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The 1Xtra Ibiza Takeover: Everything that happened on an unforgettable night

How do you make the most of your first time in Ibiza? Simple: get some of the UK’s best MCs and R&B stars and cram them into the iconic Ibiza Rocks pool party for an unforgettable showcase. That’s how 1Xtra celebrated their first trip to the White Isle this weekend (Saturday 4th August).

Hosted by Charlie Sloth, DJ Target and Dotty, the debut 1Xtra Ibiza Takeover saw the likes of Raye, Not3s, Bugzy Malone and Nines soundtracking the Saturday night sunset, surrounded by palm trees, paper fans and good vibes only.

Here’s how it all went down...

Unsure how to party in Ibiza? Take Not3s...

“Are you ready for the best night of your lives?” Dotty asked the Ibiza Rocks crowd as the showcase kicked off, and what followed was a non-stop, hit-after-hit celebration.

Representing the UK, Lotto Boyzz opened with their shout-your-town anthem Birmingham, before throwing way to London talent Not3s. talent played 2017 breakthrough Addison Lee, moving on to recent mixtape Take Not3s II and his Just Fine track. The backpacked B Young swiftly followed, wooing Ibiza Rocks with his standout Jumanji single.

Raye stepped up to soundtrack the sunset

“Are you ready for one more?!” Dotty asked the crowd, the night barely underway. “It’s time to bring out one of the ladies.”

Up stepped Raye, one night on from performing with Jax Jones at Radio 1’s Café Mambo showcase (basically making her an Ibiza veteran). Bringing the energy from night one, she packed every hit possible into a 20-minute set; the soul-stuffed Confidence; the Stefflon Don-featuring Cigarette, and the addictive Decline.

The pair played 2018 Afrobeat anthem Check, one of the year’s biggest singles.

All this after a trademark Ibiza sunset and a stunning Ray BLK performance, where the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Music Sound of 2017 winner covered the iconic Ms. Dynamite. Oh, and did we mention this was all within the first two hours?!

That's not forgetting an incredible MistaJam DJ set, where he played out Dizzee Rascal's Bonkers and managed to get Ibiza to take part in the sweatiest Drake In My Feelings challenge yet. Take a bow, MistaJam.

Who better to up the ante than Wretch 32?

But the night's real turning points fell to Lady Leshurr and Wretch 32.

The latter arrived for a show-stopping set that's been years in the making. "I haven't got long, so I'm skimming through everything!" First he rolled back to 2011 with Unorthodox and Traktor, and then he truly turned up the heat by revisiting his freestyle, the one Charlie Sloth once called "the hardest" he'd ever heard.

Anyone still dipping their toes in Ibiza Rocks' pool took a quick reroute to the front rows, just to get a glimpse of this iconic moment.

Steel Banglez is responsible for countless vibrant, summer-ready hits, so he was never going to miss out on an Ibiza all-nighter. The serial hitmaker invited some trusted friends on stage. Loski, who he described as “the next big breakthrough MC”, came on to perform Hot Steppa. Then Not3s returned to the stage for Juls track Bad. And while Dave wasn’t in Ibiza, the crowd sang every line of No Words to make up for it.

"This has been Ibiza but we’re gonna pretend it’s Kingston, Jamaica right now,” declared Lady Leshurr when entering the stage. “Phones in the air. Even lighters! But watch the weave, watch the weave,” she joked.

First she gave a reggae-style tribute to hometown Birmingham, before switching lanes with a cover of Rihanna’s Work, and then she started what might go down as Ibiza Rocks’ first ever mosh pit with Where Are You Now?

And in between show-stopping DJ sets from 1Xtra’s own Charlie Sloth and DJ Target, Nines (pictured above) celebrated his breakthrough year with a slick penultimate set. 2018’s seen the release of the acclaimed Crop Circle album, and alongside go-to collaborator Skrapz, this was a sun-dappled celebration of the last few months.

It was left to Bugzy Malone to close the first ever Takeover

And who better to see off this action-packed, unforgettable night than one of the country’s most exciting grime MCs? Every previous set felt like it was hitting fever pitch, but Bugzy took it to another level.

Sloth summed it up best towards the end, saying on air: “The energy here tonight has been phenomenal. It is absolutely immense. Wow.” Ibiza, you've been amazing.

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