Thursday evening saw the phenomenal return of EDM master Martin Garrix. Back on the island for his fifth residency at Ushuaïa, the wunderkind smashed the opening party in true in EDM style. As always, he had the crowd hanging on his every beat.
Fans were out in force for this EDM extravaganza, to say the least. With Nicky Romero, Brooks, Matisse and Sadko and Phi Nix joining the bill, how could this party be anything less than spectacular?
From when the skies shone clear blue to when the only light around came from the dazzling bulbs of the Ushuaïa stage, these party animals were in it for the long run.
Once Dutch DJ Brooks was behind the decks, his inspirational, future-house take on electronic dance music uplifted the crowd.
Selecting some top tracks from the early 2010s to throw into the mix, he had us all singing along to some of our favourite guilty pleasure tunes. For me, it took me right back to my early days in high school.
Swedish House Mafia's iconic Don't You Worry Child, not only got us singing along but made us even more excited for their grand return to Ushuaïa on 26 July. With only a matter of weeks to go, we are buzzing with excitement for this one.
Playing us out on what can only be described as the perfect sunset tune M8's Midnight City sent a feeling of blissful joy and gratefulness for being in the moment through the crowd.
Whilst EDM may not be everyone's favourite genre here on Ibiza, nobody can deny an electric and uplifting atmosphere when you feel one. And we certainly did.
Another notable name on this A-List line-up was Nicky Romero. We heard a range of striking electronic sounds from the international superstar and plenty of bouncing beat drops.
Of course, we had to have a spin of Nicky Romero's 2013 global hit I Could Be the One, a collaborative creation with the late Avicii.
Best known for being one of the youngest DJs to shake up the EDM scene in years gone by. Martin Garrix still has the same immense impact on a crowd.
We witnessed this first-hand when he walked on to the stage and faced the frenzy of adorning fans below.
He was greeted with an especially warm welcome from the crowd as this was his first gig in six weeks due to a leg fracture. No leg brace was going to stop him getting back to the buzz of the decks – just less jumping and more arm waving.
As the opening was a highly anticipated gig, the young DJ knew he had to bring his A-game. And that he did.
He kicked things off with an exclusive first live play of latest tune Summer Days featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump of Fallout Boy.
We heard the more mellow, summer house sounds of Martin Garrix's production abilities. Not without the occasional flicker of electronic waves throughout the track of course.
We have to admit that we quite enjoyed this exploration into the experimental from Martin Garrix. Have a listen and see for yourself.
Dropping his best-known track early on in the set, Martin Garrix only excited the crowd more for what was yet to come. If you haven't guessed, we are talking about 2013 sensational hit Animals. Containing one of the most famous and instantly recognisable beat drops on the planet - you know the one.
As the set progressed, the captivating production of Ushuaïa only intensified. The beaming lights lit up the enormous stage leaving the dark silhouette of our party host as the focal point.
Perfectly timed to each beat drop or bassline, smoke machines erupted and giant sparklers shot sparks of fire out of the stage. Now that's what I call a party.
As the set went on, we heard the backlog of tracks from this impressively young DJ's career. From this, it was easy to see why he has sold millions of records worldwide, sold out stadium events and worked with the likes of Dua Lipa, David Guetta and Khalid.
Sadly the dancing and air fist-pumping had to end at some point but not to worry: this is only the beginning of Martin Garrix's Thursday night reign on Ibiza.
If you want to join one of the island's biggest EDM parties, head below for more information on dates, line-ups and tickets.
