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I have a confession to make… until Monday 19th September I was a Manumission virgin. Not something I was proud of and certainly something I was determined to put right. So it was with some excitement that I headed off to the eleventh and final Manumission party of 2005 - ’The Waggish Creativity of Double Dutch and the Cherished Angel Dove’... (apparently)

Manumission has always been a name associated with pushing boundaries and testing the clubbing waters with new ideas and concepts. It’s basically all about having a damn good party alongside ten thousand other people. Past themes have included "The Phantasmagorical Manumission Mystery" and  "Story of M". This year it was all about Metamorphosis, based on a surrealist house of fun Dali did for the 1939 New York City Trade Fair. Privilege was treated to some colour therapy, the entire club bathed in changing colour lights which apparently work the nine Chakra points (I’m not sure about that but it was sooo pretty). A brand spanking new sound system also kept the intense party vibe alive. And lets not forget those infamous Manumission dancers…

Claire and Mike’s aim is to create a party that they’d like to go to and then invite the rest of Ibiza along for the ride. No easy feat and this year they decided to go back to the roots of every Manumission party – chaos. On entering Privilege the first thing that hits you is the immense energy of the night. Such a large club could easily feel sparse and lack atmosphere, but Manumission never fails to fill the floor with happy, dancing people from the moment the doors open until security have to chase everyone off to the Space Carry On in the early hours of Tuesday morning. An air of expectancy fills the club, overlooked by the huge "M" dominating the stage in the main room.

The first show began just after three, the stage immediately brought to life by choreographed dancers and Manumission residents Fischerspooner. The electro band perform with a certain flamboyancy and energy and all ten thousand eyes are drawn to the stage to watch various creatures leaping around and hear something extremely rare in Ibiza – live music. Their four nightly appearances are a collaboration of their music, from the very catchy Just Let Go to the softer All We Are, and the tightly choreographed dance and light shows which Manumission do so well.

Following the first stage show David Guetta took to the DJ box, his energy equalling that of the dancers and his face clearly showing the enjoyment he gets from having an entire dance floor raise their arms at every tune he plays.

Even an inflatable sheep knocking the desk and silencing the music couldn’t wet his enthusiasm and the crowd responded with just as much energy. The Frenchman finished his set at four thirty with his very own ‘Just A Little More Love’ and the sheep dive bombed into privilege’s pool.
Three more stage shows followed throughout the night with Fischerspooner
and Manumission dancers lighting the stage. An acrobat did some very dangerous looking things involving climbing very high up some red sheets and then tumbling back down (I swear he’s the man from that BBC advert), fire-breathers almost set fire to the entire audience’s hair and a dominatrix led a naked woman around the stage by her hair. Well, it wouldn’t be Manumission without at least one naked woman would it? The finale brought together all the performers on the stage in a West End-esque (not West End as in armpit of the earth San Antonio, I’m talking about the real place in London with theatres) encore. All the dancers, fire breathers and performers took to the stage to the soundtrack of Bob Sinclair’s Love Generation. Manumission’s Mike swung about on a long rope and the humongous M lit up the dancefloor as immense balloons filled with confetti bounced on our heads and then split showering us all in rainbow paper. It really felt like the biggest house party on earth rather than a club and everyone beamed at each other and waved sparklers in the air.

So my first Manumission certainly won’t be my last, it’s just a shame I have to wait the entire winter for another chance. But trust me, I’ll be there at the next opening party looking forward to seeing something a little bit different. It’s an atmosphere that you have to experience to appreciate so make sure you’re not missing out...