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Cassy's First Trip to Ibiza Showed Her a Side of the Island Most Never See

We also learn about the busy life of being a globe-trotting DJ mom.
All photos courtesy of the artist.

The Summer season in Ibiza is one of the most important nodes in the world of international dance music. As DJs and clubbers from all around the world descend on the White Isle, the year's musical identity is defined through all-day beach parties, all-night sessions at clubbing meccas, and secret jungle parties tucked into leafy enclaves.

To get an inside look on what's it like right now in Ibiza, we've invited some of our favorite DJs to bring us along on a week in their life on the island, in a series we call White Isle Journals. This week, we welcome internationally renowned DJ and producer, Cassy. As a longtime Panorama Bar resident, she's gone on from an artist quickly associated with Berlin's nightlife scene, to someone working tirelessly to break the parameters of European techno—all evident on her latest album 'Donna,' a trip through soulful sounds that have penned a new chapter in her already storied career. In her entry, Cassy reflects on her first time on the island as tourist, when she saw the island in a different way than most do today. We also learn about the busy schedule of being not only a world-traveling DJ, but a mom! My first time on the island was back in 1995, when I was invited to spend Easter with a college friend of mine's family. He had grown up on the island and [his family] had a farmhouse there. I was around 19 or 20 years old at the time, and it was a very eye opening experience. I didn't actually go out while I was there, but it was the first time I met jetsetting international party people. One guy I remember meeting in particular was a really interesting club owner from Zurich. I sometimes wonder what these people I met back then are doing on the island now—I wonder if they still live [in Ibiza] and how they see it now?

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Tracing the Peculiar History of the Modern-Day Techno Tourist

I really enjoyed my first Ibiza experience and met so many real Ibiza lovers who were in love with the island itself and not just there for the party and hype aspect. I could see that it was an escape for people who were looking for something different and I instantly connected better with this island than other holiday places I had been to.

The way I connect with the island now, has nothing to do with the way I discovered it really—now it's more about my career and job. However, Ibiza is such a meeting point for my nearest and dearest, especially in the summer. So many people I know and love are here, and I would never get to see them otherwise, which is the great thing about it for me now

LAST WEEK

In this past week I haven't actually been in Ibiza much! Let's rewind back to last Monday, August 8. I played Circoloco at DC-10, which was very short and sweet as I went straight from the gig to the airport to fly to Tokyo for my gig at Sankeys. Although I was only there for 20 hours, [Tokyo] was a great experience. I also got to eat lots of amazing food in my favorite restaurant, and the gig was perfect. I managed to play lots of vinyl as they had a great set up which is always a nice bonus. Over this past weekend I caught up with this lovely Belgian crew as I played a mini-festival just outside of Brussels called Le Jardin des Pommes, which was a really cool party. When I got back to Ibiza I just had to sleep and rest as I knew my son Rocky would be waking me up early the next day.

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Tuesday our nanny had the day off and I spent the whole day with my son, but unfortunately it was raining in Ibiza, which can make it more difficult to find things to do, so we stopped by Passion Pantry and ate lots of banana bread! Wednesday was a full on day, I took Rocky to his little friend Leo's 1st birthday party, which was lovely, and followed that up with a gym session with my trainer. After this I went to see All Saints perform at Ibiza Rocks, which was really touching, I even shed a tear! To see a good friend of mine, Mel Blatt, absolutely in her element, whilst singing was an amazing moment to witness. After the gig it was time for me to go and be a guest on Robert James's Paradise radio show before I performed in the club. The radio show is broadcast in the airstream at DC-10 which is really cool, and I had lots of fun with Robert. Half an hour later I was on the decks in the Terrace, the club was already full and it was clear to see what an amazing job Jamie and his crew are doing with Paradise which makes me feel really happy for them. Their hard work is clearly paying off. Go Jamie!

TRACK(S) OF THE WEEK

There are many tracks that I have loved playing this summer, but these two really stick out to me, and they always go down amazingly.

Cassy tour dates:

September 11 - Rumors, Destino, Ibiza
October 3 - Circo Loco, DC10, Ibiza
October 10 - Circo Loco, DC10, Ibiza (closing)

Correction: An earlier version of this post misattributed the writing to Patrick Topping due to an editing error.