Privilege is the world's biggest club and this season it's reclaiming its legendary status

Having set the rhythm for the entire club for the best part of two decades, the loss of Manumission leaves Privilege with a massive void to fill. The answer comes in the form of Dutch trance don Tiësto and his legendary Club Life party. When Tiësto swaps Privilege for Pacha in 2012, fellow Dutchman Armin van Buuren continues the big room trance theme.

Elsewhere on the roster, the extravagant arrival of SuperMartXé also helps to mitigate Manumission’s sudden departure. “SuperMartXé is all about big productions and a different theme every week,” says brand CEO Jose Diaz. “We needed a big stage to make it all happen, so the size of the venue was never a problem; in fact, it was a blessing.”

While big room carnivals like SuperMartXé, Manumission and Club Life prosper inside the colossal 10,000-capacity main room, more intimate underground gatherings are less successful. Then in 2012, Privilege unveils its new 2000-capacity glass-panelled backroom, which flaunts a darker musical vibe. The first party to trial the Vista Club are Barcelona-based tech-house collective elrow, famous for their immersive circus-style parties. “We’d just come off an amazing season in Barcelona when we got a call from the director of Privilege,” says elrow boss Juan Arnau. “My father flew to Ibiza and loved the new side room. After that, we refurbished everything, even the name. My father actually renamed the area the Vista Club! I don’t think a lot of people know that.”