While it has already been a superb spring for this giant global clubbing brand, Matinee’s “Revolution” tour of events seeing it storm most of Europe & make its mark in The States, all eyes are now on Spain as the summer season starts proper this weekend with a huge festival in Barcelona, we piecing the paltry P.R. together, while also propelling their Ibiza season launch next Saturday as well as touching on other upcoming tour events on the schedule & pointing toward this sunshine brands set of sounds.
If like us, you are keen followers of all things Spanish, especially when it comes to clubbing, the first brand that probably springs to mind is Matinee, a gathering that began back in 1993 in its backyard Barcelona, but has since become a global giant, not one continent untouched by its shimmering sunshine sounds, although in recent years with the counterpart competition in the form of both SuperMartXe & WE having stolen significant slices of its spotlight, while our Barca brand remained a tore de force at home, it would be true to say that some of the gloss & sheen that was always the Matinee touring machine certainly lost some of its shine. However, 2013 has seen this superclub colossus really step a spring like stride across Europe & beyond, the seemingly sedate post & pre summer season it had sunk into, a trait of the past, Matinee stoking up a head of steam that has seen a string of spectacular showings in France, Gran Canaria, Italy, & Switzerland as well as right here in London, while with no less six showings at home in Spain including their Barcelona backyard, it is pretty clear that this brilliant brand has been cooking on plenty of pre-summer season gatherings gas. Then you add to that a hugely successful festival in Las Vegas, as well as solid stamp marks in Paris, Bordeaux, along with a superb start to The Circuit Festival set of pre-parties, Matinee teaming up with Delice in April & fresh from a terrific turn in Tel Aviv, and it is no surprise that WE has been left in a weary wake, while SuperMartXe has pretty much sunk without trace.
So, with the sun really shining on this sunshine band, Matinee after a spectacular Spring season, is set to springboard into what looks like being its most brilliant & best summer season yet, the Amnesia Ibiza launch just over a week away and The Circuit Festival promotion gaining momentum, all eyes are certainly on Spain as Matinee concentrates its efforts in supporting a schedule that is its most substantial to date. And this global giant’s summer starts in scintillating style this coming Sunday (9th June) with their “Summer Festival” in base clubbing camp Barcelona, very much the curtain raiser to the season ahead, the brand boasting some of its best D.J.’s, production & partying tools propelling this two day delight to the max. With a massive pool party during the day, that trademark Barca sunshine sure to swell the numbers considerably, matched with night-time turns, the whole festival stretching a full twelve hours till 10 a.m. on Monday, it is no surprise that Matinee have pulled in their biggest resident Spanish all-stars, Taito Tikaro, Lydia Sanz & Jordi Lights joined by Flavio Zarza & Andre Vicenzzo, making for a majestic line-up that also means the music will be quite magnificent from start to finish. Add to that vocalist Vanesa Klein, who will be in attendance & performing right across the weekend, along with dynamic duo Takers, a summer season start doesn’t get much better than this, while with special 12 hour passes available at just 65 euro’s which includes free transport from the centre of Barcelona to the specially constructed festival park, known as “Matinee Corner”, this is one gathering that you shouldn’t miss, further information available by going to http://matineegroup.com, or by flicking through their page at https://facebook.com/matineegroup.
However, this festival is just the beginning for a Matinee summer season that looks like setting the clubbing world alight, as next Saturday sees this Spanish superclub switch onto the Balearic island of Ibiza for its next season splash, this every bit as significant as the summer opening this Sunday, as Ibiza is very much back on the clubbing ascendency after a torrid time with tough restrictions on a plethora of parties. Yet while a number of small time venues that sprouted up in recent years finding themselves prone to police targeting meaning many were been forced to close, the big hitters like DC10, Pacha, Privilege & Space survived this strict scrutiny & very much remain, Amnesia very much part of this picture and at the centre of the polysexual partying that is very much the current clubbing scene on the White Isle. And so, with Matinee’s launch here next Saturday (15th June), will come a marvellously mixed crowd soaking up the sunrise on the famous Amnesia terrace, the towering talent that is Taito Tikaro heading up a team that pretty much mirrors this Sunday’s festival, Lydia Sanz in situ, as is Vanesa Klein, while in Amnesia’s main room, Flavio Zarza & Andre Vicenzzo take charge of the tunes, this years launch marking a full fifteen years of Matinee magic, http://matineegroup.com, https://facebook.com/matineegroup & the as yet un-awakened page at https://facebook.com/matinee.ibiza.3 the paces to pop for more advance info.
These two massive meets aside, Matinee has plenty on the cards in the coming weeks, as The Circuit Festival momentum increases, pride celebrations very much at the forefront of their activity abroad, both New York & Montreal sporting special events by the brand, both taking place on Saturday 29th June, the Canadian leg looking particularly good, as Spanish resident Lydia Sanz will be joined by fellow countryman Ivan Gomez, while Micky Friedman & Phil Romano also feature. However, if like us, you won’t be able to reach many yet alone any of Matinee’s meets in the next few weeks, then fear not, as you can still soak up the superb sounds of this brilliant brand, as not only do they broadcast live every Saturday night from 8 till 10 on Maxima FM (http://www.maxima.fm/), the show compiled by Matinee resident Xavi Alfaro, but you can sink into the Matinee World sounds via their Soundcloud site at https://soundcloud.com/matineegroup, no less than a staggering forty eight podcasts stretching back as far as the 2012 summer season start ate available to stream & download. Indeed, during May along there have been four two part podcasts, the first in each sporting a selection of matinee sounds, while the second ones have been compiled by residents J Louis, Jordi Lights & Andre Vicenzzo. And with another two part production hitting the page just four days ago, Javier Medina the mixer on this occasion, plus with the news having broken on a special “Summer” compilation mixed by Taito Tikaro & Lydia Sanz,, it seems the music productions are very much keeping pace with the parties in propelling Matinee as the global clubbing brand of the moment.
So, with the summer only just starting, there will be much more in the matinee world for us to support and promote, a special preview planned to cover The Circuit Festival the centre of our selections, while in the “Summer Festival” & “Ibiza Summer Season Opener” we have two terrific sizzlers to savour for sure. (DISCO MATT)