Each year, a handful of tracks dominate the sound systems here on Ibiza. Some hang around from May through to October, others steadily gain momentum throughout summer and a few even make a late surge.
Past seasons have been notable for CAMELPHAT's Cola, DJ Koze's Pick Up and Roberto Surace's Joys, but after two full summers off, it was anyone's guess which way things would swing in 2022.
We're now at the halfway marker - peak season has arrived. Although there's still a lot of parties to go in summer 2022, there's a few tracks that are getting played more than others. Perhaps you know them already?
Either way, you can expect to hear them on your holiday.
Skream | The Attention Deficit Track (Terrace Mix) | CircoLoco Records
Aside from being a dancefloor monster, what we love about this particular track is that it was one of the huge records in the short, late 2021 season. It's good enough to carry that momentum into this summer, partially aided by the fact that it only got an official release in June.
Still sounds great on a big sound system - and DJs are hammering it. No wonder chancers tried (and failed) to replicate it in the interim.
Likely to be heard at: Paradise, ANTS, Repopulate Mars, Circoloco
Tiga | Mind Dimension (Ben Stirling Remix) | Different
"Everytime I look into your eyes I see the future..." Ben Stirling has a knack for churning out some pretty monster tracks - and this remix is no exception. Ben takes Tiga's idiosyncratic Mind Dimension and turns it into a modern-day dancefloor beast. Little wonder it's doing bits!
Likely to be heard at: The Martinez Brothers (Club Room w/ Paco Osuna), Music On, Trick
Jimi Jules | My City's On Fire | Innervisions
When we heard that Jimi Jules had an album in the works for Innervisions, we knew it would be a gold mine of tracks. My City's On Fire was the first single to be put out ahead of the full release. Despite coming out at the end of last year, it has remained evergreen.
Getting played across the board, you can hear it from Ibiza Rocks to Pacha, Hï Ibiza to DC10.
Likely to be heard at: CAMELPHAT, Solomun +1, Future Rave
Zakes Bantwini | Osama | Paradise Sound System
Next an outside bet and a track that has seemingly come from nowhere. Though perhaps we should not be so surprised, given the wave of popularity that Afro House is currently riding. We even had the pleasure of hearing the man himself play it at Pacha for El Baile - goosebumps.
Even Marco Faraone squeezed a play in at Do Not Sleep. A real dopamine-hitting, life-affirming piece of music. Afro House continues to rise.
Likely to be heard at: Black Coffee, Sondela, VOYAGE
Max Dean | ID | ???
Sometimes, the beauty lies in the discovery itself. There's a thrill you get from hunting down a track that only true music obsessive will know. At times all it takes it a trusty click of Shazam, and for others you'll hear it years later and find out the artist and name when you least expect.
It's the ones that make you work for the ID that are the most rewarding, which leads us to our final entry.
Using the same vocal as in the above track, we're led to believe it's an edit by Max Dean. Maybe it's scheduled for release? Or maybe it'll never see the light of day? Either way, lots of DJs are playing it and that vocal will get stuck in your head. The future's looking bright on this one.
Likely to be heard at: Just about everywhere! But Amnesia Presents, Do Not Sleep, Solid Grooves
We hope you like those. Maybe there's something we've missed - can you think of any?
You can find tons more music on our dedicated party playlists on our Spotify channel, which is updated regularly. For the latest news, head to our feed and for club tickets hit up our definitive party calendar.
