DJs and promoters on Ibiza's best residencies

When Space closed last year we said that Ibiza would never be the same again. And we were right. Read on as Carl Cox describes how he will revitalise the biggest club in the world, how the designer of Hï Ibiza plans to fill the Space-shaped hole in our hearts, how Sven will keep Cocoon at Amnesia fresh, Oakie’s old-skool return to the island and how residents like Hot Since 82, Lauren Lane and tINI are shaping up for DC10, Pacha and Underground. We reckon you’ll have your flight booked by about halfway through...

“Monday night at Amnesia is Cocoon. The reason we are still here and still as excited as ever in our eighteenth year is the determination to keep alive the true essence of Ibiza and everything that goes with it. We never stop trying to create the feeling that this could not be happening anywhere else. Visuals that make my eyes water, an amazing crowd that’s grown with us and makes all the difference because we never stopped listening to them. It’s all about giving them freedom to dance.

“In the Amnesia booth I play vinyl, of course, as do many of our artists. It is also important that we are involved in the set-up of the club to get the best out of the system and make both rooms resonate. The kind of techno we play needs that power and punch.

“Although I enjoy playing the role of party promoter in Ibiza, I like to DJ more. I leave the production and promotion to a team that have been with me for years. They know exactly what the party is all about, though of course I’m always observing and contributing. Cocoon really is a family now.

“This year I’ll play 14 shows. The adrenaline always gets me through the night, even when I’ve had a huge weekend away in the middle of summer. Musically, my vinyl cases are more packed than ever, so I never really know what will happen on a Monday night. Yet it’s this feeling that energises me and I think it always will. I do know that I want people to leave the club with the feeling that we had a fantastic time together, whether the night was beautiful, messy or both!”

Sven Väth's Amnesia super-tip: “Find a dancefloor spot with your friends. Your spot. If you are alone on a Cocoon Monday you will soon have new friends around you.”

Sven Väth's Cocoon 2017 Top 5 Chart

1. Rico Puestel ‘Enokid’ (Cocoon Recordings)

“This one will drive you crazy. Look out for more weird techno stuff by Rico”

2.Henrik Schwarz ‘Not Also You’ (Running Back)

“One of my favourite artists on one of my favourite labels”

3. DJ Koze ‘Driven’ (Hart & Tief)

“Another favourite; I love the bassline”

4. Moderat ‘Running’ (Shed remix) (Monkeytown)

“For me, one of the most functional remixes of Moderat’s great original”

5. Acid Pauli ‘Gwar Is Not The Answer’ (Smaul Recordings)

“Old but new: Acid Pauli gave me the re-press a few months ago and I still love it”

“A collective of people, including the guys who run Funktion-One, came to me and said, ‘Let’s do Privilege in 2017. They want to revamp the whole club, install the best system you’ve ever heard and basically get the club back to where it belongs’. I thought, ‘At last! A great opportunity for me to do something no other DJ has done since Tiësto and then Armin van Buuren’. Since then, no other DJ has taken over the club.

“So this summer we’re bringing the old Carl Cox back. Give me a big room and you’ll get a big sound. I’m not looking to play anything under 128bpm in the Main Room. If the tempo goes up, it goes up, but it won’t go down! The Funktion-One system is by far the best I’ve ever heard at any outdoor event and we’re going to install it in Privilege. As soon as you walk through the door you’ll feel it in the chest. I want everyone to understand that this music needs to be felt as well as heard. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be louder; it means the quality of sound is the very best we can deliver.

“The whole experience will be mind-blowing. Think back to any rave in yesteryear; you walked in and just stood there for a moment, thinking ‘Wow, this is incredible!’ Everyone hot and sweaty, going nuts, not caring about VIP or what they’re wearing, the party going off. I think we’ve lost that kind of energy. At Privilege, we’re going to bring it back so everyone remembers why we started this movement in the first place.”

Carl Cox's Privilege super-tip: “People need to arrive early and claim their space on the floor, because I doubt there’ll be much of it! I’ll be playing house in the Coco Loco room first, then the Terrace will open, followed by the Main Room. It’ll be a journey. But arrive too late and you’ll be stuck in the queue for at least an hour.”

