Following on from last week's feature, here's Part 2 of our look ahead to the 2013 Ibiza season, courtesy of Defected's Ben Lovett.
Pacha is radically shifting gear this summer and there are hot new players in town like Bomba. Ibiza has moved the goalposts, but there is much, too, that is familiar and therefore welcome.
Many of the parties that debuted so successfully in Ibiza last year are back with a vengeance. Jamie Jones’ DC-10 shindig Hot Creations presents Paradise is a perfect case in point. “I’m super excited to announce our residency in Ibiza this summer” Jones says, “and to be hosting Hot Creations presents Paradise at my favourite club in the world. DC-10 has been such an important club for me, and to now have my own weekly party there is a dream come true. This is going to be a fantastic summer.”
Paradise will move, of course, from its Thursday slot last year to Wednesdays, kicking off the festivities with a huge opening party on July 3. Schedules are still being finalised as we post but revellers can expect to see Jones alongside Art Department, Maceo Plex, Russ Yallop, Richy Ahmed, Danny Daze, Miguel Campbell, Wolf + Lamb, Benoit & Sergio and Soul Clap; not to mention Hessle Audio’s Ben UFO, San Franciscans Pillow Talk, Bristol’s Julio Bashmore and then Infinity Ink, Efdemin and Space Dimension Controller. It’s a suitably eclectic underground line-up which gives a further sense of Ibiza’s open-mindedness these days. Anything can, and really does go....
Adding further sheen to Jones’ plans, party cruise specialists Lost In Ibiza will be promoting a joint venture with Paradise this summer. From July 10, clubbers will be able to purchase one all-encompassing ticket (pre-Midnight) to DC-10 and Lost In Ibiza’s subsequent Thursday departure (from San Antonio Harbour) – transport is also thrown in. The Lost team are yet to announce any line-ups for July and beyond, but 2012’s roster gives a strong indication of the quality in-store – names like DJ Sneak, Eats Everything and Darius Syrossian. Lost In Ibiza 2013 actually opens, however, on June 13 with Futureboogie sensations Waifs & Strays.
Elsewhere, Solomun’s Diynamic Music imprint returns to Sankeys Ibiza with Neon Nights from July 9. The weekly Tuesday party runs until September 24, featuring a deep and funky blend of house ‘n’ tech delights courtesy of affiliates H.O.S.H, David August, Stimming, Uner, Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Ost & Kjex, Adriatique, Hunter/Game, NTFO, DJ Phono, Karmon, Thyladomid and, naturally, Solomun himself. Fledgling residences Fuse London and Together also return - to Sankeys (from June 26) and Amnesia (June 18 to September 24) respectively; the latter boasting Chase & Status, Eats Everything and Magnetic Man.
And then there’s Richie Hawtin’s ENTER at Space, which revolutionized Ibiza last year thanks to a forward-thinking mix of music, technology and sake (a Hawtin hobby....) ENTER reboots for 2013 on July 11, thereby occupying Thursday nights up until a closing party on September 26. As is to be expected, Hawtin and his M_nus camp are keeping further updates close to their chests for now. But certainly, the night will separate from Kehakuma, another of Space’s weekly parties with which it collaborated last year.
Kehakuma launched three years ago. According to Space’s Artistic Director Juan Arenas it was created “with the sole intention of providing good music, produced and performed by people who want to stay out of the commercial channels for the independent music scene.” This intensely minimal affair has become a cult byword for progression and out-of-the-box programming, and will now host Space’s prime Saturday evening spot (June 1 to a one-off Thursday closing party October 3). In turn, Hawtin’s ENTER now has the entire Space venue to play with, so expect bigger and bolder ideas over the coming weeks. The hype around this one is palpable.
Over at Amnesia, meanwhile, Marco Carola’s ruthlessly efficient techno residency Music On Ibiza is set to return to Fridays (June 14 to September 20). Music On Ibiza 2012 wielded feisty 4-4 performers including ‘Ms Jackathon’ Heidi and Detroit legend Jeff Mills, and its follow-up should be no different. Line-ups are reportedly imminent.
Many of Ibiza’s longer-standing events have already fully confirmed their runners and riders, if only in part. The bar has most definitely been raised. Circo Loco, DC-10’s original, astonishingly infamous dancefloor free-for-all is back in Carretera de Las Salinas with a fierce opening party, May 27. Stellar Circo residents DJ W!ld, Tania Vulcano, Davide Squillace and Matthias Tanzmann are confirmed to attend, joined by deep tech-ster Robag Wruhme, Panoramabar staple Mano Le Tough, Crosstown Rebels’ Damian Lazarus, funky French trio Apollonia and US house grandee Kerri Chandler as guests. We haven’t even mentioned Dubfire, or The Martinez Brothers.
Circo Loco’s over-arching theme for the summer is ‘Circoloco Lifestyle’ which, if we use May 27 as our yardstick, suggests a greater expression of variety, vivacity and that unique DC-10 atmosphere than ever before.
