The Carl Cox birthday party has become a much anticipated annual event in Sands Playa D’en Bossa, a few hundred of his closest friends and fans mix on the beach while Carl and some carefully chosen peers entertain us. This year, however, it’s one of those special landmark numbers as Coxy turns the magic fifty. I think his reaction to the landmark number is best summed up by a facebook picture earlier in the week where his t-shirt read “F*** Me I’m Fifty!” The annual celebration brings many of the faces from around the island together, happy to take some time out from their busy summer schedule to celebrate with one of the scene’s genuine good guys.
Although you wouldn’t know to look at us, Essentialibiza do love a trip to the beach and as we head down to playa D’en Bossa we keep up to date with the goings on at THE birthday party through our friends at Sonica. Once again the outside broadcast specialists deliver amazing coverage of an Ibiza event, listening in to the live set and catching up with some of Carl’s friends, inviting them to give him a special birthday shout out. It’s great fun, the music is amazing and we can’t wait to dispatch the car and get down to the beach bar/restaurant. Clearly there has been a lot of work done during the winter, the new floor, ceiling and glass front really gives Sands a sparkle, Carl Cox is already behind the decks, in a custom built booth, trademark ear to ear grin and dropping classic house cuts, much to everyone’s enjoyment. Sonica occupies the normal booth, where they deliver the coverage that has built our expectation levels during the journey down.
Lunch tables have sold out days ago; a mixture of the occasion and the amazing menu combining to ensure that there’s no room at the inn. The crowd around the periphery of the beach bar is growing by the minute as the fashionably late make their entrance and people passing on the beach pop their heads in to see what’s going on, only to look amazed to see one of the world’s best DJs in charge of the booth. Like last year, the party is a slow burner, the perfect setting for lunch during the day that will turn into the mother of all parties as the sun disappears. Coxy welcomes everyone and thanks them for coming to his party before gifting himself a request and dropping Alison Limerick’s ‘Where Love Lives’, resulting in the first of many huge cheers. He proceeds to drop memory after memory, lifting the atmosphere and transforming Sands from cool restaurant to amazing club venue, with Bossa beach providing a stunning backdrop.
Pete Tong is also celebrating his birthday and is set to accept the party baton from Carl, before he does so however a cake, shaped as a Technics 1200 is brought out and Barbara Tucker, resplendent in her bright pink wig, sings happy birthday to the two birthday boys. The room is packed, everyone straining to get a view of her performance and to extend their own birthday wishes to two giants of the electronic scene. Between them, Carl Cox and Pete Tong have made a significant contribution to dance music, ensuring that there is a scene as it exists today. As well as the many Ibiza faces and tourists that have turned out, there are a few music faces hanging around enjoying the vibe, the likes of Louie Vega and Christian Varela are mingling behind the DJ booth, everyone wishing Carl Cox and Pete Tong a happy birthday as they pass.
Pete Tong takes over DJ duty – it’s a tough life having to work on your birthday – that said, looking out at the sea of smiling faces in Sands is not the worst job in the world by a long stretch. Pete sets about the task of keeping everyone dancing, a task that he accomplishes with ease. Celebrity chef Tim Payne, who had cooked for an exclusive set of diners in Sands earlier in the week can be seen nodding along to the tunes at the side of the makeshift dancefloor and Bossa beach is full and getting its groove on! There really is nothing that compares to Ibiza with the sun high in the sky, great beats throbbing out of a monster sound system and some of the finest spinners on the planet in control, I’m pretty sure this is actually where Ice Cube got his inspiration for ‘Good Day’. Next up is Igor from Sonica, after providing the perfect coverage of events all over the island, it’s nice to see and hear Igor getting involved. The party continues long into the night, with Antz still to come, but as it’s a school day, Essentialibiza has other commitments and it’s time for us to reluctantly drag ourselves away!
Carl Cox continues his birthday celebrations in Space on Tuesday night where he will be joined in the main room by Pan-Pot and Lucca, while Masters At Work take control of The Terrace, ably assisted by Artwork & Dynamite MC and Andy C. For those that prefer their music slightly more down tempo, check out The Sunset Terrace where Future Disco presents The Revenge and Sean Brosnan with Marco Loco taking over duties after midnight.
