Las Dalias is a place of many wonders. Located in the northern heart of the island, it used to be famous for the hippy market and for long-running party Namaste. Nowadays, Ibiza's original entertainment hub has grown into something else: a musical temple.
Crazy live concerts and unbelievable DJ line-ups are cooked up on the regular - and yet, still, many tourists who visit to taste Ibiza's world famous nightlife have no idea it exists, far less its name.
Since the creation of the wonderful Akasha club in 2021, many incredible things have happened. Sven Vath holds his own residency there and, this year, the in-house programming boasts some of the most exciting line-ups found anywhere on the island.
Some of it, you wouldn’t believe. In order to convince you, we went to check-out the first of its summer parties. The first big name of the season was the mighty Maceo Plex.
Even a few years ago, such a booking here would be unbelievable. One of the world's best DJs, in such a historic and intimate location? We couldn’t miss it, so get ready sleepy village of San Carlos, the maestro is going to resonate more than the church bells on Sunday.
Maceo Plex has been one an island favourite for many years.
Aside from being a popular DJ, is he perhaps best known for being a great producer. Throughout his career, he has brought romanticism to electronic music with an alternative mindset, revisiting the groovy basslines of the '80s in a progressive way.
We start the night, as we always do, at the bar. A few invigorating glasses of wine down allows us to arrive on the dancefloor ready to party. The venue's musical director Igor Marijuan is the warm up act. Who better to set the mood? Nobody is the short answer!
The Garden of Las Dalias is a welcoming receptacle. I think it could be called "the biggest, little place" on Ibiza, if you catch my drift? Plants, trees, a lush grow wall behind the DJ, purple and green lights and a floor from the past.
The area around the bar is full, but once Maceo steps into the booth, everybody jostles to get ready and to dance.
Maceo start his set with his funky and crunchy Tech House productions, Can't Leave You and Stop Your Hate from the days he broke through on Crosstown Rebels. Funky guitars combined with sounds melted with obscure electronic thunders - we lot it.
From one track to the next, the intensity starts to grow as the crowd bounces. Maceo Plex's music is so freaking entertaining and his funky bass kick played in this Tech-y way makes our bodies move with passion. There are even some excursions to Hip-Hop.
You notice some American influences in his music, but it all works.
There's a real mixture of old and new productions, plus some mysterious gems.
With the set creeping upwards in a constant state of crescendo, Maceo drops the Raxon edit of Run DMC vs Jason Nevins' It's Like That - and the dancefloor explodes. We all get close to the console and march with the tempo. Yeah, what an adrenaline rush!
We all wake up for a brief moment, but track after track the momentum is back.
We are all fan of his work and we follow faithfully the indications his giving us with the music.
And in no time we are back in the rabbit hole.
Step after step we dance under the time for the last song arrive, the his own remix of the famous Shadow by Chromatics. The track that has given us some unforgettable moments on the dancefloor - and we were more than willing to let it give us another.
Pure romanticism starts to seep through our soul, as the Lone Romantic label boss dances with us and claps his hands, "can you hear me?" Yes, we can, and it's so nice to be carried away “for the last time, for the last time...".
We get goose bumps on the back of our neck as the track continues until it fades out.
What a beautifully impromptu night in this sleepy village tucked away in the countryside. The pulsating heart of Las Dalias revealed a multicolour dimension made of music and escapism. Make sure you experience it for yourself, not just take our word for it.
Maceo Plex being on a line-up warrants a visit to any club of the island. His sets take the dancefloor on a musical journey, with many of his own productions and remixes, but always armed with new tracks and influences. Whatever the journey, it's always a blast.
You can find tickets and line-ups for future dates in Akasha & Las Dalias' summer series below.
For a list of Maceo Plex's upcoming Ibiza bookings, please visit this page.
WORDS | by Stefano Lariccia
