2011 was a great year for the Ibiza Rocks guys, they had a great lineup of talent on during the summer and they also went all Ska with their closing party when Madness took to the stage to finish of the year. Madness playing at Ibiza Rocks fit in well with a whole host of gigs from bands, groups that you would not expect to see on the Island and it all seems to have gone down well.

Ibiza Rocks are already however, busy planning next year. The Hotel opens from the 15th May with weekly gigs taking place from the 6th June for 17 weeks. You can expect the usual top class lineup every Wednesday throughout the summer and if your staying at the hotel the your gig ticket is already included in the price.

New for 2012 are Saturday nights, if bands are not completely your thing you can go to the hotel on a Saturday to see a top class range of Dj’s playing on the main stage next to the pool. Last year, people like Annie Mac and FatBoy Slim played in the hotel, other dates that stick in my mind in the past is Stave Angello with his Size Matters party.

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Its only two weeks away now and Radio 1 will be what everyone is talking about in Ibiza. They are throwing a free party at Ushuaia but you will need a ticket to get in. Tickets can be picked up at a selection of venues around Ibiza starting from Wednesday the 3rd August.

If you’re not down their on Wednesday at the times stated, i will be very surprised if you get a ticket. If you land in Ibiza on Thursday or Friday, then again, i would be surprised if there were any tickets left. The demand to be at Radio 1 events is remarkable and every man and his dog will be trying to get tickets!

If you do get tickets then a free bus will be put on for you.

IF your on the Island on Wednesday then get down to the following places for tickets:

San Antonio:
Café Mambo from 1100
Ibiza Rocks Bar from 1100

Playa D’en Bossa:
Sands Beach Restaurant – 1000
Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel – residents only from 1000

Ibiza Town:
Base Bar from 2000

Source: Radio 1

If you have been to the island this year, you have probably seen it, if you are going this year, you will see it!

You may have noticed that at some point during the night, everyone sits down on the dance floor (apart from the spannered guy that doesn’t know what’s going on!) and then on queue, usually by the dj, they jump up and down being very happy!

It seems to be happening every ware this season, some times promoted by the Dj (im thinking Ibiza Rocks here) which is usually pap because you have been asked to do it, but a lot of the time, completely random, its something most people join in on and you can’t argue that it looks really good!

However, although this is sweeping dance floors in Ibiza this season, it’s not the first time it has happened! Its been going on for years in DC10 with Magda, the best and probably the first video i saw of it was in 2007!

Anyway, the rest of the island has caught on, the people from DC10 5 years ago that started it of will probably be hating it now its caught on!!
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In 2011 Manchester really seems to be pushing its own thing on Ibiza. So far Sankeys has had nothing but good reviews from what ive read and moving forward another night will be hitting the white isle.

Between the 23rd and 28th July Electronique which is run by Si Heslin will be throwing a host of parties across different venues in Ibiza. Electronique is a night born in Manchester and has had plenty of very successful nights in Sankeys Manchester and around the UK. Electronique plays deep and soulful tech house music and in a couple of weeks will be taking over Ibiza.

They kick of their tour playing the Zoo Project boat party which is generally considered one of the best boat parties to go on, they will also take on Hush, a pool party at Kanya and what must be the pinnacle of this trip for them, they will be taking over the Red Room @ Space on the 27th July which is also a Northern Lights Night which would make this an amazing night to go to.

If you want to hear what Electronique is about, you should all remember Mr Pedros who is one of their residents, who kindly did this set for the blog, You will be able to catch Mr Pedros on the 26th July @ Kanya, 27th July @ Space and 28th July @ Bunker

If you want to check out more from Electronique then on the 20th July you will be able to buy their 10 track Ibiza sampler from Beatport, which you can trust me when i say, is really good!

Electronique Dates 2011:

23rd July Electronique @ Zoo Project Boatparty & TBC

24th July IamStereo @ Hush

26th July Electronique Pool Party @ Kanya

27th July Electronique @ SPACE

28th July Electronique @ Bunker

This is a quick blog pre next weeks diary entries. No doubt whatever we got up to over there next week will provide some insight into the island and of course our silly raver heads but I just wanted to outline what our battle plans were so if anyone has a special interest in a place they can tune in to see what the place is like from a true consumers point of view. No DJ favortism, music mag bias, snotty journalist write up, just pure 100% how it is gonna be for YOU or rather how it was for me and my merry band of trance warriors, techno kids and minimal yeads!!

We have made a commitment to each other to have it as large as humanly possible and I promise you all that I will bring describe it to you in as much delicious detail as I (legally) can!!

The definates are Circo Loco @ DC10, Be @ Space, Cream @ Amnesia, Zoo Project. I am of course allowing for a few nights of spontaneity to see where the island takes me. I will also try to check out Sankeys and feel that I have missed out on the Fiesta del Agua in the past so will try to write up what a night at that landmark party is like.

If your interested in any of these then check out my Ibiza diary next week…

Peace, Love and Techno

Only one week to go and I can barely contain myself, this time next week we will have touched down on the white isle and begun with the fun and fiesta’s!The wait is killing me, its been a long time coming and summer can truely begin! What makes the wait even more difficult is that my girlfriend flies out on Tuesday, this week is definately going to be a long one!

