It was a different gig than normal - but that didn’t make it any less fun - on the contrary…

As usual click on images for larger versions - review to follow…

Nightmares on Wax will be launching their forthcoming album “Thought So…” (out on 25th August) with a free launch party down at Ibiza Rocks Hotel.

It’s on Wednesday 20th August from 8.30pm till midnight with the Nightmares on Wax Sound System with MC’s & vocalists .

Its also being broadcast on ibizasonica.com from 8.30pm and locally on 95.2fm from 10pm.

Last year we were lucky enough to go to a smirnoff private party at Cala d’hort, overlooking Es Vedra, where they played a blinding set.

Our blog from last year: Nightmares On Wax secret gig in Ibiza tonight

As we went to press for the August edition of Ibiza NOW magazine the latest victim of the recent clampdown on island music venues was Kumharas in the bay of Sant Antoni.

We understand that this latest closure came about because someone was caught smoking cannabis at a licensed ‘Legalise Cannabis’ event some three years ago. Although the heavy fine imposed at the time was duly paid and the local Guardia Civil are housed next door to the venue, this popular family favourite for a fabulous view of the sunset was ordered to close for 2 months.

This seems a little excessive in light of the well publicised deaths caused through the abuse of drugs at other larger venues around the island but, no doubt, the truth of the matter will rise to the surface in the near future.

In the meantime the punters are heading to Chirincana at Cala Martina on the east coast. This alternative to Kumharas is similar and bound to benefit in the face of the latter’s closure.

It has the sunset, which is unusual for an east coast venue and a similar grungy, holistic vibe. If anything the vibe is even more ‘roots’, as the hippies from the old Camping Florida camp site all seem to have returned.

Good luck to them, it was probably more ‘ambient’ than the eponymous event taking place simultaneously at Café del Mar… We got so sucked into the spiritual ambience that we were late for the evening’s gig by Ibizarre at the Atzaro country hotel featuring Eva Pacifico…

Some highlights in August’s edition :

• Fiestas: August is the main fiesta month on Ibiza and celebrated all over the islands. Eivissa, Ses Figueretas, Platja d’en Bossa, Sant Llorenzo, Cala Llonga, Sant Antoni and Sant Agusti all hold celebrations this month, so expect to see a lot of fireworks…
• Chiringuitos: A report on half a dozen of the beaches where you’ll find some of the finest of these charming little rustic beach establishments
• Santa Gertrudis: The village with a new plaza and a different character
• Yacht Charter: A report on the options and pleasures to be found in this luxurious corner of the nautical world
• Cocktails: A review of the sangrias along Sant Antoni’s new promenade
• West Side Stories: A turbulent month for “Old China”, but he takes it in his stride…
• Figueretas: A suburb of Ibiza going rapidly up market
• Carl Cox: An exclusive interview with one of the world’s best known DJs
• Ibiza Rocks: Our report on the gigs in July
• Exit Festival: Interesting parallels with the way things used to be in Ibiza

Plus all the other regular features, news and articles - now with a 124 pages.

We’re upgrading the wordpress system today so if it all goes south - that’s why…

Lot’s of things have to be turned off and on etc and the blog won’t appear at one point so bear with us

Update 4pm: All converted just a few niggly things to sort out like re-adding the categories but it all went smoothly

We haven’t done a video sunset for awhile since the sun has been setting off to our right from the balcony and basically there haven’t been any clouds but as we were playing with a new video programme, some new equipment and the sun is starting to set more and more in view (as we thought) we thought we see how it went. It does need some tinkering…

Anyway, here’s tonights ibiza sunset video:

Music is from Lenny Ibizarre from his new double album called “Selected Sessions” - www.ibizarre.com. This is from the chill cd. You’ll be able to buy all his cd’s online shortly from the www.ishopibiza.com site.

Last month in Ibiza NOW we reported on the International Music Summit and the eternal strife that seems to exist between the established ’superclubs’ and the rest of the music and party organisers on the island. Since then DC 10 and
Kumharas have subsequently been shut down, so those in power would appear to have won. But have they…?

Reports are now beginning to filter through of alternative events that some at the conference predicted would occur. Their predictions anticipated a market that will develop over the summer involving 4 x 4 police chases into the depths of the campo.

It would appear that a rethink might be in order…

This report came in recently in response to concern expressed by foreign observers at the conference. They were worried that Ibiza’s previously tolerant and welcoming attitude to foreigners had been crushed. We felt this report worthy of
publication to illustrate the fact that the island’s spirit will not be crushed.

Interestingly, the majority of the participants were residents and almost exclusively Spanish. The party clampdown is not being fought by Italians, or any other organised group of foreigners. These are the legislator’s own children… Is anyone
surprised?

The venue was in Ibiza Town, but to be honest from the outside you would never have guessed it was a club. It was only the two meat-heads standing outside a door that gave it away. We were charged 5 euros to get in and were then led down some stairs through a series of blankets which were doubling up as makeshift soundproofing. Very old-school.

The club was in a dark, musky basement and was already very busy with a predominantly young Spanish crowd even though it was not long past kicking out time at the big clubs.

The fug of marijuana smoke was as unmistakable as it was overpowering and people were openly taking drugs - well, I’m no chemist, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t sherbet dib-dab they were snorting off the tables that’s for sure. The walls were wet with condensation and a DJ was playing dark minimal house which suited the surroundings perfectly, but it wasn’t quite loud enough to dance to (they obviously didn’t trust the makeshift soundproofing).

There was a bar selling reasonably priced drinks and the crowd in there were smiley and relaxed - very relaxed actually. Basically the whole experience was as far away from the big clubs as you can get. These parties are obviously in their infancy and the low volume of the music did reduce the atmosphere to little more than an after-hours bar than a proper rave. But I could tell kids in there were getting off on the fact it was illegal, they seemed excited just being part of it. I’m sure that eventually they’ll get braver and start turning the sound up which will give it the atmosphere the punters were looking for.

I didn’t stick around for very long - it was just my curiosity that had taken me there in the first place - but I’m sure that more and more of these parties are going to start popping up around the island. And maybe the music might get so loud that the politicians might even start hearing it.

Please don’t ask where this venue is…

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this is becoming a recurring theme but it was another great gig tonight

some initial photos from tonights gig

Click on images for larger versions

a quick photo before we leave and get home and do the main photos…

courtesy of our iphone and ibiza rocks hotel free wifi…