Carl Cox’s Privilege Top 5 Chart

1. Pleasurekraft ‘Tarantula (7 Year Itch rework)’ (Kraftek)

“The breakdown will send chills down your spine”

2. Darren Emerson ‘Deadlock’ (Intec Digital)

“The man is back with a new acid techno stormer”

3. Carlo Lio vs DJ Pierre ‘Destroy This Track’ (SCI+TEC)

“Pure techno. Carlo is right on the money with this one”

4. Riva Starr ‘The Basement Shit (Skream remix)’(Snatch! Records)

“Jacking techno as its very best. It’s in my box for every single gig, it’s that good”

5. Lisa Lashes ‘Women Beat Their Men’ (Intec Digital)

“Believe it or not, this track is massive on the techno front; very credible and slamming. Lisa is really turning the thumbscrews on her new sound. Love it!”

“We’re taking Defected In The House to Eden in San Antonio this summer. In the past, a lot of people have seen San An as the more downmarket part of the island, but we’ve had nothing but positivity since we announced our move. Certainly for me, and a lot of the Defected staff, San Antonio was our first experience of Ibiza. We went there before we ventured elsewhere on the island – and it’s the same for countless others. As a label we’ve been established for many years now, but it’s very important for us to grow our audience from the ground up and try and convert people from a young age. Then they become fans for life. And a lot of those young people are going to be in San Antonio. Over the last few years I think Ibiza has got a bit of bad PR for pricing people out of clubs with expensive entry and drinks prices. But being in San An means we’re able to keep things a bit more reasonably priced. I think the most expensive ticket for Defected In The House this summer is going to be €40 and Eden’s policy is to keep the drinks reasonably priced.

The first time I went to Ibiza and San Antonio was 1986. Nicky Holloway was running a night in London called Special Branch at the time, and about 250 of us who’d go to the night all went on holiday to Ibiza. We were all club kids and we’d go to bars and ask if we could DJ and just take over the whole bar. Gilles Peterson was there, and Pete Tong, and loads of other people who’d go on to do great things in music. I met people in that week who I still know and work with today. Back then the sunset strip was just Café del Mar. That was the real meeting point, where everyone congregated and watched the sunset and would then go off to various clubs. I’m not saying it was completely unspoilt, but it wasn’t quite the commercial resort it is today.

People can get a bit jaded when they’ve been going to somewhere like Ibiza for a long time, but I think if you’re coming for the first time, and stepping off the plane and seeing it, it still has that original magic it had for us back in ’86. Another more recent night in San Antonio that really sticks in my mind is three years ago when we’d booked Disclosure to play for us at BOOOM! but the club was delayed in opening. Disclosure were on the up and up then and we called Eden and asked if we could takeover the club. We literally had 24 hours to promote it but that was an incredible night!

Every city in the world has an area that’s considered to be the poor relative, but that can change really quickly. Twenty years ago in London, Shoreditch would have been a dirty word. Not a place you’d go for a night out! But for the last 10 years it’s been the place to be. I think a similar thing is happening to San Antonio. There’s a lot of investment there and a lot of new things cropping up, and it’s great for us to be involved in that from the start.”

“TS5 is all about making people feel like they’re in the mix with me. Last year we built a truss coming out of the main stage, leading into a full circle DJ booth positioned right in the middle of the crowd. We also took the roof off the booth after the first event because it was impeding my line of sight. At Ibiza Rocks, people dance on balconies and even on the roof. I need to see those people just as much as I need to see the people on the floor.

“To make my TS5 Pool Party work, I have to have the attitude of an athlete. I’m in front of the crowd for two hours. I’m in the booth, out on the runway, freestyling at 100mph, planning the next tune, the sun blazing down. When I’m in the gym, I’m mindful that the level of multi-tasking that goes into TS5 is very different to a regular DJ performance. That’s why I treat the event like an endurance sport. If I didn’t, there’s no way I could get through the set!

