Cocoon with Richie Hawtin at Amnesia Ibiza review

Image: Cocoon

You know there's a special event taking place in Amnesia when the queue snakes as far back as it did when we made our way to the superclub on Monday. It was hardly a surprise considering the special guest for the evening, none other than the maestro that is Richie Hawtin.

We started the night with tINI. Her talent is immeasurable and it reflected in her minimal set which was full of surprises. The police may have shut down her tINI and The Gang beach parties, but her following is loyal, it was probably the busiest we have seen Amnesia so early all season.

We headed into the main room to catch Cocoon leader Sven Vath. The production on the Terrace for Cocoon is the perfect vibe-setter. The purple lights and the various sized golden hoops which drop down and adorn the room from the ceiling make the venue look almost like a custom techno planet. The visuals in each room by Dub Video Connection made such an impact on the atmosphere. 

Papa Sven was encapsulating his audience with his signature mixing skills. He never shies away from a heavy bassline, and he kept us all on our toes with his set which was full of twists and turns. He delivered a prime performance as always, and was careful not to peak the club too soon, he kept the room in perfect balance, pushing it further with each and every track and eventually paving the way for his Terrace guest, Richie Hawtin. 

By the time Hawtin took to the decks, the Terrace was at full capacity. Known for taking the crowd on a journey through his techno, he did just that and the club quickly slipped down the rabbit-hole into Richie Hawtin’s enigmatic world.

In some techno sets you can be well aware of an upcoming track change, but for him it's one long adventure which progresses slowly. While he dropped a blend of house and techno beats, the crowd was fully captured within his musical vortex. Hawtin is considered a pioneer within the techno tier and by witnessing a set of this calibre, its easy to see why.

We headed back into the Main Room before the end of the night to catch some of Dubfire’s set, and undeniably he didn’t disappoint. His deep, dark, underground kaleidoscope of minimal techno goodness had the crowd beaming. 

As we exited the club, we were still mesmerised by the techno extravaganza. Cocoon is one special place.

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