Last week we aired our tip-off for the techno trailblazers stalking the island with their restless beats, and this week we're moving into the indulgent territory of house. It's no easy mission to call the shots and direct you up the path of aural pleasure, but you've got to seize the overload of choice that´s spread across the best clubs on the planet while you can.
Monday 25 July / Ben Santiago / Hed Kandi at Ocean Beach
Begin your week on an absolute scorcher at Ocean Beach with one of the UK's biggest house brands, Hed Kandi. Ocean Beach is San Antonio's go to hotspot for a pool party and it's a cracker of a venue to enjoy a wielding of house classics under the Ibiza sun. Ben Santiago - one of the leading figures behind the brand - is on duty this week and if you're not already familiar with his name, he's been all over the island – Amnesia, BEACHOUSE, Café Del Mar, Pacha and Ibiza Rocks, among more. And not forgetting Lovely Laura who'll be adding her own slice of magic on the saxophone.
Tuesday 26 July / Oliver Dollar / Together at Amnesia
On Tuesdays, Amnesia's terrace is a haven for the house heads, while blistering bass holds the court in the main room. Every week in one of the two rooms there's a special guest and this Tuesday it's German-born house producer, Oliver Dollar. Big tunes that put the Berlin-based magnet on the map include'Doing Ya Thing' and 'Pushing On'. He's been implanting his sound across the planet this year and this date is his first Amnesia gig of the season, so get yourselves in for an earful of his selection. Also on the terrace are Amine Edge & Dance and CamelPhat.
Wednesday 27 July / Todd Terry / Dance 88/89 at Sankeys
In 1991, Todd “The God” Terry gave us iconic track, 'House Is A Feeling' and over two decades later, we're still feelin' it to the rib-locked core. Legend is a word that's long been thrown about too easily, but in the case of this house music legend, it's wholly warranted. Although the New Yorker didn't get a big break in his home city in the late '80s, the UK and Europe lapped him right up and his barrage of deep cuts did their business for clubbers. Don't be a dafty and miss this date because while has more Ibiza dates to come, this is his only fixture with Sankeys' Dance 88/89. He'll be in with Bushwacka, DJ Alfredo, Graeme Park and a special guest.
Thursday 28 July / Detlef/ Solid Grooves at Vista Club, Privilege
Landing fresh into residency duties on Ibiza is Solid Grooves and it's a party that hit the ground running. You couldn't say it was strictly house, but neither could you call it purely techno – it's at a junction somewhere between both. Detlef admittedly doesn't dish a specific style of house, but it's house that holds his fixation. He was a major fixture at Steve Lawler's Warriors residency in 2015 and this year he's got a big role to play in boosting Solid Grooves' profile. He's buffered the tunes on a handful of occasions for the Solid Grooves guys, so he knows what's getting a top-notch crowd reaction with this pack. Elsewhere on the bill is Reboot and Subb-An who are more of the techier persuasion, and residents Onno, and Michael Bibi.
Friday 29 July / David Morales / Glitterbox at Space
Glitterbox is gunning for disco and house revival with both camps heavily represented over its third season. Championing house this week is David Morales, whose longstanding career in the industry is paralleled by a fine selection of fellow veterans. He honed his skills at New York's biggest clubs throughout the early '80s and then cracked onto a remixing career. He teamed up with Chicago house music legend, Frankie Knuckles, and he's considered to be one of the first true superstar DJs – it doesn't get much more influential than that. This date is unmissable in our books and should be in yours, too. Disco will also be given a boost from Horse Meat Disco and Purple Disco Machine.
Saturday 30 July / Pete Gooding / Boutique Balearic at Alter
Alter Ibiza has pounced into our lives midway through this year's season with the promise of bringing a bohemian clubbing experience to the island. It's proudly boasting superb line-ups and fairly priced drinks - although it's one for the over 25s only - and has a great location in the Bay near Cala de Bou. Saturdays has saved a spot for taking it back to the sounds of Ibiza's glory days with Boutique Balearic. DJ Alfredo will of course be making regular appearances, but this week we have British DJ, Pete Gooding, who you may well know as one of Café Mambo's residents. Joining Gooding in the party's second week is Jo Mills, Andy Baxter and Dave Phillips.
Sunday 31 July / Sidney Charles and Santé / Warriors at Sankeys
Steve Lawler's outfit, Warriors, is another that can't be pinned to one genre, but here on a small island that's eclectic by nature, we'll happily have some of that. Santé & Sidney Charles aren't loyalists to any single form of dance music, but they're united in their love for house in its rawest, purist form. Big room house is what they pitch and it's notoriously packed with guttural groove. If you want them, they'll be owning the LAB all night long.
WORDS | Aimee Lawrence