“Last year I had so much fun at Ibiza Rocks, which is why I’m so glad to be back. There were moments when I almost forgot I was performing; I got carried away and ended up just raving with the crowd! I’ll be giving it everything again this summer. If I’m not pushing myself to the point where there’s nothing left to give, I know I haven’t really brought it.”

Craig David’s Ibiza Rocks Top 5 Chart

1. Craig David ‘Rewind’ (Public Demand)(Public Demand)

“Classic UK garage vibes restyled for the summertime”

2. TLC ‘No Scrubs’ (LaFace Records)(LaFace Records)

“This was a big tune for me at TS5 last summer”

3. Robin S ‘Show Me Love’ (Laidback Luke remix) (Big Beat)(Big Beat)

“An immortal dance track that never gets old”

4. Shy FX ‘Original Nuttah’ (Sour)

“Switching things up with some rapid jungle beats!”

5. Craig David ‘16’ (Insanity Records)(Insanity Records)

“Living the dream since I was 16. Definitely one to jump around to!”

“If you get to DC-10 early enough there is a garden that’s open. As soon as you walk in you can hear the music and you’re outside with the planes flying overhead. It’s a good time to get a drink and meet up with friends. Even for me – and I’ve been raving at DC-10 for a while now – I still get excited when I arrive, especially when I’m playing. When you see the DC-10 sign lit up in that red glow, it definitely gets you excited. Those red lights make everyone look a little bit evil, but pretty at the same time!

At DC-10 you need to have all your best tunes for peak time. When I play there I try to pick music I know is going to make people dance. It’s a place to take people on a ride, with interesting build-ups and breakdowns. You don’t want to play dreamy or keep a steady groove. Also, the sounds are a little different on the Terrace compared to the Club Room. The Club Room has an extremely booming sound. Every time I walk in I get blown away. Some tracks translate better on a booming system, while others get lost. The Terrace is still loud, but it doesn’t have that bassy quality that the other dancefloor does.

It was always one of my goals to play DC-10. This will be my third season playing for Jamie and I feel lucky and honoured to be able to do it. Every year, Paradise keeps getting more and more mental; I’m a little scared to see how it’ll be this summer!”

Lauren Lane's DC-10 super-tip: “Stand directly in front of the DJ booth, about 20ft back from the speakers. You can really feel the energy there. It’s too loud to talk, so you just lose yourself in the music. I don’t think there’s much point going to DC-10 to socialise. Just get on the floor and have a shot of hierbas… or five!”

Lauren Lane’s DC-10 Top 5 Chart

1. David Berrie ‘Hands To Pants’ (Hottrax)

“Rockin’ percussive energy, a grooving baseline and some quirky weirdness combined with a classic house vocal snippet”

2. Lauren Lane ‘Wake Up Call’ (TBA)

“Just finished this one and can’t wait to drop the old school vibes and killer percussion. Did I mention the siren? Wake up!”

3. Jean Pierre & Trangaz feat Sebastian Sozzi ‘Faded’ (Cuttin’ Headz)

“This techno track is a monster, but it also has a soft side with some smooth vocals and it always gets the dancefloor going”

4. Acid Lane feat Carolina Guerra ‘Never Ending Moments’ (Lane Lane dub) (Warung Records)

“A collaboration I did with Acid Mondays. It has a haunting and mysterious vibe, with some beautiful vocals from Carolina”

5. Paul Woolford ‘Chaos’ (Edible)

“Bleeps and bloops meet a synth riff that bounces perfectly over a single tone sub-bass. Sure to send the DC10 dancefloor into a chaotic frenzy!”

“It’s a big responsibility, a big bet and also a big investment. And obviously Pepe [Rosello, owner of Space] and all his team did an amazing job during the last 27 years and set the bar really high, making a lot of great memories for everyone. We want to give the best quality to the people in a humble way. I started working in this business when I was really young so I’m happy to bring my experience to this new project. Coming back to an indoor venue after Ushuaïa is amazing for me, because there is more scope to create a proper show with a roof over our heads.

