29/08/08: CR2 Records Live & Direct Boat Party

If there’s one thing you can say about DJ Danny Rampling, it’s that he certainly never fails to get the dance music community talking, what with his constant career changes, new ventures and interesting viewpoints on what’s going on in the world. So when Miss W was invited aboard an exclusive boat cruise celebrating the launch of his latest compilation album, she simply couldn’t resist the chance to set sail and see just what all the fuss was about.

After a slow start (the invitation said 12.30pm however the boat didn’t leave its docks until at least 2pm), the glass bottomed vessel left the San Antonio marina and began it’s leisurely cruise along the west coast of the island.

The Funktion 1 sound system installed especially for the occasion was clearly an indication that this was set to become a party boat rather than a leisurely afternoon cruise and the thumping house music echoing from the upper deck soon proved my prediction to be correct.

As we coasted past Cala Conte – all ooh-ing and ahh-ing as to whether one of the sprawling villa estates actually does belong to supermodel Claudia Schiffer or not – and neighbouring Cala Bassa, Cala Tarida, the stunning flat rocks at Punta Galera, ibiza really put on her finest display of sunshine, sparkling water and striking backdrops. At one point the captain steered the vessel right into one of the stunning rock formations nestled just off the coast at a frightening speed, before parking just inside the cave-like space – obviously his favourite party trick and one he’s done many times before!

After returning to San An to collect some latecomers, we headed out once more to the sounds of the man of the moment – Mr Rampling jumping behind the decks to give us a taste of his new CD, a collection of house music spanning two years of club classics, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the famous Ibiza Summer Of Love. Quite appropriate really, considering he was one of the movement’s forefathers.

Before you could say Acid House, the entire top deck became a dance floor, grooving to classics like Black Box’s Ride On Time – remixed with a more modern feel – think arms in the air, hair blowing in the salty sea breeze, sun warming up complexions and you’ve got yourself a winning combination. Just add a few ultra glamorous Manumission Girls (seriously, Miss W thinks they are just taunting her nowadays!) in white bikinis and you could be on the set of a music video clip.

Miss W thinks the reason Danny Rampling continues to return to his roots as a DJ is obvious: the man is a legend and clearly an expert at making the masses dance!

THE LOWDOWN
THE GOOD: The theme for the cruise was what tickled Miss W’s fancy of course – Strictly White! The entire top deck filled with beautiful people dressed all in white couldn’t have been any more appropriate!
THE BAD: At one point the promotional team coerced most of the guests up onto the top deck and insisted they don CR2 t-shirts and dance for some PR photo opportunities – if there’s one thing Miss W finds just a little bit tacky, it’s shameless self promotion like this. I mean, one-sized fits all tees are never really all that flattering for everyone’s figure, are they?
THE GOSSIP: The invitation promised a very special secret guest DJ, and rumours across the island promised an appearance by Nic Fanciulli – however Nic was a no-show and when questioned about it the next day, he confessed to knowing nothing about the party. So who was the ‘special secret guest’ who didn’t turn up actually meant to be?