Review: Pukka Up brings infectious energy to Eden

Musically, the deal here at Eden is vocal house all the way, with the occasional deep house interlude. Up in the booth, French DJ Joachim Garraud drops ‘Cola’ by Camelphat & Elderbrook, before Swedish producer Sten Hallström, better known to the world as Stonebridge, reverts back to a more accessible house sound – think the bubbly, carnival-sized beats of Leandro Da Silva’s ‘Caipirinha’.

Clearly, this is Pukka Up in post-midnight mode. The commercial hits that work so well out on the water prior to sunset replaced by more refined club sounds designed to suit an afterdark audience, the tenor not dissimilar to the uplifting sound we’ve heard broadcasting at My House at Pacha this season.

Later in the night we catch up with Pukka Up director Joshua Makinson. “Sometimes the island and even a lot of the music here can get a little serious,” Makinson explains. “I think the key thing with us is that we’ve tried very hard to keep the visuals uplifting and the music vocal. The bright colourful flowers, the elephants, it all fits into that theme. It’s just fun. I think that’s why the reaction has been so good. No one has ever see Eden like this before. Even some of the workers out here who are really into their tech come down week on week just to have a dance. At the end of the day, when people see the night for themselves, they’ll understand just how hard we’ve worked over the winter to make this concept a reality – and I think that energy is really infectious.”

For tickets to Pukka Up events, head to the official website here