Newly installed Pure Pacha host Purple Disco Machine has well and truly brought Disco and Funk back into the mainstream, with his Thursday night exploits at Pacha Ibiza.
Blending those classic sounds with modern House, he’s made an art form out of giving the genres a fresh lease of life on the dancefloor. It feels particularly fitting that he’s found a home beneath those famous cherries.
The club which opened here in 1973, became a bohemian refuge of sorts, providing sanctuary for political exiles fleeing the regime of General Franco and those trying to avoid conscription to the USA's war effort in Vietnam. During that era, Disco and Funk were all the rage.
Now, fifty-plus years later, they’re firmly back in the frame.
It might be a different generation, but all the familiar ingredients are present: groovy drums, funky basslines, poppy vocals and a catchy melody. Needless to say, I was pretty keen to see how Purple Disco Machine would bring it all together against an equally volatile global backdrop.
Purple Disco Machine facilitates literal and symbolic escapism
Upon arrival, my pal Dave and I ordered two beers and headed straight into the fray.
On the bill for this week’s line-up was one of France’s finest dance music exports, Kungs. A former Pacha resident himself, he projected bouncy Italo House through the speakers; Pacha’s mesmerising ceiling lights glowing in accompaniment.
Kungs spun a few of his own records, with a particularly good crowd response to Need A Hit, Club Azur and Gero. This hardly came as a surprise considering their upbeat grooves, catchy vocals and playful brass call-and-response sections.
It was hands-in the-air and smiles all round, with people enjoying themselves and well and truly living the moment. A lack of phones hoisted into the air was another refreshing observation.
Another memorable moment came with the classic 2000’s era track Doctor Pressure by Mylo, which blasted over the crisp D&B speakers. Another Kungs track, Never Going Home, also got a strong response, while Cavi’s F The Disco kept the momentum going.
After two hours flew by on the dancefloor, my companion and I opted for a pit stop, hitting up the famed Paradiso cocktail bar on the rooftop. There, we witnessed a magnificent display of skilled mixologists taking pride in their craft.
Cocktails were shaken, stirred and presented with the kind of flamboyance that PDM would approve of. To complement, an authentic Ibizan hot dog stall strategically placed behind the bar proved too tempting to ignore. While it’s priced at a premium as you’d probably expect with a name and institution like Pacha, it was nothing short of delicious.
Refreshed and refuelled, we didn’t dwindle for long. Purple Disco Machine had now taken his position in the booth. I had high hopes. Safe to say, he delivered.
The set was a proper trip through Disco, Funk and House, with plenty of familiar hits thrown into the mix. It was a masterclass in blending the classics with the new, managing to appeal to a diverse crowd.
Modern cuts such as Martin Solveig’s Madan (Exotic Disco Mix) sat comfortably alongside Bronski Beat’s Smalltown Boy, New Order’s Blue Monday and Purple Disco Machine’s remixes of Coma Cat, On My Mind and Madonna’s Like A Prayer. All sent the room into a higher gear.
Billie Jean, saw the dancefloor erupt in unison. With a bass riff that iconic, everyone knew exactly what was coming.
Frankly, I’ve never seen a crowd so engaged and having such a wild time. Even those holed up behind the velvet rope in the VIP area, often separated from the energy of the dancefloor, were having an absolute ball. That's how it should be.
A full-blown confetti explosion erupted above the crowd, with the vibrant colours and Pacha lights bouncing around the room as everyone danced beneath.
It was wonderfully over the top, but completely fitting for the occasion. You'll struggle to find as good an example of what Purple Disco Machine is about. Our host took the sounds we already know and love, giving them a fresh lease of life and creating one hell of a party.
Bob’s Dance Shop dancers also deserve special praise. Never have I been so impressed by the dancers at a club. It was clear they had meticulously rehearsed their choreography beforehand, but what really shone through was just how much they were enjoying themselves.
Nothing felt forced. They were clearly having as much fun as everyone else on the dancefloor. A special shoutout goes to the mister in the red tracksuit, because he killed it!
Perhaps that was the beauty of the night? Purple Disco Machine managed to bring together the nostalgia of Disco and Funk with a modern House sound, while Pacha provided the perfect setting for it.
A few decades after those original sounds filled Pacha the first-time around, they’re back in a slightly different guise but the objective remains much the same.
They're guilt-free tunes to get people dancing, forget their woes and have a riotous good time allowing all to temporarily switch off from the turmoil of current world events. Regardless of our individual political affiliation, that's something we can all get onboard with.
Tickets to the five remaining parties are on sale now and available to buy below, where you'll also find full line-ups. Let's get our disco on!
