The night started innocently enough. We began with a wholesome dinner at Bambino with the Spotlight team, the Sunset Strip’s newest little dinner spot, followed by a few pre-drinks at Wi-Ki-Woo while the night started warming up around us. So far, all pretty civilised.
Soon after midnight, we hit the road to Amnesia for one of my favourite parties on the island, Do Not Sleep.
After parking up, we walked straight towards the guest list queue. After exchanging pleasantries with security, I got a quick snap in front of the billboard with my name on. With barely anyone around, we thought maybe we’d arrived too prematurely and the club might be quiet inside.
Boy, were we mistaken.
My date is Thursday 4 June - see you at the front
The second we got through the entrance, we saw hundreds of heads in the smoking area, we realised the party had already well and truly started. Everyone was already inside.
Before diving into The Terrace, I quickly rerouted via the official merch shop. I’ve been eyeing up the new camo skater top from Amnesia’s 50th anniversary collection ever since I saw someone wearing it at International Music Summit (IMS).
To my dismay, it's still not out... apparently I’ve got a few more weeks to wait. Neil, if you’re reading this, help a girl out! I need it.
While we'd unfortunately missed Basso’s warm-up, we walked into Marlie continuing to set the tempo at a perfect 126 BPM. For the time of night, the Terrace was well over 50 per cent full. Straight away, you could feel this wasn’t going to be a slow-burn.
Everyone there was ready to get fully involved.
One of the nicest moments of the night came as Marlie wrapped up her set. Julian Fijma stepped into the booth and, before bringing in his first track, lowered the levels so the whole room could applaud his predecessor. A small gesture, perhaps, but it was one that said a lot.
Let's talk Amnesia’s subtle glow up over the winter months. Production-wise, Amnesia has levelled up. From the huge illuminated Do Not Sleep lightboxes that hung over the dancefloor, changing colour with every beat.
Do Not Sleep should no longer be considered an underdog party.
But the biggest transformation is the DJ booth itself. The old high plastic walls are gone, replaced with sleek low-cut glass panels that open everything up. Now the crowd can stand right around the sides of the booth, almost feeling part of it while still fully locked into the dancefloor.
It feels more intimate, connected and much more modern. Seeing it made me even more excited to get back in front of the decks myself in the couple of weeks. In my eyes, Amnesia has always been flawless, but these little touches just prove that 2026 is the club's comeback year.
I saw a few familiar faces in the backstage area and caught up with head promoter Neil Evans. Forever the jetsetter, Neil told us he had to be on a flight to Las Vegas in a few hours.
I asked Neil if Becky, our social media manager, could jump into the booth to grab some clips. Thankfully, he said yes, and she came back with absolute gold.
Julian’s set itself was exactly what you'd expect from him. Another one of The Netherlands talented musical exports, he played with energetic candour without ever breaking a sweat.
Armed with unreleased rollers, Julian put my own knowledge to the test while Shazam had a complete meltdown. The app was fighting for its life every time Julian dipped into his digital record box!
He dropped his own TSZR favourite Get Stupid, alongside proper curveballs like Tell Me Why by Supanova and Tom Novy's timeless Your Body. Both sent the Terrace into scenes of delirium. Take a look at our TikTok for said reaction.
Though early into the night, the energy was high even from early on. Gaskin, Cam Stockman and Locky all played after Julian. A seriously heavy line-up for one party, DNS made its mark on 2026, the only way it knew how: through the music.
Do Not Sleep returns on Thursday 21 May with heavyweights Sidney Charles, Marsolo, Kepler b2b Burnski and Alexandria at the helm. Julian Fijma himself is back on 16 June, alongside Riordan. Tickets for all remaining dates are on sale now available below.
For a full list of Julian Fijma's confirmed Ibiza bookings (excluding advertised back-to-backs), please visit this page.
PHOTOGRAPHY | by Mario Pinta
