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Pete Tong's leap to Eden was perhaps the most unexpected transfer ever in Ibiza clubland, but will it work? 

Pete Tong has always been a victim of the super-cool, underground crowd, who have attacked his musical and technical credibility as a DJ for years. In his defence, Tong has acted as champion for the sound of the moment, from handbag house to speed garage, from trance to electro. At Pure Pacha over the last few years, and more recently with Wonderland at Ministry of Sound, he has made strides towards establishing the reputation he wants. So why such a radical move? 

No matter what he says about a fresh start and a new challenge, the general consensus is that Radio 1 put their foot down about his Friday nights, Pacha wouldn't pay for a private jet and when Wonderland went looking for a home Eden took the plunge.  

Accordingly, there are no risks being taken on opening night. Everything at Eden is straight out of "The how to create a successful club night" manual (copyright Pacha!) Spectacular dancers that cost €3000 every gig are great but having West End beer-boys perving at them like cavemen surely isn't what Wonderland is about.  

And there lies the heart of the problem. One thing you're guaranteed at Wonderland is a 1000 or so punters who stumble the few yards across from the bottom of the West End to Eden. Which means the type of people who like going to Pacha and Amnesia don't like going to Eden. Any attempt by Tong and Eden to "change the face of clubbing" in San Antonio has this huge hurdle to overcome. However, charging €18 for a beer in the VIP is one way of making some people feel at home.

Tong describes the inspiration for the name and concept of Wonderland as part Hollywood Hills, part Boogie Nights, part something to do with The Doors and part Mad Hatter's tea party - none of which are in evidence. 

The supposedly Goldie-inspired production looks suspiciously like bog-standard projections and coloured lightbulbs - hopefully they'll sort that out sharpish. The other drawback is the layout of the club, which knocks the atmosphere cold. At one point the circular shape meant the Looking Glass room, hosted by Jo Mills and Charlie Chester, looked like a dual carriageway, with partiers walking in front of Jo - in one side of the room and straight out the other!

Musically it's more crowd pleasing than groundbreaking. When Pete tries to go deep the crowd is shouts for more "hands in the air" tunes. Groove Armada finish their main room set with Strings of Life, then try to liven up the Lovebox but there aren't quite the numbers to make it work. However, the mood is buoyant and the main dancefloor stays busy all night.  

I love San An and I love Pete Tong. But tonight Wonderland doesn't push any buttons for me. And, like other opening nights, it seems quieter than it should be. But - and this is important - Pete Tong has the ultimate quid pro quo ace in the hole.

When he rings up a DJ to ask them to play Wonderland, you can bet the answer will be "yes" - from anyone hoping for a nice plug on Radio 1. So we look forward to the likes of Eric Prydz, Deadmau5 and James Zabiela dropping by… come on guys, prove us wrong!

www.myspace.com/wonderlandibiza - www.petetong.com