Sun, sea and comedowns: How to stay sane in Ibiza

Mar-T, who lives on the island in the summer months and is Amnesia’s longest serving resident, has a more chilled approach, “I normally drink a couple of beers and listen to music in my room with headphones”, while Andrea Oliva gets down for doors and soaks up the atmosphere: “I like to go to the club early and take in all the good vibes, that’s basically everything I need to get excited for my set.”

It can be harder to maintain discipline once inside the club, with a breadth of party supplies on offer and a weight of peer pressure from all angles. “When it’s a particularly busy period I always try not to party, but that’s easier said than done!” admits Patrick Topping. Speaking on the IMS Panel ‘Health Vs Hedonism’ Monki noted that DJing is “probably one of the only jobs in the world where you’re expected to drink - at least,” adding that “when you turn up and say ‘No it’s ok I’ll just have a bottle of water’, you can almost see the disappointment on peoples’ faces. I think that whole stigma of everyone having to be on it and drinking needs to be dropped.”

While it can be hard to not get carried away in the environment, one way artists can reduce the harm caused by partying is keeping stocked with some healthier provisions. We all know the benefits of a balanced diet, so why not a balanced rider? Even when good intentions slip this can help, as Enzo Siragusa notes: “I've got coconut water on there. I often end up sticking a load of vodka in there to be honest, but at least that's slightly more re-hydrating!”

Nicole Moudaber is able to abstain, and gets all her highs from the experience and sounds alone. “There’s nothing more powerful than the music. I don’t drink or do drugs when I’m on the road or working,” the Mood/RAW honcho says. “Once I start playing, I transform into another person. I don’t know how to explain it, it’s just a feeling.”

Even in front of the famously rapturous crowds of Ibiza, however, sets don’t always go to plan, and finding a way to power through and recover from a dodgy gig is vital for keeping spirits and motivation up across the tiring summer months.

For most DJs it’s about overcoming the mental block that can strike in the booth. “The question is more like “is it in your head?” or “Is it really happening in the crowd?”, because I think sometimes you kind of go inside your head and start asking these questions of yourself, which isn’t good,” says Davide Squillace. “My advice is to explore different sub-genres of music from hard-techno and deep house to more trippy stuff; you just need to find the right range of music that you like to share with the people.”