"I want to try to create a totally different experience to what’s out there right now. I think the evolution of clubbing and the electronic music industry in the last 10 years has been so strong and so big that right now you can find really amazing venues in all of the big cities around the world. And if Ibiza is the heart of electronic music it deserves amazing, well produced and well-built clubs. You can talk about the biggest clubs, the biggest capacity or whatever, but what you really need to speak about is quality.

"Hï Ibiza will have two main rooms of music, along with some open-air spaces. We’re refurbishing the entire venue with some really important changes inside. Space was made with five or six rooms; I’m changing the shape of the club, making it a little bit smaller, much more compact and using some of the spaces which were half-covered or half open-air with music to have some amazing fully open-air spaces. I want the people who are going to go to the club to feel that they are in Ibiza, which is something that I think is lost in some of the clubs of the island. Currently you can go to smoke a cigarette outside of these clubs and it feels like you are in Berlin or Amsterdam.

"The idea when we started Ushuaïa was to mix a proper show with electronic music. We’re going to repeat this in the Theatre (Room 1) at Hï Ibiza. We won’t have a normal DJ booth, but an amazing stage. We will be creating a different production every night: at 8am every day we’re going to pull down everything, all the stage, screens, lighting and rebuild a special setup for the following day. Every night. So we’ll have a big team working from 8am until the afternoon, taking everything down and rebuilding the whole production. Everything will be different, every day.

"Engines on the roof of the Theatre mean that everything is going to be kinetic and move linked to the music.My brother and I have created an amazing ribbon twist made of iron which is totally unique to the venue, descending from the roof and landing near the stage on both sides. This is made of a special material with many metres of LED screens inside with high resolution. This’ll be filled with video content all the night, which is going to be something really special for the club.

"Room 2, previously The Terrace and now called ‘Club’ is going to be much more underground and energetic, with a lower roof and great lighting but with no screens and a different kind of production to the Theatre. A priority was changing the flow of people inside the club because flows in clubs in Ibiza are generally really bad. The buildings have been done little by little, piece-by-piece without a global vision of what the club should be.

"I want everybody to be happy in this club: from the real clubber who is totally in love with the music and DJs, to the older ex-clubber who wants to enjoy an Ibiza experience with a few friends, dancing and spending some time in a club, but maybe not all the time in the middle of the dancefloor and the middle of crazy friends jumping in front of the DJ, maybe in some of the other zones. It’s a club where you’re going to have the possibility to enjoy the craziness of a super strong party on the dancefloor but also enjoy open air spaces and be able to speak and socialise with friends. And also with great VIP zones, including amphitheatre-style booths rising above the Theatre, connecting to the old Premier Etage.

"We’re also creating a big unisex toilet zone between the two rooms, with a DJ booth in the middle and a big screen on the roof with lighting, fancy dress and a great experience!

"The Sunset Terrace, now called Magic Garden, was previously covered but now has no roof and it’s an amazing outdoor space. It’s really organic with lots of plants and vegetation, water and bars outside. This open-air zone by the main dance-floor is for the public. Another open-air space, The Secret Garden, will be a space for friends, DJs and industry: a kind of open-air green room, linked to the second space, but a little bit more protected from the main dancefloor.

"I’ll never speak badly about Space because it was crazy, and one of my best clubbing experiences when I was young. But we are now speaking about a new era, a new adventure, we’re building something totally different, and we’re super proud and happy to try to make it happen.

“You’ll always find a sophisticated crowd at Pacha. I’ve been going there for 17 years. I used to watch Roger Sanchez, Erick Morillo and David Morales back in the day. A lot of things have changed on the island in recent years – some for the better, some for worse – but every time I go I still get that Ibiza buzz.

"Visually, the whole club is going to be transformed for Labyrinth. The logo is quite mystical, taking inspiration from Mexican, Aztec and Mayan stuff. We’re also going to lower the ceiling, so when you come in you’ll feel like you’ve walked into somewhere completely different. Ultimately, Labyrinth isn’t going to look like any club night you’ve been to at Pacha before.

