12 new parties that are hitting Ibiza this season

Ibiza is gearing up for its biggest season ever. It’s a total cliché, of course, but this year the cliché is totally justified. Don’t believe us? Just check out the slew of brand new, super heavyweight parties opening on the White Isle this summer. When it comes to DJs, brands, promoters and recently refurbished superclub venues, hedonism doesn’t get any bigger than this.

Privilege - Tuesday - July 11, July 18

“For me, Space was what we stood for on the island,” says Carl Cox. “Can you imagine the amount of mixes, the amount of hours we danced in that building? It’s unfathomable to think about really. To try and replicate the legacy we built there in any other club would have been impossible, which is why all I’m thinking about this summer is Privilege. I’m only doing two shows. If you blink, you’ll miss it. We’ve got Dax J playing for us, Joseph Capriati, the Martinez Brothers – a great line-up split over two rooms. It’s going to be an energetic night – pure techno – with everything falling into the rave category. When people walk in they’re going to think, wow, what the hell is this! At Space I always rose to the occasion when it came to frequencies and sounds. I also have a great understanding of the elemental sound in Privilege, which is why Pure Carl Cox is going to be the absolute experience!”

HÏ - Every Tuesday - June 20 to August 22

When it comes to brand new Balearic dance parties, this one ticks all the boxes and then some. Swedish man of many faces, Erick Prydz will headline 10 exclusive dates at HÏ, the venue formerly known as Space. Prydz will perform under each of his sonic monikers, including Cirez D and Pryda, which means you’ll be able to hear everything from big-room progressive to epic techno sounds at this one. Visually, expect the show to be equally spectacular, especially with deadmau5 locked down to appear on July 18 and August 22, his only Ibiza dates this summer. With Matthew Dear and Pig & Dan supporting, expect this party to rapidly cement itself as one of HÏ’s flagship events.

Privilege - Every Tuesday - July 25 to September 12

The slew of monster names moving into Privilege this summer includes Carl Cox, Tale Of Us, Richy Ahmed and let’s not forget RESISTANCE, the global techno brand managed by the crew behind Ultra Worldwide. The mission statement here is quite clear: merge cutting-edge line-ups with a precision sound rig, then beautify with next level production. In the booth, legendary deep tech pairing Sasha and John Digweed reunite after all these years to headline the first seven shows. Sasha says: “After sitting down with the guys from Ultra / RESISTANCE and seeing the incredible plans they have to transform the venue and then seeing rest of the lineups for the shows, I couldn’t have signed up quickly enough! I’m so excited to be playing these shows with John this summer. When people see the production RESISTANCE are putting into this iconic venue it’s going to blow them away.”

Eden - Every Sunday - May 21 to October 1

There’s no denying the fact that Defected’s move to Eden is a major coup for the venue and the town of San Antonio itself. After all, this is a dance mega brand with a heavyweight curriculum vitae. They’ve conquered Pacha, spent a season packing the crowds into Amnesia, and they were the only promotional insignia to truly thrive at BoOom!. Without even dropping a single beat, the pending arrival of DJs MK, Oliver Dollar, Dennis Ferrer, Amine Edge & Dance, Sam Divine and Sonny Fodera has lent post-midnight clubbing in San An a stratospheric boost.

Pacha - Every Friday - May 26 to October 6

After the triumph of his Knee Deep In Sound takeovers, Hot Since 82 returns to Pacha in 2017 to front a brand-new, 20-date residency called Labyrinth. “Ultimately this venture was only worth doing if we had total control,” says Daley Padley. “But to be fair, Pacha have been amazing; really open minded about the ideas we brought to the table. I'm really friendly with all the acts we’ve booked and they’re all amazing DJs and selectors. You’ll definitely be able to see and feel that when you’re on the dancefloor looking up at the booth. The decor is going to be very special – different from any other night at Pacha – so the club is going to look amazing. Even down to what the dancers are going to wear, no stone has been left unturned!”

Privilege / Vista Club - Every Thursday - June 29 to September 28

After a victorious first season at Space, esoteric techno advocates Tale Of Us relocate to Privilege in 2017. Last summer, their atmospheric Afterlife event quickly became a haven for massive techno names that aren’t over exposed in Ibiza – underground talents like Rødhåd, Konstantin and turntable necromancer KiNK being the prime examples. Another intriguing addition to this season’s Afterlife roster – for very different reasons – is Paradise boss Jamie Jones. But don’t roll up at the Vista Club anticipating an upbeat DC10 set. After all, the musical output at Afterlife tends to be a lot darker, the mood far trippier, and it will be mightily intriguing to see how Jones attacks the gigs.

