With more DJs, sub-genres and venues on offer in Ibiza this year than ever before, the choice of where to spend your valuable pennies and even more valuable time was a daunting one. Not that choice of course is a bad thing; far from it – with more competition than ever before the gauntlet was thrown down for all to up their game, making the 2011 season one of the strongest yet.
Now, as the clubs gear themselves up for a final hedonistic foray before the dust finally settles around the 2011 season, we can take a look back at which of the many thousands of DJs who performed really stood out amongst the crowd. Here, we present 10 of the jocks we thought worthy of a mention; by no means a definitive list, but more an indication of the most impressive movers and shakers from a summer in the sun.
Jamie Jones
If there was one name synonymous with the white isle this season it was Jamie Jones; the softly-spoken Welshman took the island – and arguably the rest of dance music – by storm in 2011 like no other. From his energetic DJs sets to his instantly recognisable, pop-influenced productions either by himself or alongside one of his Hot Natured cohorts, the thing that really stood out is that Jones really seemed to be having fun in everything he did. Previously confined to DC-10, there wasn’t a club on the island that didn’t want a piece of his this year…and who could blame them?
Carl Cox
Carl Cox’s Revolution remains one of the stand-out nights on the island, with few labels having the firepower or depth of talent to risk going up against the Space residency on Tuesdays. After a mobbed opening, Cox upped the ante with Richie Hawtin the following night, a booking Cox himself announced that he “had been chasing for 10 years” as the M_nus boss took to the stage. But it was Cox who remained the undisputed main draw, delighting all with his bouncy, rolling techno – as well as frequent excursions into more eclectically-minded territory – showing that despite only a year shy of his 50th birthday he’s never been more musically relevant than he is today.
Sam Divine
While perhaps not on quite the same level of notoriety as some of the other names on this list, Sam Divine nevertheless deserves her place for taking her Ushuaia residency by the scruff of its neck and making it 100% her own. After all the hype surrounding it’s opening, all eyes were on Ushuaia this year, and Divine upped her game to become more and more assured as the season progressed, playing an emotionally self-confessed “best gig of my life” along the way. An island summer resident for the majority of her adult life, Sam Divine can mark 2011 as the year that she really started making waves on the scene.
Kerri Chandler
It was indicative of the current state of house music that one of the original pioneers of the scene could be booked to headline one of Ibiza’s most on-trend venues half a dozen times over the summer. The turn of the house wheel reached full circle in 2011, with the sounds of the late 80s and early 90s permeating much of what emerged as the dominant sound of the island. As one of deep house music's originators, Chandler emerged as the obvious – if perhaps unforeseen choice – to front DC-10’s endorsement of the shifting vogue. That each of his appearances were unequivocal successes was perhaps less of a surprise.
Luciano
Last year Luciano shocked and confounded the critics (in that order) with his surprise move to and subsequent conquering of Pacha. This year he returned to his old – if much altered – stomping ground of Ushuaia; if there was any doubt that the new incarnation of the beach club would dampen the party spirit of him and his Vagabundos it was blown out of the water by the opening party and packed-out parties that followed. His Pacha residency also flourished, with appearances from Carl Craig, Larry Heard, Kenny Larkin and dOP keeping the rest of the Vagabundos on their toes, rounding off another exceptional season for Cadenza.
Tuccillo
Few people who work or play on Ibiza can call truly call the island ‘home’, but Tuccillo is one of those that can. Alongside peers such as Graham Sahara and Willie Graff, Tuccillo has transformed the Funky Room of Pacha into a mini-club in its own right, offering a nightly injection of solid house grooves and one of the best atmospheres on the island. He’s also been responsible for some of the biggest anthems of the summer with his ‘Mathematics EP’ and on more than a few occasions has moved into Pacha’s legendary main room to for the warm-up shift. That he was able to do this with equal aplomb for acts ranging from Paul Oakenfold to Ellen Allien was a sure sign of his prowess behind the decks.
Sasha
Sasha experienced somewhat of a renaissance in Ibiza this year. It’s not that you could say he ever really went away, it was just that everything he did in 2011 seemed that little bit fresher. This was mostly due to his exemplary ‘Never Say Never’ night at Ushuaia, which proved many times more successful than the Bond film to which it ironically tipped its cap. Sasha also teamed up with Burn Studios to fly 14 budding producers out for a week under his esteemed tutelage and also found time to write the IMS anthem ‘Cut Me Down’ which he previewed at the event back in May. Not bad for a man many critics were writing off as ‘irrelevant’ just a few years ago.
Maya Jane Coles
Award for most prolific newcomer of the year surely has to be awarded to the London-based DJ/producer. Diminutive in stature but a dominant force on the way the musical landscape of the island was shaped, Maya’s productions were synonymous with Ibiza; you could barely hit a club, beach bar or after party without hearing an original, remix or remixed track of hers. Carving out a niche for herself with a substantial nod to the past masters, Maya’s appearances at Space and Amnesia told those who didn’t already know that she had arrived. If she wasn’t so completely lovely it would be easy to be envious and disparaging…as it is we can only wait with baited breath to see what she’ll do next.
Bob Sinclar
Bringing with him armies of delirious fans from across Europe and the rest of the world, the ultimate Playboy DJ played five dates exclusively for Pacha this season, all of which were utterly spectacular. While some DJs blend seamlessly into whoever was playing before them, Sinclar announces himself with all guns blazing, a French force of nature that lays waste to all with a, irrepressible blend of house and party-anthems. If Ibiza is first and foremost about good times and smiling faces, then you can find more of each at a Bob Sinclar night than anywhere else on the island, and what’s not to love about that..?
Andy Baxter
Voted ‘Best Ibiza DJ’ in the2010 Ibiza DJ Awards and dubbed ‘One To Watch’ by DJ Mag, Andy Baxter had a lot to live up to this season and delivered on all counts. With weekly appearances at Pacha (at which he’s held down a nine year residency) and Café Mambo, regular slots in Space’s After Dark room and countless other guest spots around the island, Baxter is another DJ like Tuccillo who lives and breathes the spirit of the island all year round, and this shows in the depth of his selections and versatility of his sets. In addition, his weekly radio show The Fix on Ibiza Sonica meant that you really couldn’t escape the sounds with which Baxter chose to ply you with…not that you’d want to, of course.
This Saturday Defected In The House takes centre stage in Ibiza for two unmissable closing parties at Ushuaia and Pacha - click here for more details
