Editorial
Seeing as our dance music business conference, International Music Summit (IMS), has started to pump more details about this year's event into the public domain, it feels an appropriate point to mention just how much I love that time of year.
This week, I make the case for IMS being the best week of the season and why, if you are yet to be initiated, you should experience it at least once.
Who knows, you might even catch the bug like me?
The case for IMS being the best week of the season
Between 22 and 24 April, International Music Summit returns to the twin hotel complex of Mondrian & Hyde in Cala Llonga - the third year at this particular location. For Ibiza, it heralds the start of the tourist season and the first large-scale parties of the year.
Ibiza is open for business again.
Maybe it's simply a matter of impeccable timing, but I love this time of year and all the spoils that come with it. There is an undeniable energy in the air, and it is intoxicating.
For one, this is the first time that the whole team reunites in the same place since the closing parties. Welcome back, guys. I've got a feelin' it's gonna be a good one.
Expanding that sentiment wider, pretty much everybody you interact with in the industry on a weekly basis is present. Some of them you won't see again in the flesh until this time next year. It's reassuringly familiar. IMS = the start of summer, the start of summer = IMS.
At this stage, "burnout" isn't even a word in our vocabulary. The whole summer lies ahead of us. We are feeling fresh, enthusiastic and full of energy. Compare this to August, by which point we are jaded, dejected and largely ready for the season to end, and it's quite a contrast.
Are there any negatives? Well, for sure. Nothing is perfect. Just off the top of my head: how about the fact that, despite everybody in the biz knowing it's IMS and that every electronic music journalist is wrapped up in it, that doesn't stop the club announcements from pouring in.
Think about how mental that is for a moment. You can be standing, watching a club operator talk to Pete Tong about his vision for his venue, whilst someone on his team is simultaneously sending you an email about said club, demanding your immediate attention.
It's one of many arguments as to why this is not a sensible industry.
Although irksome, I am prepared to overlook this obvious flaw.
Though, as my colleagues will attest, come 23 April, I'll be in the throes of a nervous breakdown, as my inbox overflows with incoming press releases and the internal tug of war between vacuous networking and doing any actual work reaches an inevitable impasse.
This balancing act is all part of the fun.
It's not like you can ever fully optimise your time over these three days anyway. There are far too many parties happening for that. They all need reporting on, too. "Oh, it's a hard life (!)" I hear you mutter in indignation - and your dismissive attitude would be one hundred per cent justified.
Still, somebody needs to do it. And, whether by fortune or by fate, that person happens to be me and my reliable team of clubbing warriors, and we make no apologies for that.
IMS Grand Finale
17:00 - 23:59
Friday 24 April
Baluarte de Santa Lucía, Dalt Vila, Ibiza Town
Tickets and the line-up for this year's season curtain-raiser are now out, and the alfresco party has a really refreshed look for 2026.
Taking place within the ancient walls of Dalt Vila in Ibiza Town, IMS Grand Finale has linked with blossoming promoter Appetite. In doing so, it feels as though IMS is doing something it perhaps should have already, in teaming with a brand that has traction with a younger demographic.
The novelty of IMS Grand Finale as a once-a-year spectacle, coupled with its UNESCO World Heritage Site setting, makes it hard to rival in my humble opinion. But maybe there is an argument that it never quite resonated as much with my younger colleagues as it did with me.
This collaboration puts that right and ensures that there will be more young eyes diverting their attention to the party than in previous years. Introducing new blood to such a magical party can only be a good thing. IMS Grand Finale is set to enthral a new generation of clubbers.
Steve's unbeatable itinerary for Friday at IMS
- Chances are you hit a party last night (the first of many), so take the pressure off today and aim to arrive at Mondrian & Hyde at a casual 13:00. Study the timetable, of course, but don't feel the burden of commitment. This is your day to enjoy yourself at a leisurely pace. Substitute that early-afternoon coffee for an alcoholic beverage if the mood takes you.
- Don't get sidetracked by any big names scheduled to appear on panels in the latter half of the afternoon. These are strategically placed distractions. Keep your head down and stay focused. After doing the pleasantries and catching up with everybody, you're going to want to exit between 15:00 and 15:30. The day is still young, but any surplus time? That's rapidly running thin.
- Get to Ibiza Town around 16:00. Find a place with good food and old Spanish-sized pouring measures and soak up the atmosphere for the next two to three hours. Treat your team to a meal, because they've earned it - and we're only just getting started.
An army marches on its stomach - and so does the Ibiza Spotlight club team
- Hit Dalt Vila loosely around 19:00 in time to watch the sun disappear behind the hills to the west and immerse yourself in your music, whilst taking in the breathtaking setting
- If you've got places to be, you'll have to grapple with the option of a premature exit to ensure swift dispatch via taxi to your onward destination or stay until the end and wait it out until the queue has subsided. Tough call. Fortunately, Ibiza Town has plenty of bars, so...
- Despite any earlier protests that you're "going home after Dalt Vila", you find yourself on a dancefloor in a club. Naturally, you bump into all the same people you were insistent you couldn't be convinced to change your mind when they asked you to reconsider.
Track of the week
Layton Giordani feat Camden Cox | Destiny | MADMINDS
released 20 February
I've been a fan of Layton Giordani since he emerged, making face-melting instrumentals on Drumcode. I'm still unsure how I feel about the New York producer leaning into a more mainstream sound, but there's no denying the quality behind his latest release.
Destiny has an air of vintage deadmau5 about it, who Layton has previously cited as an inspiration. Lastly, it's always a pleasure to share anything that the talented Camden Cox has lent her voice to.
Here's hoping the man known as Slayton pops up at his pal John Summit's night in 2026.
If you'd like to continue the conversation and access all the unfiltered gossip, head to our online forum, sign-up and tell us what you've heard on the grapevine!
For everything confirmed and carved in stone, give our magazine a visit. Missed anything? Our round-up will help.
Finally, you can find tickets and listings on our essential party calendar.
PHOTOGRAPHY | by Ben Levi Suhling, Manel Gimeno and Tasya Menaker
