Dancing Astronaut’s most anticipated parties of the 2013 Ibiza seasonRichie Hawtin Custom one 92 Enter Space Ibiza 05

Dancing Astronaut’s most anticipated parties of the 2013 Ibiza season

Come economic downturn or cultural epiphany, Ibiza has remained an integral cog to global club culture. Founded by the hippies and refined by a group of club-savvy business men, its dotted superclubs and hedonistic values remain an asset often imitated, but never exactly mirrored. The year may have already spelled big change on the island and a considerable shake-up of its residents, but that hasn’t detracted from another on-point season of clubbing on the infamous White Isle. Dancing Astronaut presents to you, from the mouths of our unofficial Ibiza experts, our most highly anticipated parties for the 2013 season.

Departures (Wednesdays at Ushuaia)

Already renowned for one of the longest goodbyes in the history of electronic music, Departures brings together two-thirds of Swedish House Mafia to relish in the high-profile club advocacy now associated with all three ex-members. Spearheaded by Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso, their alternating slots collect favorites from Axtone and Refune Records alike, with the likes of Tommy Trash, Zedd, Alesso, Dirty South & Thomas Gold along for the ride throughout the season.

We Love…(Sundays at Space)

Pepe Rosello’s Playa D’en Bossa stronghold has certainly stood the test of time and what’s more, We Love remains an essential stop for any island club-hopper. Boasting more acts per square foot than any other club night and rallying diverse talents ranging from Groove Armada and Kevin Saunderson to Duke Dumont and Joris Voorn, its ability to keep diverse club fuel flowing into the early hours has made it a “must-see” element of the island’s clubbing repertoire.

we love space

Paradise (Wednesdays at DC-10)

More than a decade down the line, there are few underground heroes that haven’t cut their Balearic teeth at DC10– Jamie Jones being no exception. Rallying the cream of his deep house peers from the Hot Creations roster and beyond, Paradise invites Eats Everything, Crazy P, Loco Dice and Cajmere to keep the island’s underground stamina alive and kicking this season.

Solomun +1 (Sundays at Pacha)

Diynamic label head Solomun was seemingly unstoppable with his Neon Nights party last year at Sankeys, and although he’s switching it up this year at Pacha, inviting one other headliner (thus the title of the residency) per week, there’s no doubt this additional party from the friendly German house master will delight in ways we can’t even really know quite yet. Pacha is going underground, and Solomun is given free reign for creativity — it’s going to be an unmissable new party if you’re on the island on Sundays.

Dirtybird (Thursdays at Sankeys)

Traces of the Dirtybird sound have made their way to Ibiza for several years, but it took until 2013 for the majorly hot San Francisco label to earn its very own night at Sankeys. It’ll be intimate, it’ll make you sweat, and it’ll be about nothing other than that let-it-all-hang-out type of fun the Dirtybird label is known for. Catch Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, Eats Everything, and special guests like Julio Bashmore throughout the summer.

Cream (Thursdays at Amnesia)

Where the club itself has benefitted from an extended shelf life and a cheeky movie cameo, few nights are as firmly cemented in islands ever-changing skyline than those belonging to Cream. With regular spots from Calvin Harris and Paul Van Dyk throughout the season, the Thursday night spectacular draws the cutting edge of trance and peak time trailblazers to Amnesia’s legendary walls. With all this talk of change, there is still an air of relevance to the night that brings A-list celebrities and clubbers from across the globe flocking every season.

amnesia-ibiza1

DFTD (Mondays at Ushuaia Tower)

DFTD is Defected’s new imprint and Ushuaia Towers is also new for the uber-hip Ushuaia Beach Hotel. The party is during the day and it’s free so you can expect a bit more of an early week pop-up shop kind of endeavor, rather than a red carpet affair. Osunlade, KiNK, and Noir were at the Opening Party to give you an example for the kind of talent you’d see, gratis.

Vagabundos (Sundays at Bomba)

Even if you’ve only heard rumblings of the goings-on in Ibiza, it’s hard to ignore the influence of Luciano and his Vagabundos parties. Perhaps embodying the spirit of the Balearic island and its exotic and enticing atmospheres more than any other brand, the long-running party moves this year from Pacha to the new Bomba club, taking a heavy dose of sensual tech house and techno in its wake.

Avicii (Sundays at Ushuaia)

After hosting the likes of Kaskade, Martin Solveig and Dada Life in his first-ever Ibiza residency last year, Avicii returns to Ushuaia for a second round. Running from June 30th to September 1st, the prolific producer has a star-studded guest DJ list and more surprises to be revealed. With Hardwell, Afrojack, Fedde Le Grande, Benny Benassi and John Dahlback already confirmed and the Ushuaia dancers ready to walk on water as they take over the pool, this is one residency worth calling in sick on Monday for.

Don’t Let Daddy Know (Sundays at Privilege)

As one of the island’s longest serving nightspots, Privilege continues to draw crowds on far more than the merits of it being one of the globe’s largest nightclubs. Don’t let the creepy name fool you — Don’t Let Daddy Know is an unashamedly peak time experience that brings the artists more commonly found circling the global festival circuit to a suitably large environment. Sander Van Doorn, Showtek, Thomas Gold, and Deniz Koyu make up the larger names to take the bills this season, with the addition of Dyro, Martin Garrix, and Alvaro making this a surefire spot to those still advocating a little high-end club action this summer.

Music On (Fridays at Amnesia)

Despite Marco Carola’s staggering influence in the world of techno, his Music On residency at Amnesia is only in its second year. It was a smashing success last year, and now he’s switching it up again — bringing much more house-centric supporters like DJ Sneak and Jamie Jones as regulars. Don’t worry — purists will also be tickled by Marc Antona, Joseph Capriati, and fellow legend Carl Cox. Don’t plan on going home before lunch, either.

amnesia music on

Enter (Thursdays at Space)

Another groundbreaking party returning for its second year, Richie Hawtin’s young Enter concept is returning to the walls of Space. This year, the Sake Bar will remain but joined by Enter.Mind, one of the five rooms in the club, dedicated to a completely no frills dark techno sound. Along with Enter.Main, Enter.Terrace, Enter.Air, and Enter.Sake, these tweaks to the wildly successful concept (plus appearances throughout the summer from titans like Loco Dice, Maya Jane Coles, Hot Since 82, Disclosure, Paco Osuna, and Marcel Dettmann b2b Ben Klock) make this another Hawtin concept for the record books.

Dan Carter and Cara Daley contributed to this article.

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