Yesterday we had gluttonous over-indulgence in discounted supermarket chocolate eggs as we nailed modern day practices of Easter Sunday on the bewildering day the clocks sprung forward. You might have awoken yesterday confused at what hour of day it was, pondering the cross, the ancient tomb burial, the mysterious rolled-away stone and resurrection appearances that lie at the centre of what the New Testament celebration is really all about. But it's more likely that with today being a bank holiday across Europe, you'd have been getting your socks on to get your rocks off at one of the many raves that use Easter holidays as an excuse to have a party and show our devout devotion to what thousands claim as their religion: music.
Music in its many forms is what we live for and like with other artistic outlets that fall into fashions, it's prone to seeing a rebirth or two. On an island where music is almighty and its infamous energy is unrivalled, it's a fertile breeding ground for the replantation of a scene, or an ideal host to welcome pioneers that planted the seeds for a movement to thrive. This is our connecting point, as Ibiza season 2016 is going to be a huge year of waving in DJ booth heavyweights, innovative artists and bands, and party philosophies. LCD Soundsystem, the band that proved live music had a home on the White Isle after playing at the Music Box at Manumission's 10th Birthday in 2004, is making a return with an Ibiza Rocks gig, six years on since their last visit. Elsewhere, at Space on Sundays, we'll see the revival of the loving and togetherness spirit that has defined Space Sunday clubbing since 1999. Expect a nostalgic nod to the past with the reappearance of some serious old school veterans who know how to deliver.
So, rebirths and reappearances are essentially what we're talking about in some shape or form and in not wanting to steal any limelight from Jesus Christ's tomb defiant celebration, we've kept our Balearic plucking for the Monday holiday. Enjoy.
Acid House at Dance 88/89 Sankeys
We're going to witness the revival of the second summer of love's rave spirit at Sankeys this season. We're taking a nostalgic nod back through the years to when acid house burst onto the UK and some of you were givin' it large in fields with thousands of other M25 troopers, while others couldn't even yet spell field. Going to church was losing yourself in a sweat-drenched, illegal rave and these years were literally magical as they battered down societal boundaries. Old school ravers still go on about these times and rightly so, as although dance music definately hasn't gone anywhere, some of that zest that defined clubbing hasn't been carried through. Dance 88/89, which is running for 19 weeks, is a personal artistic project from Sankeys club owner David Vincent whose aim is to bring a sense of the pure years when there was no ‘industry'. Clearly it's not going to be a rebellious residency, fighting against the law to be heard, but Vincent is intent on re-producing the golden era of dance music and giving us its story from the very beginning for both the old school timers and young clubbers. Pivotal line-ups are massive for this one with two legendary artists, Matthew Benjamin, aka Just Be/Bushwacka (Layo & Bushwacka), and Amnesia's DJ Alfredo (Godfather of Balearic Beats) onboard to take you right back. Also in for the season is a beastly list of originators including Danny Rampling, Nicky Holloway, Mr.C, Adamski, Colin Dale, Evil Eddie Richards, Fabio and Grooverider, Frankie Valentine, Graeme Park, MC Kinky, Marshall Jefferson, Trevor Fung and 808 State. Music of course has to be at the centre of this acid house revival, but we also need attention to the lighting, décor and the whole ambience for it to revive the vibe of a movement that is at the root of creating experiences we know as clubbing.
UK Garage with Craig David's TS5
UK garage, the sound that defined London's underground nightlife scene in the mid ‘90s, is back in focus. It was shipped onto the White Isle in 2015 in a big way with Sankeys UK garage residency The Redlight, led by the Godfather of garage Matt Jam Lamont. UKG legend DJ EZ, or if you like to pay your respects The Guv'nor, has said that UK producers and DJs like Mosca, Hackman, Jamie XX, Deadboy and Oneman have been engineers in spurring its sound forward with their garage-inflected tracks. Looking forward to 2016's summer and we have the heavily anticipated comeback of smooth millennia garage king Craig David. His first album Born to Do It brought garage to millions of UK homes and the beanie hat has never been so popular, with “Craig David's beard” even getting a place in the urban dictionary. His break back into the music industry is full systems go after returning from a five-year hiatus to rack up praise in all quarters of the press, especially after sending social media into meltdown with a garage cover of Justin Bieber's Love Yourself on BBC Rado 1Xtra. He left the UK for Miami where he flirted with a luxurious lifestyle, but eventually it became too safe and studio time was the solution and new material was born. From London to Miami and now to Ibiza, where we're getting a share of his comeback with his TS5 daytime pool party residency at Ibiza Rocks Hotel every Sunday from 17th July to 4TH September. Craig is a sharing kind of cat and for his weekly Miami-vibed residency he's lined up a top selection of guests from the garage and grime scene. Included is a tight selection of UK artists, including a handful of progressive artists who're Matt Jam Lamont, Preditah, Big Narstie, DJ Zinc, Toyboy & Robin, and also My Nu Leng and Monki.
Carl Cox at Space's final chapter
It's his longest residency reign yet with 15 weeks to represent 15 years of Carl Cox's Space domination. Not a resurrection, but a climatic season that's reaching back through each of Carl's previous 14 historic seasons to give us an iconic line-up littered with DJs from the early years that'll have us screaming “OH YES”. From what we know so far, the biggest to watch out for is dance music legend Francois K who's been manning the decks for three decades. He's no stranger to Ibiza in recent years but he hasn't played alongside our beloved, charming Coxy since 2008. Both of them own thirty years of experience controlling dancefloor euphoria, so with their wealth of music knowledge, his reappearance at Space for Music is Revolution is going to be a blinder. Carl Cox's night broke ground at the very beginning as it was Space's only nighttime event, so it's a given that it stands as one of his biggest life achievements. He's always made sure he's right at the heart and soul of it, but he's also well aware that he's had the help of some equally phenomenal selectors who've played their role in it holding down its reputation as one of Ibiza's best clubbing nights. 25 years playing at Space and this year, 15 as a resident, so you can imagine the long list of legendary DJs he can get back behind him for his final Balearic roar.
IMS legends
We're swerving the dancefloor as Ibiza gets down to business at the island's electronic music business conference, the International Music Summit (IMS). When it comes to dance music, there's a lot to talk about and this event is when we sit down and swap booming bass for informative and engaging words from those who know it inside out. Alongside 20 industry icons, we'll be hearing the opinions of 20 artists, and 2016's list is as eclectic as ever. We're shining the light here on two particular legendary appearances from Yello and the Pet Shop Boys, who'll both be interviewed by Pete Tong. Yello, the Swiss electronic music band of Boris Blank and Dieter Meier, and the Pet Shop Boys, English electronic pop duo, are both ‘80s synth and electro pop luminaries. You'll have imitated the ‘bomp-bomp, chicka-chicka' of Yello's Oh Yeah or chanted “TOGETHER” throughout the Pet Shop Boys' Go West and probably done so alongside tracks from the likes of Daft Punk, La Roux, M83 and Chvrches that signified the renaissance of ‘80s electronica sounds in the millennia. Their tracks have been remixed and revived at the hands of big name artists and DJs, including Stephan Bodzin, Oliver Huntemann, Gui Boratto, Flashmob, Booka Shade and Boys Noize. While both bands are releasing new material this year and will continue to own stages with their new productions, they're prone to freshening up the old classics for our pleasure. It'll be an absolute pleasure to hear what these pioneering originators have to say about what's roaming across the current musical landscape.