"The musical focus is house with a little bit of techno thrown in. But the emphasis of my DJ sets is to play music to dance to. There’s no real directive; it’s just party music. That’s the way I’ve booked the DJs as well. Whoever is playing on Friday nights, it’s down to me to close the club out properly, so I do curate my sets a lot more than I would do at a normal show. Last season I usually played the last three or four hours. I’ve got 21 shows this year, which is going to be a task, but I feel extremely comfortable in the Pacha booth. Musically, I feel like I can go anywhere with it. The atmosphere at the final two parties of 2016 – you could almost reach out and grab it. I’m looking forward to recapturing that vibe this summer.”

Hot Since 82’s Top 5 Pacha Chart

1. Hot Since 82 ‘Evolve or Die’ (Moon Harbour)

“My latest record on Matthias Tanzmann’s label. Peak time trippiness.”

2. Zoo Brazil ‘Sand (Mendo Remix)’ (Knee Deep In Sound)

“Summer vibes with a great remix package coming on Knee Deep In Sound.”

3. Juan Astudillo ‘Macumba’ (SudBeat)

“Perfect for the sunrise! A great record that just keeps on building.”

4. D’Julz ‘Foxy’ (Robsoul)

“A total house record. Love this and love D’Julz.”

5. Jimi Jules ‘Hundeblick’ (Watergate)

“Check out the killer groove.”

“Underground is totally different to the rest of the clubs on the island. When you enter, you’ll see lots of trees, plants and a water feature. There are lots of places to sit and an outside bar. There’s a little house at the back of the grounds which is actually the club! It’s all very cosy with a family atmosphere. In fact, it feels like you’re dancing in someone’s living room with all the furniture pushed out of the way. Nothing much has changed since I started going as a raver back in 2003. It’s all very raw and stripped back, but still very Ibiza. That’s its charm. Sometimes I see geckos wandering around while I’m playing!

"I like to keep everything quite dark when I host my tINI And The Gang parties: low lights, with no strobes and no crazy lights. We care about attracting a musically educated crowd. We’re open for everyone, but don’t expect big breakdowns, ice cannons, LED lights or bling. Musically, you don’t have to play a high energy set; you can actually play your B-sides and people will appreciate it. I dig a little deeper when I play at Underground. The crowd demands it.

"I love being a host. You’ll always see me running around putting stickers on people. I just want everyone to have a good time. At Underground, there are always so many familiar faces on the dancefloor, which gives the event a different kind of energy. If you haven’t been before, it’s your chance to come and say hi. I’m a really huge fan of Underground; it’s hands-down my favourite club on the island.”

tINI's Underground super-tip: "There’s a petrol station between Ibiza Sonica Radio and Privilege. Stop there and walk down the hill to La Mesa Escondida: the pizza and pasta will set you up for the night."

tINI’s Underground Top 5 Chart

1. Topper ‘NY Aldo Beat’ (Unreleased)

“Every time I play this the energy in the club changes and people get a feeling that things are going to get wild!”

2. Enzo Siragusa & Seb Zito ‘Shades of Riddim’ (Rawax)

“I’ve been playing this everywhere and I’m never disappointed”

3. Spokenn ‘Rude To Me’ (Unreleased)

“A project from Ferro and Reiss to watch. Amazing!”

4. David G Tronic & Randall M ‘Thatyap’ (Unreleased)

“I love this track; you’ll hear it a lot at Underground”

5. Madrid Inc ‘My Sunday Love’ (tINI’s Born In The Eighties Reinterpretation) (INV12)

“My remix of an old classic”

“Pikes is the original rock ’n’ roll boutique hotel. If you’ve never been to the island before, Pikes is a must. It’s a really intimate location on the outskirts of San Antonio, with a great view of the lush green hillsides that border the town. The first time I went there was with the American singer and drag queen Divine when I was working for the record company that signed him.

