Anyone who's spent any time in Ibiza will tell you that some of the best memories are made in the in-between moments: the after parties that never say die, the stolen beach sessions at sunset, the hours gaping at the moon and the winding scooter rides through the north. We like to keep these personal moments under lock and key - Ibiza's dance floors, on the other hand, are there to be shared.
...And they come up with some pearler moments of their own, of which you'll not hear the like anywhere else.
Nils Frahm at Heart
Nestled amidst five different sets of ivories and a great slab of effects hardware, Nils Frahm had us glassy-eyed and captivated as the gentle rippling of Says filled the room. Racing between sets of keys to cause a satisfying swell of layers peaking with a thunderous growl, Frahm bridged any perceived gap between the electronica and classical piano world with his very body; music porn at its classiest.
Read the full review here.
Jordan
IMS pres. Disclosure and Flume at Dalt Vila
It was necessary to stop clubbing for a day to enjoy Disclosure's white noises flooding the crest of Ibiza Town during a magical evening under the starry Balearic sky. Preceded by the garage-pop and light dubstep sounds with which the charismatic Flume made us chant and dance, the British duo offered their only live performance in Ibiza; one of those I'll never forget.
Read the full review here.
Natalia
Slam (live) at Cocoon, Amnesia
I'm going to dive into the patriotic pit here with Glasgow legends, Slam. These guys hold nothing back and they stuck the plug in at Cocoon in the main room. Very gutted we were only got an hour from them, they were on before Beyer and with only a short pedal to push they caved the place in. I was sober but for them you don't need any juice. I lost my eyesockets when they blasted in their own pounder track Movement. They created a proper ravey atmosphere which was full of just total excitement in the heart attack territory.
Aimee
Eric Prydz at Cream 21st Birthday, Amnesia
Following on from Sasha, who had prepped the crowd with his masterful touch, Eric Prydz took us on an expedition of classics, electrifying the Amnesia terrace more than he ever had before. Doubling escalating melodies with sturdy, tumbling bass, his new and old releases Opus and Pjanoo called out for air piano and euphoric peaks. It was a relentless effort on his part and ours on the floor, rewarded with the likes of Personal Jesus, Generate and Rebel XX.
Read the full review here.
Emma
Rodhad at Life and Death, DC10
I've got an imaginary love affair going on with this ginger viking-esque techno Lord. Missed only one of his Ibiza offerings this summer and one that I definitely wasn't going to be absent from was his Life and Death gig at DC10. I could not wait to see him blitz a more compact venue after getting a spell of him at Space and Amnesia and it was proper main room monstrosity. He crunched through them, ending with DJ Rolando's Knights of the Jaguar and I reached up and held his ginger hand. Everyone went nuts, dropped a few stone and a magic music moment was stolen.
Aimee
The Vengaboys at Children of the '80s, Hard Rock Hotel
Bouncing jovially to the perky stabs of a '90s europop synth, surrounded by grinning friends, gold confetti showering from above and landing mostly in my absent-mindedly open mouth, arms flailing wildly as the Vengaboys in all their neon glory step-ball-changed their way through the song that started it all - We Like To Party. It was the climax of a night of non-stop hilarity, proof that nostalgia, coronas and lycra is all you need for a fiesta.
Read the full review here and view the photo album here.
Jordan
Acid Pauli at Heart
Acid Pauli and the Feathered Sun's rendition of the evocative Das Ganzes Boot Auf Acid (the whole boat on acid) by Christopher Schwarzwalder had the entire Heart crowd joining in on the dance performance led by the improv dancers in the background, slowly and sensually acting out the words spoken to us through the vocalist. Performance met art, music and improv, pulling at our heartstrings as well as our limbs; free people spotaneously merging to pay a homage to the wild spirits of the island.
Maya
De La Soul at Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks' does its part for Ibiza's small but stellar hip hop scene with its annual hip hop booking, drawing familiar faces of the local scene as well as tourists, all in stellar moods at the prospect of seeing a trio whose influence and creativity is unparalleled. De La Soul offered the flip side of the aggressive, ego-fuelled hip hop which made it to the mainstream, preaching peace, beats and freaky samples in perfect harmony with each other and crowd.
Read the full review here.
Jordan
Ricardo Villalobos at Zoo Project, Benimussa Park
Island residents, rival club promoters, in the know workers and up for it punters created the perfect crowd as The Zoo Project's most high profile booking ever, Ricardo Villalobos, faded Giorgio Moroder/Donna Summer's I Feel Love in and out of his trademark dark and twisted minimal. This special guest appearance (announced only minutes before his set) felt much like a house party - except the booth was a treehouse and a giant panda was there.
Andrew
August downpour at Life and Death, DC10
Tale Of Us were playing one of their trademark 'thunderstorm' sets when a huge rainstorm kicked off outside. The island hadn't seen any proper rainfall since May and within two hours, a huge amount fell. Half an hour before the party ended, even the main room of DC10 was wet. It's not the only club on the island that leakes when it's raining hard outside, so everyone had their shoes soaked while dancing. The best part, however, only came when everyone left. Scenes outside DC10 with puddles everywhere, shoes covered in mud, people walking to their cars barefoot... pure Ibiza moment!
Stivi
Mano Le Tough at Hyte, Amnesia
At the second Hyte party of the summer, from our usual dancefloor vantage point in the Amnesia Terrace we could happily receive the master class Mano Le Tough offered from the booth: house beats, rhythmic melodies, quick drums and two of our favourite dancefloor-demolishing tracks of the season, Epika by Guy Mantzur and Roy Rosenfeld and Gosh by Jamie XX.
Read the full review here.
Natalia
Who Made Who at Solomun + live, Destino
Beautiful and euphoric music to reminisce to as the legendary lovers of lycra took their debut performance on the island in their stride. And what a stride it was, gentlemanly and confidently gliding through the crowd to the back to add a little drama to the performance, these guys owned the night. Having seen them several times back in Liverpool several years ago, it was another unique night of music that stuck with me most from the season.
View the photo review here.
Chap
The Libertines at Ibiza Rocks' 10th Birthday
Energy levels at 1000 volts, a head first stage dive into the crowd by main man Pete Doherty (ragged shirt trailing behind) before the first song was even finished, an endless amount of beer and even a stray guitar flying into the sky to mark the anniversary occasion (we did Pete proud). Live music lived on in Ibiza, as the lazy, hazy drawls between Pete and Carl of longing, loneliness and love intertwined with the sounds of their loosely timed yet perfectly fitting guitar strokes.
Read the full review here.
Maya
Superman launch at Cocoon closing, Amnesia
Cocoon's closing daylight was draped in paper towel. One bold crowd member wrapped it round his head and leapt into his friend's arms from the terrace podium while adopting the superman pose. Catapulted straight for the booth, tissue trailing behind, he soared into the arms of Sven to swap saviour stories, much to the delight of everyone inside.
Read the full review here.
Emma
Strings of Life during Carl Cox + Nic Fanciulli's Space closing set
It's about 10am on the terrazza, two days deep into the final club closing bender and antics have reached fever pitch. Coxy and Fanciulli have been throwing classic after classic at our bruised and battered ears but the morning hits a peak as the euphoric piano refrain and festive string stabs of Strings of Life send all hands in the air, the terrace blinds shooting up to let the daylight - and the love - right in.
Read the full review here.
Jordan
WORDS | Spotlight Clubbing Team PHOTOGRAPHY | James Chapman