COCOON IBIZA: LOVE AT AMNESIA

Cocoon begins and ends with love; a reflection of the White Isle herself. We find ourselves surrounded by it. It beams down from the rafters, stuffed into corners, seeping across the floor; tightly wrapped around bodies in an ode to the party’s namesake. Love is in the music, carefully selected and set forth by the master himself during Sven Väth’s 8-hour vinyl set. Love is outside in the smoking section where bleary-eyed ravers sit huddled on the pavement, chatting, laughing, sharing bottles of water and stories. Love is on the dancefloor, where we squeeze our way past hundreds of sweaty bodies, most of them turning toward us with smiles, until we find a clearing to settle in. A group of beaming dancers welcomes us with open arms and offers of water, grinning from ear to ear during each build. There’s no need for words. As in rave days long-gone, we simply smile back and join the fold.   

When Sven plays Alex Bau’s ‘On Synth’ the feral crowd is hypnotized, lights and bodies moving to a throbbing beat in perfect time. Perhaps sensing the love himself, a few tracks later he cues up Lil Louis’ ‘French Kiss’ and the floor erupts as the erotic groans of the vocals peak. Our newfound dance mates rush toward us for an embrace before flailing their arms in the air. With that, we introduce ourselves, asking what brought them here, at 3:30am on a rainy September night. A group of happy Brits living in London, they laugh and point to a handsome couple linked arm in arm: “Our friends, Nicola and Ben. This is their honeymoon!” 

Of course it is. Because who WOULDN'T want Papa Sven presiding over their post-nuptial festivities while sharing the fun with their closest friends? We learn that Nicola is the co-founder of The Techno Kittens, an underground dance music blog, along with Leigh (who we think we met, but hazy details prevent confirmation) and writer Dane, who cheerfully dances with us until we depart. Nicola and Ben, the newlyweds, are beaming. Over the course of the night they occasionally drift apart to dance with friends or find fresh air, but they always return to each other, locked in a solid embrace.

The couple is a reflection of the overall vibe of the party; wildly passionate, full of love.

In Ibiza, every party is the best party. Every club is the best club and every night is the best night. But Cocoon Ibiza at Amnesia is something else. It’s a representation of what dance music culture has always stood for, though too often forgotten — the love and unity present in every moment. If only for that moment, when 5,000 humans smile in unison as a rush of sound washes over them with thrilling vibration, we remember it all. And “amnesia” aside, it's a moment we’ll never forget.