The International Music Summit, as both a conference and a series of parties, is one of the highlights of the season for all of us at Spotlight, providing plenty of entertainment and talking points right the way through to winter. The conference takes place at the soon-to-be-finished Hard Rock Hotel, next to Ushuaïa in Playa d'en Bossa and we recently told you about the first series of panels and speakers, with more to come. The parties shift 10 minutes up the coast to Ibiza Town - more specifically the fortified structure of Dalt Vila in the old town, overlooking the marina.
Each year there have been two parties on the world UNESCO heritage site, providing easily the most jaw dropping theatre of fun you'll dance to on the island and beyond for a long time. With the church lit up and the sun setting almost perfectly between the speaker stacks of the stage you get one of those 'Ibiza Moments' and proceed to take a million photos on your phone, terrified of drinking too much and forgetting it all.
In previous years the lineups have been top quality - with Sven Väth, Carl Cox, Loco Dice, Fatboy Slim and David Guetta featuring - and this year the artists involved are some of the most respected in the game.
As we mentioned, there are two parties, both starting at 6pm and finishing at midnight. The first takes place on Thursday the 22nd of May and features Steve Angello, Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Pretty Lights and Manu Gonzalez. Size Records figurehead Steve Angello has been on the scene for a long time, way before the Swedish House Mafia were into crime; he is an artist who deserves your respect no matter your tastes. Pete Tong is dance music, basically. He is one of the partners in the IMS as a whole and lends his voice to the mic during the talks, whilst saving his finger skills for the decks at Dalt Vila. Annie Mac, no doubt feeling fresh post-St. Patricks Day, had her own AMP parties at Dalt Vila towards the end of the 2013 season ft Disclosure amongst others, so is no doubt keen to relive what was a memorable gig for all involved. They are joined by American Derek Vincent aka Pretty Lights, who will be performing live. Last up is Manu Gonzalez - the first Ibicenco to play at Dalt Vila and a fine representative for the island.
VIDEO | The official aftermovie from last year's Grand Finale parties at Dalt Vila, featuring Fatboy Slim, Pete Tong, Idris Elba, Hot Since 82, Kaz James, Sven Väth, Solomun, Maya Jane Coles, Tensnake live and Le Carousel. Oof.
The second party will be on Friday the 23rd of May and features Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Eats Everything, George Fitzgerland, Bob Moses, Anabel Englund and Marino Canal. Jamie Jones has a long and deep routed relationship with Ibiza, having been a regular at the island's coolest and most underground club - DC10 - many years ago. He now heads up Hot Creations and the Paradise parties. Seth Troxler will be playing with his clothes on we hear, as we all know he is fond of crazy, mostly naked antics to keep reminding people that dance music is fun and shouldn't be taken too seriously all the time. Of course, the dude has skills after being named DJ of the year by two separate publications in 2012. Eats Everything is currently eating his way through an American tour, having been one of the standout artists of 2013. You will find him DJ'ing almost everything and all the time, much like his appetite, he is unstoppable at the moment.
Next up is Man Make Music bossman George Fitzgerland, credited for his blending of garage, deep house, house and techno which has catapulted him into the limelight of late. Bob Moses - making their Ibiza debut - is actually two people, neither of which are called Bob, or Moses. They are in fact called Howie and Vallance (sounds like a 80s crime fighting duo that wear tight pants...) and they have a entirely unique and eclectic sound to showcase to you. Anabel Englund is the sexy vocalist from Hot Natured and Pleasure State and will also be performing live, no doubt performing tracks such as 'Reverse Skydiving'. Last man on the list would be Marino Canal - a face you will be seeing more and more of in the coming years after being spotted at an IMS afterparty last year.
Tickets are priced at 40€ for one night, or a double ticket - getting you entry to both Thursday and Friday parties - is available for the reduced price of 70€. Tickets available now and due to the size of the venue, they are extremely limited.
