Starting a little later than usual, Tale Of Us' weekly odyssey Afterlife begins next week. Returning to Thursdays, this will be the party's third summer at Hï Ibiza and fifth Ibiza season overall. The party's distinct iconography has helped it achieve cult status in that short time.
Since the pandemic, Karm and Matteo have launched ambitious solo projects, but that hasn't put the brakes on their union which continues to grow from strength to strength.
Looking forward to another dreamy summer, for the first time Afterlife programmes DJs in The Wilder Corner as well as The Theatre and the Club Room.
Ahead of the much anticipated opening party, here are the recurring motifs that have pushed Afterlife to the top of Ibiza's Techno hierarchy.
1. Tale Of Us closing each week
Leading from the frontline, Karm and Matteo take a talismanic journey each and every Thursday.
Always closing the night with an extended set, Tale Of Us end the night on the highest of highs. No matter who the guests are joining them, make no mistake that this is their party, their artistic vision, their evolution. Formed around a nucleus of music from the Afterlife label, Tale Of Us set tone and drama with their atmospheric selections.
2. Trance reimagined
The sound increasingly dubbed "melodic" Techno has long drawn parallels with the Trance sound of old. Slowed down, sure, but yet harbouring a lot of similar traits. None less than the bottled euphoria that causes shared hands-in-the-air, eyes-closed moments to sweep the dancefloor.
Very literally, you will hear plenty of classic Trance re-edits as the genre is presented to new audiences in a modern light.
3. Boundary-pushing audio-visual wonders
Unlike nearly all over current parties, Afterlife possesses an otherworldly quality which feels like stepping out of reality and into a realm unknown. This is conjured in no small part thanks to the visual display inside The Theatre.
A combination of lasers, lighting and special effects, matched with the moody music, transports revellers to a faraway lands which seem distinctly unearthly. These stimuli take your consciousness to a higher plane. With Karm and Matteo exploring new A/V technologies, 2022's edition is expected to be the most boundary-pushing to date.
4. Vigorous Techno in the Club Room
If The Theatre features soaring melodies and broken arpeggios, then the tougher, more unapologetic beats can be found next door in the Club Room. Room two is a much more functional space, with production stripped-back and quality of sound elevated to the forefront.
For the no-nonsense music heads - this is the place to go on Thursdays. Berlin-style Techno is the order here. Throughout summer you can catch names like Dax J, Kobosil, Chris Liebing and Amelie Lens push the tempo. Pulse-racing Techno of the least commercial kind.
5. The iconic falling man
Almost as iconic as Tale Of Us themselves, is Afterlife's free-falling mascot. The emblem has become a calling card at Afterlife's global event series.
Suspended above the DJ booth with The Theatre's back-screen projections and with dry-ice kicking up, watch in awe as he is shown falling through the stages of purgatory, from molten fire and brimstone, to layers of ancient sedimentary rock formations and even arriving at St Peter's pearly gates.
To be a part of this season's genesis, starting with the opening party on 7 July, head below to puruse date-by-date line-ups and find those all important tickets.
Tale Of Us will be joined by Patrice Bäumel, Mind Against, Echonomist and an exclusive DJ set from RÜFÜS DU SOL. Be there.