Space’s iconic We Love... residency (June 9 to September 29) is also set to return in super, far-reaching style.
We Love...’s June 9 ‘Opening Fiesta’ features Henrik Schwarz, Carl Craig, Hot Since 82, James Zabiela, Joy Orbison and White Isle pioneer DJ Alfredo. Following that, dancefloor-hungry holidaymakers can look forward to Disclosure, live, on June16, as well as The 2 Bears and Groove Armada; then Skudge and Slam, June 23; Ame and Agoria, June 30; exclusive back-to-back sets from Ben UFO vs Paul Woolford and Simon Baker vs Geddes, and appearances from Craig Richards, Mathew Jonson and Ashley Beedle, July 7; and, in the run-up to late September’s closing party, visits by Joris Voorn and Deetron (July 21), Derrick May (July 28), Underworld, Scuba and Derrick Carter (August 4), 2ManyDJs and an as yet undisclosed star DJ (Space’s birthday, August 11), Sandwell District and Octave One (August 18), Tiga and DJ Sneak (August 25), Claude VonStroke (September 8), Steve Bug and Kevin Saunderson (September 15), Innervisions’ Dixon, Ame and Henrik Schwarz, and Todd Terje (September 22), and Fatboy Slim and Simian Mobile Disco (September 29). It’s a pretty much perfect summary of the contemporary electronic scene.
Sven Vath’s Cocoon crew returns to Amnesia on Mondays with its own fireworks (June 10 to September 30) sure to enhance the Cocoon brand’s already cast iron reputation within the Balearics. The crew’s season opener features Vath (on the first of 12 personal dates) alongside Sascha Dive and Ricardo Villalobos. Subsequent dates aim to balance live and DJ performance – as they did last year –via similarly stellar names such as Chris Liebing, Ben Klock, Marcel Dettmann, Adam Beyer, Dubfire, Loco Dice, Dixon, Ame, Henrik Schwarz, Carl Craig, Seth Troxler, Guti, Ellen Allien and DJ Koze. There are still ultra-special guests to be announced but September 30’s closing bash will reunite Vath and Villalobos. Watch this space....
Ibiza continues to work an acoustic angle, as typified by ever popular San Antonio-based Ibiza Rocks. This summer, Rocks’ main eponymous residency (June 5 to September 18) promises Jake Bugg (June 5), Tinie Tempah (July 10) and FOALS (September 18) whilst its edgier alternative W.A.R! (We Are Rockstars - June 7 to September 20) presents punky attitude from Zane Lowe (June 7 and September 20) and, throughout the season, Example.
The island’s International Music Summit (IMS) curtain-raiser is also familiar, May 22-24. Daytime lectures and debates at Ibiza’s Gran Hotel will involve Jean Michel Jarre and Daft Punk collaborator Nile Rogers whilst official parties at Bomba (May 22) and Dalt Villa (May 23-24) showcase Fatboy Slim (May 23’s IMS Legends Special), Sven Vath, Solomun, Maya Jane Coles and Le Carousel.
That leaves a few other sparkly bits and pieces. Amnesia’s general 2013 opening party is June 8 and features Marcel Dettmann, Pan-Pot, Maceo Plex and Davide Squillace, whilst Sankeys Ibiza’s spans May 23-24 and in flaunting Steve Lawler, Nina Kraviz, Solomun, H.O.S.H and Cajmere, offers a preview of its entire summer residency plan.
Sankeys owner David Vincent recently confirmed that the club’s original Manchester base will close this week, in order for him (and his team) to fully focus on developing a presence in Ibiza. Hence Sankeys Ibiza has a host of new residencies ready to go this season. Audiofly’s Flying Circus, based on the duo’s popular Miami shindig, opens July 12 (running every Friday to October 4) but there will be a one-off special May 28; season guests are thought to include Carl Craig and Martin Buttrich. Hypercolor, tied to the impeccable house ‘n’ tech imprint of the same name, is set to run Mondays (July 8 to September 30), and Claude VonStroke’s Dirtybird extravaganza (June 27 to September 12) takes over Thursdays with a hot-to-trot line-up of close friends including Justin Martin, Catz ‘N Dogz, Eats Everything, Breach (Ben Westbeech’s house alias), Julio Bashmore and KiNK.
That’s not to leave out Sankeys’ flagship Carnival Cities residency (June 8 to September 28), which mixes ‘n’ matches an assortment of major international labels, brands and artists. Cajmere, Pan-Pot, Skream and Duke Dumont are all on board, so too outfits Bugged Out!, D-Edge and mulletover.
Carnival Cities is the right place to end our round-up, another microcosm of Ibiza 2013’s exhilarating, free-spirited focus on breadth, depth and totally unique ambience. Ibiza remains firmly at the racing heart of clubland, uniting dance music communities around the world before dazzling them with one of the greatest sonic experiences on Earth. Or at least that’s the plan again this year. Miss at your peril!
Words: Ben Lovett
Defected In The House Ibiza 2013 is out 19th May - pre-order from iTunes
