Cocoon ringmaster Sven Vath has put out a compilation CD to mark every summer he’s held his DJ residency at the legendary Amnesia club in Ibiza. This, the eighth instalment, dating from the 2007 season, highlights some of the music played during his record-breaking series of summer parties back in the dance capital of the world.
While not as chock-full of instant classics as some of the previous outings, The Sound of the Eighth season is a sublime showcase of the kind of forward-thinking music that pulls in thousands of punters every Monday night.
Radical Majik’s beautiful staccato plink plonks and rolling bass on the creepy intro ‘Dub Rider’ set the tone for a double CD set that oozes excitement from every track and indeed every mix from Sven, a DJ who still firmly loves to use vinyl for his craft.
The mix moves straight into the cheeky energy of John Spring’s ‘Ready to Broadcast’, conjuring up mental images of a packed Amnesia dancefloor made up of techno fans old and new, all bubbling to the infectious, accessible yet uncompromising musical selection that Sven spins.
The inclusion of a Steve Rachmad belter hints at Cocoon’s more traditional techno foundations, meanwhile relative newcomers like Joris Voorn and Argy supply futuristic visions of where the music is heading. Techno has become a broad palette of styles, and that welcome development has been helped in no uncertain terms by this weekly party.
CD2 heads off into deep late night trippy territory, with the likes of Alejandro Vivanco, Jamie Jones and Martin Buttrich providing examples of the melting pot of house/tech/bleepy styles that have made Sven’s club the biggest, and most striking success story of the decade in Ibiza.
Having started out as real outsiders on the island, up against the mighty Manumission over the road, the Cocoon crew have risen to dominate the musical agenda on the island. Their Eighth season sees them at the peak of their powers, although having said that, the juggernaut shows no sign of stopping today, so who knows what may be possible in future, in Ibiza, at home in Frankfurt or at the increasingly number of events they throw worldwide. Not bad going for a DJ who’s been around since day dot.