The 5 of us in my party have spent the last week organising which nights we intend to go and what will be the best way to get tickets, time constraints of our flights have led us down the route of pre booking tickets before we go (a first for all of us).

We have been using Spotlight and the Spotlight app to book and I must say that the prices are good and the claims they make about being able to get in on their guestlist when we get there have proven more than persuasive. It also states that only through them can you be guaranteed entry and not just before a certain time. I will update on my return whether these claims are true or false.

Price-wise the Spotlight app is pretty competative, I have heard a number of fantastical stories about cheaper entry and guestlists left right and centre but none of any real substance. Hopefully Spotlight will come through for us and if so will have made our afternoon and early evening ticket hunting time redundant allowing for more beer and bouncy house music and that can only be a good thing!

Peace, Love and Techno

Everyone loves something for free and today has been made that little bit brighter with Amnesia giving away a 4CD mix of the best of Amnesia from the last 21 years!

I’ve not listened to it yet as it’s still downloading however i don’t think i need to listen to it to be able to say its going to be a great mix to listen to!

I have removed the download link until i verify whether this was meant to be a free download or if Amnesia’s Facebook page got compromised.

Source: Facebook

Every now and then when your reading reviews you come across someone complaining about how busy a club is and how it ruins a night. Cream in Amnesia has always been a night people say is to busy but in my experience there has always been a place to stand, even if it’s not on the dance floor or facing the DJ.

But over the last 12 months the attention hasn’t been on Cream but its been on Pacha, I keep reading time and time again about the club being so full for the FMIF night and for the Swedish House Mafia Night. As ive said in the past, people will always complain about it being to busy and it not being enjoyable, but these reviews are now changing to people not feeling safe in a club which i feel is a totally different story.

Ibiza Voice has just published a story about David Guetta’s night at which people were pushing each other around and scuffling with security. It’s certainly not the type of thing you want to be hearing about any night. Ibiza voice seem to be calling to Pacha with the article they released to do something about it and i agree with them.

In the 12 years ive been going to Ibiza ive never seen or heard of any of the big clubs say a night has sold out. This type of overcrowding is only something that seems to be talked about in the last couple of years and it is always at the more commercial nights on the island. Maybe the nights are attracting more people than the club can handle, or maybe the internet is just making it easier to find stuff like this out without being there in person.

Either way, it really seems like Pacha need to address what really seems to be a problem with their two commercial nights.

Source: Ibiza Voice

Its just over 4 weeks now until we fly out and with the Cream opening party kicking off tonight it seems apt that I post my second blog. All those jammy mofo’s are over there now, sun going down and all there night is going to entail now is 8 or 9 hours of deep tech trickery and massive trance monsters from PVD and co!! A night of lazers, hands in the air, walls of sound, ice blasts, hugging strangers, indoor sunnies and out and out Creamy goodness!! Jealous!!

So they all get to smash it to the sounds of John O’Callaghan and I write to you from my appartment in Manchester, I may not be there in person but I am certainly there in spirit (thank god my girlfriend loves techno too). Daily texts between the lads are flowing with excitement for when we go and we are counting down the days, holiday clothes are being bought and an untold amount of sit ups are being painstakingly ploughed through! The rituals have started, podcasts downloaded to keep up on the summer bangers, calenders checked and re-checked to make sure we hit the clubs we want and catch the tunes we need,  the websites and rumour room scoured and verified to make sure we are with the cool and sexy, young and trendies! We WILL get the most out of our time!!

I really urge everyone who reads this blog and is making a pilgrimage this summer to do everything that is in your power to take one new person with you this year, I will personally buy a return flight for anyone who isnt 100% hooked after one night!

Peace, Love and Techno…

Hello everyone

Summer is here!!! My name is Paul and Gary has very kindly let me write a blog on his site that I hope will appeal to Ibiza veterans and newbies alike. If you have already made a pilgrimage then I am sure at some point you have struggled to explain to your friends or people who arent quite up on the scene how special a place Ibiza is? If you havent made it there yet then I urge you to read this blog, believe the hype and have the time of your life at the centre of the universe!!!!

You cant really put your finger on it but there is something about that island and the beautiful crazies that inhabit it that is so infectious that it has us thinking about it 24 hours a day 7 days a week until that time comes back round that we can shake reality loose and be who we want to be in a sea of hedonism and music!

I am going to Ibiza again this summer on the 17th of July with a small group of friends, all white isle veterans and what I want to bring to you is first of all a countdown of what we are looking forward to, past exploits, expectations and then ultimately diary of our experiences for the 7 days we are over there, a blow by blow account of what the island has to offer!

The fact of the matter is however that you could get one hundred people writing one hundred accounts of their experiences and all will be as dazzling and as different as the last! Ibiza addicts all over the world  I hope you enjoy reading about our time on planet Ibiza and it sets you up for your summer of peace, love and music!

Much Love

Paul