Phantasmagoria, is an art of theater using magic lanterns that was first performed by showman Paul Philidor in 1789. Phantasmagoria Ibiza is now the vehicle for the much anticipated return of Mike and Claire McKay, the creative half of the infamous Manumission concept, the last party to capture the imagination of the island. Billed as a love affair between Dance Music and Film, Phantasmagoria is the most exciting project to emerge from Ibiza clublife in decades. A slickly edited trailer by Andrew Daffy from The House Of Curves appeared online on Monday and it whets the appetite for what lies ahead. There are two parts to Phantasmagoria Ibiza. Part I is Smokey and The Movies, 31 days of open air cinema curated by a diverse crew of individuals including Welsh author and drug smuggler Howard Marks, lead vocalist of Skunk Anansie, Skin, DJ Seth Troxler and Minority Report actress, Samantha Morton. The movies will be shown in the car park purchased by Giuseppe Cipriani located next to Booom, opening on August 1 with the cult classic True Romance written by my favorite director of modern times, Quentin Tarantino. Another Tarantino classic, Kill Bill, will be screened on September 5.
The opening date of August 1 at Booom, (Claire's Birthday) will also combine Part II of Phantasmagoria, entitled Sexus, five nights of "wild abandon" led by Mike and Claire with proper DJ talent and live performance, such as Derick Carter, Mathew Herbert, Craig Richards and Skream, who supplied the soundtrack for the concept with Make Me. Andrew Daffy will ensure that visuals for the three act show, which takes place every Friday in August, will create an Art Noir atmosphere at the venue. The signing of Phantasmagoria and Mike and Claire McKay, is a real coup for Booom and its owner Giuseppe Cipriani, who has battled hard to keep the club open this season. One would have to admire the Italians tenacity and he seems committed to the clubs future at its present location. There may also be a thawing in relationships between the two sides involved in the high profile spat, that resulted in an eviction order been served on Booom last February. Cipriani's close neighbor Pacha, narrowly missed out on signing Mike and Claire McKay for a Manumission return to Mondays nights and while there are mischievous rumours circulating as to the reasons why that deal fell through, this blogger would tend to believe the official story that the timing at Pacha was not right for a Mike and Claire Manumission return. It is better for them that they would return to Manumisssion on the back of a successful solo project like Phantasmagoria, an updated version of their previous Cinemission concept. The soft language between the two sides of the Manumission team is enough to suggest, that the old concept may return in the future.
A Welcome Phantasmagoria Mantra.
What makes Phantasmagoria so exciting are the personalities involved, inspired by a love of the silver screen. Mike and Claire McKay would mirror the lead characters from True Romance, a theme Tarantino successfully carried through to Pulp Fiction. The charismatic couples adopted son, Johnny Golden, makes a welcome return to Phantasmagoria as creative producer and Giuseppe Cipriani's villainous appeal should bring a real edge to the mix. Throw in a carefully selected guest list of misfits, pirates, artists and rebels and Phantasmagoria begins to reflect the diversity and eclecticism that Ibiza should really stand for. Amid the current plethora of celebrity DJ's, crude commercialism and a stale scene in general, Phantasmagoria stands out as a truly creative and artistic concept in Ibiza clubland. Ibiza badly needs ideas like Phantasmagoria to emerge and be successful, as its this out of the box style of thinking, that the island is famed for nurturing. They say fortune favors the brave, so the blog wishes Phantasmagoria and its crew, all the very best of luck as it launches onto the treacherous Ibiza seas. Will Phantasmagoria transcend the bullshit? Only by experiencing it will we know. If you are in Ibiza this August it would be unwise to miss out. In the words of Van Morrison "Once, every once in a while, something comes along that feels just right". Phantasmagoria opens at Booom on August 1 and ticket availability is strictly limited.
