One of Ibiza’s flagship happenings, the first ANTS call-up of the summer is always a special one. Last Saturday’s opening party at Ushuaïa Ibiza was the testament. For the day-to-night session, our assigned clubbing colony comprised Lissy, Hayley, Holly and me (sorry, no boys allowed!)
The pre-party briefing was as follows:
- All-black uniform? Check.
- VIP table reservation? Check.
- All systems go for girls' night!
Walking into party playground Ushuaïa, all attention was commanded towards the stage and rightly so. ANTS has bossed this year’s Metalworks theme with what, in my opinion, is one of their best set designs yet.
A chrome boiler room design towered above the crowd with crashing falls of water and chutes that would later explode clouds of CO2 and flames. Ushuaïa really do experiment with all of the elements.
Who make the world dANTS? Girls!
One of many steal-the-show moments came in the early sundown hours during Chelina Manuhutu and Syreeta’s electric back-to-back set. The sheer energy levels that radiated from these two in-sync powerhouse DJs was off the charts.
Drops spanned fire selections of clean-cut Minimal and Deep Tech and jacking grooves. Ssero’s Fricka Fricka was just one track that hit the sweet spot of both.
The track’s juicy bassline and edgy female topline make it irresistibly hard not to bop to the beat. One look at the bouncing crowd in front of the DJ booth, and clearly, the feeling was mutual.
ANTS stalwarts Andrea Oliva b2b Nic Fanciulli were up next.
They would have every right to feel intimidated following the girls, but the pros held their nerve, edging towards darker territory lines of Tech and Minimal with some curveball vocal classics in the mix to keep dancefloor moral at an all-time high.
The night closed with an epic union of Green Velvet b2b Skepta. Both frontline names in their own right, they keep the cool cuts coming in the final moments.
A solid soundtrack from start until finish, flowing drinks and panoramic dancefloor views from Ushuaïa’s raised VIP area. I'd say our Spotlight girls night was a resounding success, made all the sweeter that the girls behind the decks showed the boys how it's done. Wouldn't you agree?
With round one under their belt, ANTS storms into the next 21 weeks ahead with brazen force.
This Saturday 11 May, you can catch Gorgon City, Mason Collective, Butch and Sosa behind the decks. Tickets and weekly line-ups are listed below.
For Chelina Manuhutu's confirmed Ibiza dates, visit this page. Or for Syreeta's, please click here.