Amnesia - Every Saturday - June 3 to September 30

Elrow have been hosting themed tech-house parties in Ibiza since 2012, when they landed at Privilege’s infamous Vista Club. After creating a massive buzz in San Rafael with their extravagant stage production and fetish for confetti, the brand moved to Space to take advantage of the much larger capacity. Now one of the most recognisable party insignias on the planet, Elrow’s current mission involves dressing one of the most famous dancehalls in clubland, the legendary Amnesia Terrace.

“Elrow has changed the scene on the island completely,” says Anja Schneider. “They’ve managed to capture the feeling of why Ibiza became a party island in the first place. They don’t make the DJ a ‘Rock Star’; instead it’s all about the party. Space helped to bring this party concept to life. The next big adventure and probably the next logical step is to go to Amnesia.”

New themes this summer include Summer of Love, Bollywood and 80s Retro, with artists such as Anja Schneider, Richy Ahmed, Sidney Charles and wAFF in the booth.

HÏ - Every Saturday - June 3 to September 30

In the same vein as Eric Prydz, who takes over Carl Cox’s traditional Tuesday slot in Playa d’en Bossa, Black Coffee has equally large boots to fill. After all, Saturday nights along the infamous Bossa strip most definitely belonged to Elrow last summer. This season, South African house music megastar Black Coffee will be hoping to create the same kind of buzz. It’s a tall order, but if anyone can do it, it’s Black Coffee. Why? Well, being upbeat, rhythmic, emotionally evocative and full of texture, yet not too dark or pretentious, Black Coffee’s sound resonates perfectly with Ibiza’s sonic heritage. Factor in the undoubted appeal of the new venue with Black Coffee’s indubitable charisma and you have all the makings of an event which, given enough time to evolve, might just be capable of etching itself into island folklore.

Ibiza Rocks - Every Sunday - May 21 to September 24

A renowned underground crew dropping deep house and summertime techno grooves. In the daytime. By the pool. At a totally new immersive event. And this summer it’s happening in San Antonio.

“It’s great to see the renewed energy in San Antonio this year,” says Cuckoo Land resident Max Chapman. “There’s going to be a few surprises coming from me musically. George Smeddles and I have made a wicked summer edit of The Bucketheads’ ‘The Bomb’, which is 100 per cent going to get a spin at Ibiza Rocks!”

“This is the most excited I’ve ever been for an Ibiza season to get started,” explains fellow resident Latmun. “It’s going to be super special playing for 12 weeks in the magical Cuckoo Land. Being a resident is a privileged task, where you really get to learn the venue and build a relationship with the crowd to create a new experience each week. I can’t wait to get started!”

Ibiza Underground - Wednesday - June 21, August 16, September 20

“This will be my first ever Propaganda Showcase on the island,” says Ukrainian tech advocate Nastia. “And I’m so excited to be hosting it at Ibiza Underground. Visually, it will be kept quite minimal, focusing solely on the music. I’ll be bringing a selection of my favourite Eastern European artists who you wouldn’t usually see playing on the island. I played at Ibiza Underground a couple of years ago with Arma17 and the atmosphere is like nothing else. The essence of old-skool Ibiza is still there and they have a really flexible music policy which is perfect for me. For my song selection, it all depends on the mood of the party. Musically, there are so many directions it can go, so I can’t tell you exactly what tracks I’m going to play – you’ll just have to wait and see!”

DC10 - Every Friday - July 21 to August 11

Sibling superstars Disclosure launched their Wild Life festival brand back in 2015. Since then, they’ve staged a number of massive outdoor events across the globe, most notably in Brooklyn, New York, and much closer to home at Brighton City Airport. This summer, the duo have their sights set on conquering Ibiza. The only surprise, it seems, is the fact that Disclosure’s Wild Life takeovers will be held at DC10. It’s a booking that raised a few eyebrows on the island when it was first announced, with a small section of purists calling into question Disclosure’s dissident pedigree. Evidently, the doubters didn’t catch the Lawrence brothers dropping tech-tinted house music bombs at a roadblocked Circo Loco last summer.

Eden - Every Wednesday - June 14 to September 27

Serious house and tech afficiados looking to hang in San Antonio this summer finally have something to cheer about. Following hot on the heels of Defected, who return to Balearic party action at Eden, and Do Not Sleep, who host a brand-new daytime pool party at Ibiza Rocks, burgeoning underground brand Audio Rehab will also be based in San Antonio this summer. What’s the deal musically? Well, the full Audio Rehab experience at Ministry Of Sound always includes plenty of growling basslines and dark ghetto grooves. In the booth, headline acts like Flashmob share the roster with fresh new talent. It’s a contemporary rave combination that should go down well with the transient summer hordes, not to mention San Antonio’s immensely influential workers population.

Johnny Lee is Mixmag's Ibiza correspondent

Images via: Infamous PR, Ultra Music Festival, Defected, The Bullitt Agency, Elrow Music, Luca Bergami Viendalmare