For many years the Opening and Closing parties of Ibiza’s Space nightclub have marked the beginning and the end of the famous Mediterranean island’s unique summer music season. Both events are a gathering of the world’s most party hardy old friends, and the DJ line-up can often reflect that, with faithful global names like Carl Cox and John Digweed appearing time and again.
Therefore when a young artist who has burst onto the scene from total obscurity in a few short years takes centre stage, it’s a big deal. And so it is when the giant mouse ears that hide Joel Zimmerman step up to the controls of the vast Space Car Park, an additional seventh dance arena(!) at the venue, which only opens for these two epic annual parties.
In a set dominated by his own Deadmau5 productions, tracks like ‘The Reward Is Cheese’ set the tone perfectly for a late afternoon of building communal excitement, as his oversees the transition from hot sunny day to hotter all night rave. Often the heat forces him to remove the trademark ‘mau5’ helmet, revealing a DJ intently focussed on working an array of touchpads, controllers and other digital witchcraft to chop up, draw out and ultimately drop his huge basslines and electro squelches to the heaving, appreciative crowd.
As an estimated 17,000 people pass through the venue during the course of this party, Deadmau5 provides a driving, techy, at times euphoric but always suitably tough selection of tracks that keep his arena a true spectacle to behold. As a showcase for this rapidly rising star it probably doesn’t get much better than this.
As his track ‘Not Exactly’ marks a peak in the proceedings, scantily clad girls mount shoulders for a better view, tattooed muscle men jump around wildly and a freakshow of performers gyrate around the stage. The man at the controls is enjoying himself, and remains unfazed by a mayhem all his own making going on as far as the eye can see. There is the distinct impression that Deadmau5 may become a regular feature of this dance music pilgrimage for some years to come. Ibiza loves the Mau5.
