcore techno in between the good vibes of Nightmares on Wax and the super-fun eclectic beats of French duo DJinger Twiggy and Kiddy Smile? I know good music is in the ears of the beholder, but seriously, it a-l-m-o-s-t killed the vibe for a little while there…
THE GOSSIP: There are some island locals out there having a little moan about one of their favourite ‘secret’ beaches being taken over by a corporate brand – but I say let’s give Diesel Island a chance! This is corporate cool (I mean seriously, it’s not like Diesel are the suit-and-tie types by any means), Ibiza stylee and it’s here until August 31… we can have the best of both worlds!
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