Down the years, the Ibiza Talents collective has championed DJs with a genuine connection to the island, providing a platform that goes beyond headliner fanfare to celebrate artistry at every level.
With a rebooted summer residency at Eden now underway, we went to investigate the collective in action. Arriving for doors open, we caught one of the scene’s rising names, Chanel Carmichael, playing the sometimes tricky opening set.
Chanel is exactly the kind of artist the collective was built to showcase. A classically trained pianist turned DJ and producer, she brings both musicality and intuition to her craft.
Already established, with a career standout of playing for The Martinez Brothers at Drumsheds London, she embodies the Ibiza Talents ethos: authentic, musical versatility and committed to cultivating the energy of a room, rather than chasing obvious drops and easy pay-offs.
She delivered a warm-up set that highlighted both her technical skill and musical acumen. While the room was still filling, she laid the foundation with carefully chosen grooves, letting the music breathe and building a warm, groovy, yet also inviting, atmosphere.
Goosey's Dance With Me delivered the bouncy energy and Mason Collective's Party Jumpin' injected something heavier.
There were more understated moments too. Chymamusique's We Are To Be anchored the set with chilled, soulful textures to add some nuance in these early stages of the night.
While Eden’s dancefloor was still filling up, by no means did this diminish the quality of her performance. The warm-up set can be a thankless task, but real ones know it is also the most important set of the night.
Ibiza Talents might not grab the headlines of the bigger fish that share the pond, but it fulfills a vital function in a diverse ecosystem. Namely, showcasing greener artists, whilst contributing to their development as part of a community.
At Eden, Chanel embodied that spirit with a set that was subtle, stylish and full of promise.
We're keen to see what else she has in store. While she might not currently have any more Ibiza dates in the diary, she is exactly the profile of artist you can bank on catching on alternate Thursdays at Eden.
Ibiza's upper echelons of DJs is a near impenetrable club. Seldom few rise to the top rank and even fewer fall from grace. The status quo seems likely to stay in place for the foreseeable.
For the future of the scene, that means it's never been more important to nurture and platform new talent. Empires don't last forever. One day, a new generation of talent will be the box office ticket sellers. Until the changing of the guard, we'll keep doing our bit to promote fresh talent.
Tickets for the three remaining Ibiza Talents' parties can be found below, with line-ups confirmed in the days leading up to each date.
ADDITIONAL WORDS | by Stephen Hunt
