The first Love International proved that paradise can be found

Four hours on a boat beneath sweltering sun may not sound like an ideal hangover remedy, but any lingering ill-effects from Motor City Drum Ensemble’s disco masterclass at Barbarellas on Friday night instantly evaporated as we boarded the Argonaughty the following afternoon. Midland and Joy Orbison are two DJs who are absolutely killing it right now: the former has put out two firm contenders for 'track of the summer' in ‘Blush’ and ‘Final Credits’, while Joy O can always be relied upon to kick a party off with a mix of eclectic bangers spanning low-slung garage and hip hop to rousing piano house.

The prospect of a three-hour back-to-back session between the two had our mouths watering as much as the blazing Dalmatian heat allowed and, if anything, it was even better than expected. The glistening waters the vessel coasted along were still, but on deck the atmosphere was wavy as the pair deftly moved through anthem after anthem, pulling out everything from Fleetwood Mac to Lil Wayne.

Midland had posted about needing a break from the “relentlessly depressing” internet/world on Twitter days previously in the wake of Brexit and overbearing Ten Walls fans, so it was heartwarming to see him fully taken in by the pervading Love International vibe of nonstop high spirits. A grin didn’t fall from his face as he allowed punters to comb his majestic moustache and pulled some outrageous, hieroglyphic-angled dance moves while dropping into the ludicrous bass of NDL’s ‘Perse’ before surging upwards into Duke’s uplifting ‘So In Love With You’.

Peak euphoria was reached as a confetti cannon fired explosions of colour upwards as the jaunty synth of Axel Boman’s ‘ABBA 002’ bounced through the air. It even got the ship’s captain up on someone’s shoulders and punching the air, increasing the communal delight on-board even further with loud roars of approval ringing out.

Axel Boman had supplied a special moment on the Percolate boat party without even being present, so we were pretty excited to check out what he could bring to the party before our eyes. The ebullient Swede is reputed among the biggest personalities in dance music, and this translated into his selections in a set underpinned by rapturous belters.

At the Beach Bar, the stage’s dancefloor was essentially a big concrete slab jutting out into the ocean, but it’s a lot more of a romantic spot than that sounds, with waves lapping gently at the side and the tiki-themed booth bathed in fluorescent purple and green lighting.

Axel tapped into the free-spirited atmosphere brilliantly, inducing playful grins with a hand-raising remix of Underworld classic ‘Born Slippy’, but equally pleasing the heads with Omar-S’ electro-bassline powered ‘Ah’ Revolution’. His closing track, ‘All My Life’ by K-Ci & JoJo, united everyone in an emotional, swaying sing-a-long. Take a bow, Boman.

The taxi driver whisking us to Barbarellas on Sunday night did so at breakneck speed. Maybe he sensed our anticipation for the tantalising back-to-back set taking place, or maybe he was just keen for his next fare? Whatever the reason, it set us in good stead for the evening. Careering wildly round winding roads in the dead of night had us pumped full of adrenaline as we entered the club, and Ben UFO and Craig Richards ensured these levels did not dip from there.

Barbarellas is the offsite club that hosts some of Love International’s nighttime programme, located just a 15 or 20 minute car ride away (depending on the recklessness of your driver). It’s a wonderful space: open-aired and flanked with benches and chill out areas around the outskirts. The centrepiece is a broad pit of a dancefloor that’s well designed to contain atmosphere. The mood among dancers present for Bristol-based party Just Jack’s Sunday night takeover was absolutely electric, with the aforementioned headline pair rotating freely into the small hours.

As the tightly-wound power of ‘What Is The Time, Mr Templar?’ sent energy coursing through the ranks, a four-person high shoulder stack was erected on the dancefloor. It’s definitely up there with the most amusing, and downright impressive feats we’ve seen at a festival, perfectly capturing Love International’s essence of blithe exuberance. Shout out to the girl at the top calmly enjoying her rocky seat five metres above the concrete floor, and even further shouts to the unit at the bottom bearing the weight and keeping the tower stable. It’s a good thing they’d disassembled by the time Oliver Huntemann & Stephan Bodzin’s ripper ‘Rubin’ was rolled out because no one stayed still and balanced as those ferocious synths tore through the floor.

Jackmaster cut an impressive figure standing tall under the main stage lights on Monday, framed by the logo arch structure across which his name flashed in projected intervals. It was all very rockstar, and the Glaswegian DJ was on a crowd-pleasing tip, expertly mixing through a hit parade of classics featuring cuts from the likes of DJ Deeon, Alan Braxe and Whitney Houston. It was a functional set that did its job well with the pulsating crowd patently pleased, but the magical setting is what made it special. A giant disco ball sparkled overhead, reflecting vivid colours onto the collection of trees that enclosed the area, giving it an enchanted forest feeling.

The Numbers boss warped and slowed down Todd Terry’s ‘Can You Feel It (In House Dub)’ as the clock struck curfew and it seemed like his set had reached its close, before he suddenly barrelled straight past it, launching into ‘Blue Monday’ and sending waves of renewed excitement through an audience that had just been preparing to disengage. Jackmaster is unstoppable, never forget that.

Love International was beginning to wind down by Tuesday with the main stage closed for business, but Pender Street Steppers were having none of it. The Vancouver-hailing duo comprising Jack Jutson and Liam Butler ensured the good times continued to roll unabashed with a two hour set of sparkling disco and house on the shore.

The Mood Hut label the pair are affiliated with is regarded as one of the finest outlets in the world for smooth and sultry house music, and PSS are arguably its brightest stars. After Kornél Kovács had triumphantly closed his prior set with Afefe Iku’s ‘Mirror Dance’, Jutson and Butler took the cue of exultant jams and ran with it, flawlessly moving through a steady flow of upbeat records. It was our final set of the festival, closing out the idyllic experience on a suitably blissed-out note.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter