Cocoon Ibiza 29th July review

Now in its 14^th Season, Cocoon is back at Amnesia with a bang this year. With carefully curated line-ups consisting of both new and old faces of the label, week in week out there's something special happening on a Monday night. Last week saw the annual Cocoon Amnesia get together of a:rpia:r and Ricardo Villalobos on the Terrace all night long for an insightful back to back, whilst Sven Vath took over the main room with a little help from Planetary Assault Systems (live). 

There's always hype when the Romanian trio that is a:rpia:r team up with the mighty Cocoon resident Villalobos and we knew we were in for a something of an interesting experience on the Terrace. We were not wrong, and together the four DJs crafted a magical mix of stripped back techno that dripped with rolling percussion, trippy vocals and a whole lot of groovy bass. 

It was a roller-coaster ride as periods of more minimal techno were suddenly thrown into something much more effervescent and driving, the pace then reverting back to a typically percussive state. This yo-yo movement ensured not only the energy of the tunes oscillated but also toyed with the emotions of the crowd, keeping us hooked for the duration of our time on the Terrace. The experience of the music was amplified by the production of the room its-self, with giant fabric leaves hanging from the ceiling lit up by bright colours of orange and green. It left you with the feeling of stumbling into a jungle– perfect for the tribal sound of the tunes. 

Of course no night at Cocoon would be complete without spending some time watching the man behind it all, Papa Sven. We tore ourselves away from the brightly coloured nature Terrace and delved into the darkness of the main room, to find the Cocoon boss powering through the sound of his label. All hands were in the air and all eyes were on Sven, as he seamlessly mixed epic techno, deep into his all night set that we hoped would never end. 

His mixing was so good that at times it was hard to believe that it was just him, his decks and his vinyl, but to be honest it is rare that he delivers anything less. We were entertained until the finish, so much so that given the chance, we could have stayed all day. However, all good things do have to come to an end, and we left the club more than ready for the next Monday night at Cocoon.