Pooldisco was born four years ago, a cool east London party that captured the imagination of the capital and became home to celebrity clubbers, fashionistas and kids-in-the-know. Tonight, it moves out of its comfort zone and into the spotlight in Ibiza, as it launches its Ibiza residency in Ushuaia. After a monumental opening season, all eyes are on Ushuaia, primarily to see if they can match the first year and also with curiosity at some of the new parties it is introducing. First up is Pooldisco and you can’t help but feel that the world is watching.
It’s a busy one for the Essentialibiza team, we’ve just come straight from the middle of the countryside, where the third annual Ibiza polo tournament has reached the semi-final stage and now we are entering one of the most famous outdoor venues in the world, where East London’s Pooldisco is making its Ibiza debut. Only in Ibiza! Ushuaia was not the easiest venue to get entry to last summer but they have got the system down this year, in no time we are wandering into the outdoor wonderland, with the pool glistening to our right and the great stage overseeing the crowd to our left. It’s still early but the buzz around Playa D’en Bossa all week has obviously paid off, the main area in front of the DJ is almost full. The Essentialibiza megabooth has also made the journey and is parked just at the side of the main stage, giving Pooldisco-ers the chance to capture their night in the unique setting of the back of a London taxi!
I’ve said this more than a few times but the feeing of dancing outside really is something special, no matter how many times we have been in this venue, it always feels special coming back in. The sound system is bumping, the screen is lit up behind the booth but we won’t get the full benefit of it until the sun goes down and a aeroplane passes overhead, bringing another load of hedonists to the world’s clubbing capital, met with a hands in the air roar from the crowd of course. Mark Herman came up with his pool party concept four years ago, found the perfect venue in Shoreditch House and used two decades worth of fashion and music contacts to assemble the perfect crowd, now, as the pool has become the ultimate accessory to any party, he has challenged himself to take his innovative concept and bring it to the most famous pool in Ibiza, and from the looks of things so far, he hasn’t done too badly at all and given that Ibiza has long been a celebrity destination, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a few faces popping in throughout the summer.
It’s all about tonight, however, and the party is in full swing. Chunky, deep and tribal, with the odd foray into classic 90’s house has the now capacity crowd grooving very nicely. Roy Inc is tonight’s host and does a fine job whipping the party people into a frenzy from the stage. The famous hotel pool is bathed in a pink glow, there’s a wedding chapel at the side of the famous pool and the Studio 54 vibe is further enhanced by a slew of dancers and performers. Fellow hosts who will be appearing throughout the season are introduced as flames shoot up from the pit and cannons blast dry ice across the crowd, Tamer Wild, Viktoria Modesta, Johanna Londinium and Tristan Temple will take centre stage at various points this summer but for now they are joined on stage by go-go girls as they add to the atmosphere building from inside the booth.
Severino is just one of the Pooldisco residents team, Sam Divine and DJ ONNO will also be regulars on a Saturday night. Severino is the man in charge of proceedings for now and he has the crowd in the palm of his hand as he moves effortlessly from underground nugget to classic house and back, prompting some spontaneous karaoke from Roy Brown (inc). The sun has long disappeared and the Ushuaia crowd are lit up by the huge screen behind the booth and the tempo has kicked up a notch; the launch party is a huge success, the crowd has turned out in force and has been treated to sterling performances from all the DJs, they have been blasted by ice cannons, drenched in confetti and cajoled from the stage by the host Roy Inc. They have witnessed performers and dancers and, as they sing along to Alison Limerick’s ‘Where Love Lives’ they have been thoroughly entertained. Pooldisco is great fun and it’s here every Saturday until the end of September, things just keep getting better in Playa D’en Bossa!
