Love The Underground Records Presents Mikaela and Friends W/ Sam Paganini
The Love the underground records brand is somewhat of a newcomer to the scene. This summer was its first full season on the island and despite a reported slow start, each week the small space that is Tox, Destino filled quicker and quicker. Now hitting its final run of events building to the season closing party it is clear that Love The Underground has left an imprint on Ibiza, having built both a sizable following and a reputation for unadulterated, music focused party. Already this season label boss and party leader Mikaela has been joined by a veritable who’s who of selectors, each of who has built a heady reputation for tough, no-nonsense dance floor focused beats. The likes of Stacy Pullen, Paranoid London (Live,) Marco Bailey, Jon Rundell, Miguel Bastida, Butch, Yaya and Basti Grub to name a few, have already graced the Love The Underground Records line ups and with this weeks act Sam Paganini lining up alongside Miguel Bastida, Reelow, Kike Median and Mikaela anticipation was high, especially to see what the Drumcode affiliate could do to such a intimate venue.
Taking to the stage alongside Miguel Bastida built the tempo gradually; the Spaniard drew some choice techy progressive numbers as the crowd gradually grew. Recent remixes of Josh Buttlers ‘I was there’ and Alex Mine ‘Uncounted’ proved to already be making there presences felt with his fans as energy levels seems to palpably swell and the dancefloor filled further, until ultimately it brimmed over the edges. The main man behind the Be One label didn’t disappoint, preparing the dancefloor perfectly for the Sam Paganini to take to the stage.
Many are uncertain as to which side they fall when it comes to Drumcode, often people highlight the fact that really it isn’t the forward thinking, boundaries pushing Techno which many of the established hierarchy put forward. But instead an easily accessible, crowd friendly variety, which on occasion quite frankly waters it down to such an extent that the parties are riddled with fans of the idea of likening techno rather than actually liking techno itself. Given the number of selfie takers in attendance at Drumcode shows, you have to question if this has become something which has transcended beyond that of a simple music label and party and become a fashionable brand to be seen at in its own right.
Whether the same thing can be levelled at Sam Paganini is another question entirely, at Love The Underground on Saturday night he came prepared with a bag full of up front thump and the look on his face of a man on a mission. The tempo claimed rapidly in line with the frantic dancing and hands were raised throughout as Sam run through peak time heavy hitters blended seamlessly with more melodic down tempo numbers creating the perfect dynamic inside the venue as he controlled the room expertly. Despite on occasion feeling that the venue was too small to contain someone so used to hammering out the stadium techno which he (and in turn Drumcode, are associated with,) Sam seamlessly tailored his set to match the venue and crowds expectations, always something which signifies a worthy selector.
Love The Underground does a few things very well, it makes the utmost of its venue and if anything the branding and ascetic lends itself well to a small venue. Its atmosphere and energy the Djs and punters creates is a definite highlight and something which a lot of Ibiza clubs seriously lack and this is as much due to the limited capacity as to its location, not filling up a room in one of the islands “superclubs” means that those that come to the party want to be there rather than simply visiting for tourist reasons. But as a brand they say they have a 100% focus on undiluted underground club music, sometimes this feels over thought. In my opinion this is best left to be judged by the people on the dancefloor. Overall Love The Underground has been the break through night of this season and a welcome addition to the Ibiza calander, but the saviours of underground club music, I think not. It will be interesting to see next year just which direction Love The Underground takes as it enters the terrible twos.