Without a shadow of a doubt, Friday 26 July was one of the busiest days in this year's Ibiza clubbing calendar with perhaps an unprecedented number of parties taking place that day.
From the return of the Swedish House Mafia at Ushuaïa to Joseph Capriati's birthday bash at Destino, there was many a fiesta to dance the afternoons, evenings and early mornings away at. Anybody on the island was really spoilt for choice.
Following on from last years 12 clubs in 12 hours mission, the Ibiza Spotlight clubbing team took it upon ourselves to tackle yet another clubbing marathon. A day to night affair, no holds barred, dance floor journey that would take us across the breadth of the white isle several times over.
The purpose of these lengthy clubathons isn't only for our personal enjoyment, though we must confess, much fun was had. Our main aim was to showcase that Ibiza is still very much rockin'. As far as parties and diversity of taste are concerned, the island's crown remains intact.
There may be new contenders, but Ibiza's title as the party capital of the world doesn't look like being toppled anytime soon.
Over the course of the day, we sampled many different vibes and a mix of crowds. Musically, we couldn't have a more varied night as our ears experienced everything from techno to disco, urban to EDM. Check out our favourite tracks in the clubbing marathon Spotify playlist.
What did the Ibiza Spotlight clubbing team think of their clubland tour? We got together to discuss our highlights and best bits from our raving expedition.
Joseph Capriati Invites | Destino
Having arrived around 19:30, we were able to catch Denis Sulta working his eccentric magic in the booth, before Joseph Capriati took over at 20:00 for his big birthday celebration.
Known for his assorted sets, you can't confine Sulta to one genre. He is a man of many. We heard a fusion of disco, techno and old school classics. Some tracks sounded out of place at first, but the way Sulta weaved them into his set gave them a place of their own.
Joey Chicago's Feels So Good was a funky house tune that did feel so good as the sun was beginning to fall. He delivered the disco vocals and feel-good vibes with this one.
The birthday boy is a firm Destino favourite and made his return to the Cap Martinet venue with a bang. The stunning poolside setting was the perfect place for his party, and we were all invited for a one-off boogie.
His set kicked off with a selection of banging tunes, though sadly we couldn't hang around for long.
Words | Hannah Starkie
Magdalena presents Shadows | Cova Santa
When the Solomun siblings join forces for a night under the stars at the outdoor eutopia known as Cova Santa, you know that the result will be magical. If this wasn't enough, the Diynamic label boss invited along two Italian friends for a special back-to-back set.
These comrades of Solomun go by the name Tale Of Us.
This DJing holy trinity had the crowd energised by the time we reached the open-air stage with the dance floor packed to the rafters. The trio acted like puppeteers, commanding crowds level of frenzy with every high octane, melody-laced build up.
These moments were juxtaposed against more emotive tones - seminal tracks like Tale Of Us & Mano Le Tough's remix of Can't Do Without You were enough to induce goosebumps.
Words | Michael Tomlinson
VGBDOS | Amnesia
By the 9th stop in our clubbing marathon, I honestly expected to be done with it. However, at the hands of Luciano and his VGBDOS residency, I was raring to go and truthfully eager to see his set unfold.
In a fleeting 03:00 visit to Ibiza's iconic clubbing destination Amnesia, me and the team danced away to some top of the range, tech-house tunes mixed by the Chilean-Swiss DJ himself. The concept's no-fuss ethos and nonchalant vibe are to thank for its success in my eyes.
For a party central to good music and good music alone, I will look no further.
The bass was heavy as expected and the atmosphere was livewire, making for one hell of a party. Though peeling myself from away from the terrace dance floor was difficult to say the least, I count myself and the team fortunate for having experienced it.
Words | Sasha Wharton
Dixon presents Transmoderna | Pacha
Aside for providing an insight to all of the parties taking place on uber-competitive Fridays, the clubbing marathon presented an opportunity for me to finally get to Transmoderna. Having had a brief taster, I can't believe I've neglected this party up until this point.
Dixon - as you would expect - playing records that nobody else plays on Ibiza. Each selection felt like an inspired choice. Not only was the music phenomenal and the energy on the dance floor lit, but the prism hanging above the booth that manipulated the lasers was a hypnotic touch.
Going back? Oh yes. Pacha on Fridays just became a regular fixture in my diary for the rest of the season.
Words | Stephen Hunt
Boiler Room Ibiza | DC10
Now on the final lap of our immense clubbing marathon, we headed for one of the most exclusive parties of the season: Boiler Room Ibiza at DC10. Watching these two industry heavyweights join forces was sure to be nothing less than spectacular.
In the capable hands of Seth Troxler, we were hot under the influence of his signature unorthodox mix style. Spinning the raw sounds of acid house into groovy tech-house beats using vinyl, he is a true authentic by nature and by sound.
The electric energy radiating from the mix maestro was only intensified by the adorning ravers below, and in that moment I could not have imagined a better finale to our clubbing extraordinaire.
Words | Jo Dargie
Now the dust has settled on our epic cross-island adventure, we can begin to take stock of the challenge.
With sleep now caught-up on, dopamine levels replenished and sores on our feet now starting to heal, the aggro all seems worth it. The only disappointment is that we could not stay for the whole night at every party we visited.
In addition to the above, special mention must be given to Defected and Eden.
Although opening later than scheduled, the club was full by 03:00 with an incredible atmosphere. Though some parties were obviously busier than others, the night underlined how difficult it is to make a party successful on this island.
Relive our clubathon vicariously by listening to our compiled Spotify playlist from the night. Can you guess which tracks were played where?
One thing is for certain, Ibiza's clubbers are not short on options to party. Where else can you find this calibre of talent and diversity of music, scattered over a mere 571km2?
Sadly, we missed out on Hï on this occasion. Taking into consideration some logistical obstacles we encountered during the day, we're confident that we can beat our tally on next year's effort. Set a new goal, then smash it. It's always a good idea to leave room for improvement.
