Nothing quite prepares you for your first night out of the new season.
The air is full of energy and you find yourself nervous about diving headfirst back into it.
Getting ready without the need to layer up is priceless (sorry London). Though I’ve somehow managed to forget to pack any kind of jacket this summer. Classic. The current temperature is also optimal getting-ready conditions. I'm fully aware this particular luxury won't last for long...
A night at Pacha that FLOW-s like a dream
The night begun at a civilised pace, with a chilled dinner with the girls. Over food, we caught up about our winter antics, which quickly took a turn once our charming waiter Manuel started dishing out a double round of complimentary shots.
After polishing off a delicious meal, we headed out on a mission to find the next spot for a pre-club cocktail. We heard some heavy beats coming from down the road, and turns out our luck was in. Obviously curious, we poked our heads in and walked straight into a DJ set that had completely transformed a dining setting into wild and boozy scenes.
This ended up being the ideal start to get the night going. Ignition started.
Strolling on to Pacha just after midnight, the whole squad was buzzing with excitement to finally get to experience FLOW. Already, the club was already packed wall to wall. Snaking our way to the front, Max Dean had just taken control. Dressed head-to-toe in wavy garms, black shades glued on, the young star was completely locked in.
This was a moment in itself, witnessing the next big thing make his Pacha debut (though his self-assured demeanour made it seem like he’d been playing that booth for years).
At first impression, it seemed like a largely British crowd, but that illusion wore off the minute we walked into the outdoor garden. Suddenly, everyone was from everywhere: Norway, Italy, South America and Chester, UK. Notoriously, Pacha attracts a cosmopolitan crowd.
Strangers locked eyes and swapped stories like old friends. We even bumped into PIV’s main man Prunk and met Manu Gonzalez in the toilets. It was all going on.
Back inside, Franky Rizardo had taken over and instantly delivered as expected: timeless dancefloor weapons intertwined with new, unreleased heat. A couple tracks sent the entire room spiralling, but whatever they were, IDing them proved to be an impossible task.
Maybe some things are better left as memories?
Franky wrapped up at 04:30, but HoneyLuv wasn’t about to let the energy dip. She took the reins and kept things sky-high, a reminder that here, your 'one night only' dream line-ups can happen any given Thursday - or any night of the week, for that matter.
From Music On favourite Calvin Clarke setting the tone early doors and Max Dean stepping fresh off a jet from Madrid to grace the Pacha booth, to the Dutch wizard's signature DJ finesse, the night flew by way too quickly. Every single minute was enjoyed and soaked up to the max.
We were in our musical element from start to finish. Here's to many more nights like this.
There’s Tech House, and then there’s whatever realm Franky Rizardo operates in.
Elevated Minimal, rolling groovers, vocal-led Deep Tech, he encompasses it all. And when he does so in a place that happens to be Pacha Ibiza on a Thursday night... well, it hits different.
Have you ever lost track of time on a dancefloor and didn’t care to find it again? Well, at FLOW, this was exactly our experience.
What a fantastic reintroduction to Ibiza's nightlife. Almost like we'd never been away (and even went some way to compensate me missing out on opening weekend this year...) This is just the first of many to come in the next five months. Ibiza never misses.
FLOW's short but sweet Ibiza excursion might already be over, but Franky Rizardo is back at Pacha Ibiza for the Music On opening party on Friday 16 May, followed by two more dates on 25 July and 12 September. Please visit this page, for his full list of confirmed appearances.