“Playing intimate venues is how it all started for me, so I’ll really be going back to my roots at Pikes this season. The Generations World Tour and my Pikes residency is a celebration of three decades of dance, as 2017 marks the 30-year anniversary of my trip to Ibiza with Nicky Holloway, Trevor Fung, Danny Rampling and Johnny Walker. That week inspired my entire career, and the concept this summer is to take you on an extended journey through three decades of dance. I’ll be playing vinyl and new music, and I’ll also have brand new visuals. The first night is the release party for my ‘Generations’ 3CD mix compilation.

“Musically, the idea at Pikes and the Generations tour in general, is to select my favourite tunes from the past 30 years up until today. Some tracks you’ll remember, some you may have forgotten, others you have yet to hear. We have some great guest DJs lined up. DJ Alfredo, Danny Rampling, Nancy Noise, Trevor Fung and Nicky Holloway will all be playing. I’m sure some of my other colleagues will be showing up unannounced as well. No doubt some memorable, spontaneous back-to-backs will occur!”

Paul Oakenfold’s Pikes super-tip: “Pikes is a community; you end up going from room to room and meeting interesting people. That’s what I’ve always loved about it. You can eat at Pikes before the gig – they have a great restaurant. You can grab a drink – they serve great cocktails. And afterwards you can jump in the pool, ‘Club Tropicana’-style!”

Paul Oakenfold’s Pikes Top 5 Chart

1. Da Hool ‘Meet Her At The Love Parade’ (Nalin & Kane mix) (ID&T)

“One of the best trance tunes of all time”

2. Ascension ‘Someone’ (Perfecto)

“Still beautiful in 2017”

3. Paul Oakenfold ‘Space (Petar Dundov remix)’ (Unreleased)

“A brand-new unreleased tune from myself”

4. Amoebaassassin ‘Piledriver’ (Grayed Out Summer mix) (BPM Records)

“A timeless classic that always goes down well”

5. Grace ‘Skin On Skin’ (Orange mix) (Perfecto)

“Goa-inspired sounds on this soaring remix”

“With Ushuaïa being an outdoor, daytime venue, you arrive in the sunshine and are able to enjoy a proper open-air Ibiza experience, surrounded by palm trees with planes flying overhead.

"I was involved with ANTS from the very beginning. I still speak to the team almost every day. They are always open to new ideas and feedback. It’s just how a team should be. Everyone is a part of ANTS – from the clubbers, to the bar staff, to the DJs, to the amazing team behind it. People relate to the brand because it’s open and passionate about music. We started in the back of Ushuaïa in the small DJ booth. Things were bigger than we imagined even from the first party, and it was decided to open the main stage for the last two hours of the show. Now the last three hours of the party belong to the main stage, but the small DJ booth is still used throughout the day. This allows the party to grow organically, then when the main stage opens the crowd moves over like an ant colony! Musically it’s the perfect mix, because you can start deep and intimate and build your set, so that the later it gets, the more energetic the whole thing becomes.

“ANTS is going into its fifth season now. Starting a new event can be hard, but our line-up is based on real talent and it was never about just booking the biggest names in the industry. Building brands and artists is challenging because it takes time – it’s about people believing in the vision and supporting from day one.”

Andrea Oliva’s Ushuaïa super-tip: “The biggest tip I can give is to arrive early so you can experience the real intimate vibes under the sun. Check out the whole of Ushuaïa, have some drinks poolside and soak up the Balearic beats in the open air!”

Andrea Oliva’s Top 5 Chart

1. KiNK ‘Beats’ (Clone Royal Oak)

“A touch of Detroit in here, some classic chords and a massive beat”

2. Andrea Oliva ‘Soho Nights’ (Hot Creations)

“It’s always good to see how people react to your music. This has all the elements to make a bigger crowd move”

3. Phil Weeks ‘The Rhythm’ (Robsoul)

“Because it’s all about the groove!”

4. Adam Beyer vs Pig & Dan ‘In Love’ (Drumcode)

“One for the 2017 festival season, for sure! The message is love and the track is so powerful you can’t go wrong”

5. Jeff Mills ‘Automatic’ (A Retrospective Of Axis Records) (Axis)

“This track is a train, a 4:51min journey. Only Jeff Mills can be so elegant on a drum machine”