Ibiza is famous for its electronic music – one might think it's what the island is built on - but Ibiza has both a history and, it seems, a future with genres outside the EDM sphere. In the 70s and 80s Ibiza was a haven (albeit a raucaus one) for major rock acts, with Queen even playing an earlier incarnation of Privilege, then known as Ku (head here for more on this venue's fascinating history). Dance music exploded soon after and has pervaded ever since, however the past few years have seen an emergence of new genres in the major clubs. Let's get it straight though – 95% of parties here in the super clubs are based around electronic music, but with a new generation of party-goers coming to the island the market for more alternative music parties is growing.
We have put together a small pocket guide to some non-electronic focused club nights for those that fancy a change from the norm.
Phat Mondays (Mondays, Eden)
A new addition to Eden's Monday night program, Phat Mondays concentrates its music policy around Hip Hop, RnB, Dancehall and all things urban. With tickets starting at a mere €20 euro it's a steal, as it's the only urban geared party in San An.
Flower Power (Tuesdays, Pacha)
An Ibizan institution happening on Tuesdays at Pacha, Flower Power is an unpretentious hippy party celebrating golden years gone by. Everyone dresses up Austin Powers style and grooves all night on the Pacha dance floor to classics from the 60s and 70s. A true Ibizan party taking things back to the good old days.
Ibiza Live (Tuesdays, Eden)
The most successful night at the Eden nightclub this year. Although not solely a non-electronic party, with the likes of Jessie J, Dizzie Rascal, Example and Tinie Tempah all making appearance this season it's hard to ignore the quality of the live artists they are bringing in. Pretty much selling out every Tuesday at the nightspot, the programming is fresh and keeps up to date with who is big in the world of pop music at the moment.
Ibiza Rocks (Wednesdays, Ibiza Rocks Hotel)
The brand that kicked it all off (in my opinion). Seven years ago one of the now most well known brands on the island began putting on artists that you'd never imagine would play on the island – now it has become a staple of anyone's visit to the island. Over the past few years they have welcomed the sounds Kasabian, The Streets, Madness, Ben Howard, Ed Sheeran and many more. Up until this season electronic acts would mix it up with live artists every Wednesday, but now they've been split between the Wednesdays and Fridays, making their programme easier to distinguish.
Party Rock Island (Wednesdays, Privilege)
Happening every Wednesday throughout July and August at Privilege, LMFAO's Redfoo and his party rock crew bring their own style of Electro-Pop to the worlds biggest club. Even though this party, again, isn't purely non-electronic music, the line-ups incorporate a variety of genres and have included the likes of Lil Jon over the season.
Propaganda (Thursdays, Es Paradis)
The UK's biggest Indie party lands on the island in 2012 for its first weekly residency at San An club Es Paradis. Originally starting at Sankeys, but recently moved back up to San Antonio, Propaganda brings special guest DJs to the party such as Matt Horne and even a DJ set from a member of Prodigy. If you are after a no-holds-barred indie party then Propaganda is the one for you!
Beat & Raw (Fridays, Space)
Brand new to the Space calendar, in the words of Space themselves “ totally eclectic sense, fusing from hip hop and R&B to techno, via pop and drum 'n bass”. This night is defiantly genre-free, mixing legendary acts such as Cypress Hill, The Temper Trap and The Klaxons in with DJs and producing an interesting fusion between electronica and live artists.
Don't Let Daddy Know (Sundays, Privilege)
DLDK is another party bringing some really big live artists to the island this year. The likes of Sean Paul and Ne-Yo have already graced the huge stage at Privilege and supported DJs such as Diplo, Bassjackers and Steve Aoki. DLDK are going big with the huge American artists this season.
The Ibiza 123 Rocktronic Festival
Big news this year was the first edition of the Ibiza 123 Festival, happening from 1st to 3rd July on the sunset Strip in San An. Apart from the usual electronic suspects such as Tiësto, David Guetta and Luciano, we were treated to Sting, Elton John, Chic and Lenny Kravitz playing live! 123 Festival certainly had some teething problems, but we considered it a fantastic few days which are hopefully to be repeated for many years to come.
Apart from these major nights there are a lot of bars and smaller venues that play all sorts of non electronic music such as rock, hip hop and r'n'b, soul, blues and every latin genre (salsa, merengue, bachata etc.). Also, in Pacha you can catch R'n'B and latin sounds in their Global Room on Fridays and Saturdays this summer. Finally, let's not forget about those nice beach bars that still play some reggae. Remember Bob Marley's concert in Ibiza in 1978...?
