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Looking forward to yesterday was like waiting for Xmas, New Year, Easter, Hanukkah and my 15th birthday all rolled into one. The thought of never being able to go to another Circo Loco this summer had left a sombre mood on the island, that no amount of Cocoon or Monza visits could lift and the succession of raised and dashed hopes just made it all the worse.

Finally though, after a full on week of crazed Chinese whispers and web gossip, the news came through on Thursday night by SMS that it was on. Hurrah! Better yet, maybe all the confusion would keep the August hordes away.  

No such luck on arriving at promptly at five p.m. Already the terrace was comfortably busy and the parking  littered with day-glo dollys and their mullet cropped companions. You could feel the collective anticipation as everyone connected with the feeling that today was going to be very special. Knowing smiles on the faces of the parking attendants and winks and waves from the gathering at the entrance greeted the cars and scooters coming in. Festivity crackled the air.

There was a distinct lack of police or Guardia Civil outside, so either they'd decided to give the little club a break (unlikely) or they'd been as confused as everyone else by all the chopping and changing of opening date. Whatever the reason, it was refreshing, but the gossip on the dance floor still focused on whether we'd be allowed to get through the day coupled with a sense of disbelief and pure rapture that we were even there at all.
  

The DJ Set times displaying in both booths were already out of sync by the time we arrived and it was good to see that even 57 days of closure hadn't allowed the DC10 crew time to improve on any of the familiar chaos. The opening sets split up the System of Survival duo of Bingo and Alex and the early arrivers were blessed with the novel experience of seeing both boys playing simultaneously in different rooms.

The  atmosphere that must only come from dancing in a condemned club was electric from the start and all the smiling faces confirmed that we were doing something ever so wrong and yet sublimely right.

It's sometimes hard to define what makes a particular club good or even excellent compared to others, but the last 2 months has given the island plenty of time to assess that. My theory is this. Every other club on the island attracts people with its decoration, or it's comfort, it's style and with big names artists. DC10 is contrary to all of that. There's not a single seat in the place (OK, there's 4 stools at the bar in the main room and they've added some park benches to the car park but that hardly makes it Pacha) the décor is limited to a few tatty banners and a couple of strings of what will now be known at 'Free DC10' prayer flags. There were no guests yesterday, just the loyal toiling residents, proving that they know how to work the venue, system and crowd best. What is so attractive about DC10 is the actual coming together of like-minded music obsessed fans to celebrate together. Nowhere else in Ibiza, and quite possibly in very few places in the world, does the dance floor feel so united and does a sense of family embody the crowd so much.

Let's Rave One More Time. Sorry! But We're Circo Loco and We're Not Over Yet.

There was no warming up to yesterdays session, no way to gently lower yourself into the house music abyss, from the off the music was full power. René took over the terrace from Bingo and lifted off with heavy rolling baselines and some beautiful vocal tracks dotted in, but the whistles and cheers were already in full flow.

Several clowns with red noses and garish lipstick were raving holding hands in their own mad world, whilst Guilia and Fabiola clambered onto their familiar spot on the wall above the decks hanging off the air con piping showing their underwear with their hair flying in the fans. We were back! Faces that hadn't been seen for 2 months shouted 'Felice Navidades' into the air and even the normally serious Andrea Pelino was seen to crack a grin when he came out behind the booth to rapturous cheers.

Elsewhere Clive Henry was cussing and swearing on the phone when his lift hadn't yet arrived by 6pm at the thought of missing even a single minute of the day.

A quick glimpse of a radiant Tania Vulcano in a blindingly white T-shirt was enough to send the crowd leaping    into a screaming frenzy, making her blush behind her shades and nip back out again, so as not to steal the thunder before the end of René's set. Bless. It was a day of double dating all through, as her boyfriend and fellow resident Tatto came on at the same time as her in the inside room. After an hour of Tania's set we felt we'd better do a round and check him out, only to find them playing identical mixes of Fingers Inc. 'My House'  at the same time. The sheer surrealness of hearing that when stepping through the curtain resulted in a series of jumping in and out to check that we hadn't completely lose control of our senses so early in the day, and then relief in the happy coincidence.

I'd like to be able to really describe how amazing it was to be back in the inside room listening to Dan Ghenacia's smooth, playful house surrounded by friends and assorted crazy folks, to see Valentino Kanzyani losing it on the dance floor to Dyed Soundorom's 'Remote Cocktail' or the guy in the badly fitting blonde bob spinning repeatedly in circles in front of the decks, but there are just no words that could do it justice.

Dan himself was determined to be a part of the day, flying in from Paris that afternoon after his own Freak 'n Chic party, and then straight back out against after his set with Tania to a Circo Loco Anniversary party just outside Barcelona last night. That's dedication to the cause. Circo Loco does that to you.  At some point during the next few lost hours the terrace performed a number of DC10 squat and jumps mostly during Clive Henry's rollicking set, a guy sat on someone shoulders and tied the whole crowd up with toilet roll, I lost my mobile phone, my Smurf fan and my mind. My crash helmet may even yet be behind the booth and my scooter is abandoned in the car park still. But none of that mattered.

Sorry! We're in Circo Loco again! 

Fabrizio took the helm as Dan dashed off for his plane creating a road block getting into the room as the terrace totally jammed up. Andrew Grant played an absolute blinder when he finally came on, using vinyl for some reason, usually he's fully computerised. Jose De Divina completed the full ressie package on the terrace whilst David Squillace led out with a blast the main room.

House was definitely the order of the day, jacking pumping bouncy house all the way, such a relief to hear that distinct sound for the first time properly this summer, and to know that there's at least one more month to come hopefully.

At the risk of making the club even more packed than it already is in August, if you haven't been to DC10 yet, or if you've even been before and really experienced the vibe, then get a flight, by hook or by crook, get yourself to Ibiza in the next few weeks and experience what might be the last chance to go completely Circo Loco at DC10. As seminal as New York's Paradise Garage or London's Shoom, Circo Loco is our generations Studio 54, and has done more for the musical credibility of Ibiza than any of the hundreds of commercial, predictable, 'safe' nights at all the other clubs.

The complete lack of pretentiousness of the venue, the lunacy of the party and the dedication of the hugely talented DJs unites to create a unique vibe that is so essentially 'Ibiza' in it's essence that if only it could  be bottled, and sold it would easily recoup the 300,000 euros needed to sustain the club longer.  However, in the more likely event that these really are the last days of our favourite disco, Let's Rave One More Time. Sorry! But We're Circo Loco and We're Not Over Yet.

Take advantage of it. Be outside on Monday at 16.30 on the dot. Wave your DC10 flag with pride, and stay until the very very end. Pay to get in, Buy the CD, Buy the T Shirt and support this closely knit and perpetually persecuted collection of resident DJs and promoters who started a party in a bar on the side of the road 10 years ago, have dedicated themselves to one party a week since then (more or less).
 

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DC10 Re-opening Party Hosted by Circoloco  -  Full Photo Report @ The Gallery
Photo © Maria Simon
Monday @ Circoloco 18-08-08 Re-opening Party - Full Photo Report @ The Gallery 
Photo © Alex Harries

www.myspace.com/dc10circoloco