Ibiza Virgins' Guide to... Melodic Techno

Ibiza is known for its dance music the world over, but that is an umbrella term for various different styles. Our series on the genres of music found on the island helps identify the parties, clubs and DJs best suited to your tastes.

Next, we're looking at a genre that boomed in the 2010s and has now mutated again: Melodic Techno.

If you're none-the-wiser, he's our introductory playlist to Melodic Techno.

Save the playlist here and follow our Spotify channel here.

List of Melodic Techno parties happening in 2026:

Anyma presents ÆDEN at [UNVRS] | Tuesdays
Solomun +1 at Pacha | Sundays
Miss Monique (Make The Girls Dance) at Hï Ibiza | Thursdays (Club Room)
CAMELPHAT present Summer Of Love at Hï Ibiza | early and late-season Fridays
Adriatique present X at [UNVRS] | 17 and 24 September
Argy & ARTBAT at Hï Ibiza | Thursdays in May

Friday nights at Akasha in the north of the island, tend to lean into the Progressive House and Melodic Techno remit but are generally quite eclectic.

You can also expect a fair amount of Melodic Techno at RESISTANCE, which takes place at Amnesia on peak-season Wednesdays. In particular, look out for the dates confirmed with Eric Prydz and Boris Brejcha. Similarly, John Summit will dabble as part of an overall very eclectic music policy on Monday at [UNVRS] for Experts Only.

Even old-hand David Guetta gets in on the Melodic Techno exploration. Not so much at his Ushuaïa parties, where he still predominantly plays his hit records, but definitely for his club-night Galactic Circus on Fridays at [UNVRS].

Melodic Techno

As the name implies, Melodic Techno is a derivation of Techno music. Well... kind of. That conversation with a music snob is probably best avoided. The "melodic" prefix is also a bit misleading - can't all music be argued to be melodic? Hmmm.

Let's not get too precious about the whole thing. It's not like it's the first silly genre name to do the rounds and it certainly won't be the last. But what actually is it?

Melodic Techno is an arpeggiated form of dance music that's very euphoric.

Rarely breaching the 115 to 125 bpm range, Melodic Techno is probably best described as a recipe as opposed to a single ingredient. That's to say, a set could be described as Melodic Techno, but to describe individual tracks as such is a bit disingenuous - though it does happen.

Very often it's an atmospheric mix of Techno and Deep House. Lots of the artists who fall under the banner were previously associated with one of the two camps. Tale Of Us were probably the biggest champions of the movement, although the project in now on indefinite hiatus, with both of its stars pursuing solo careers.

Masters of melody: Karm and Matteo formed the now inactive Afterlife duo Tale Of Us

Other DJ/producers who work in Melodic Techno, are ARTBAT, Mind Against, Kölsch and DJ Tennis, while the former TOU members have spawned new identities. Matteo is now known as Anyma and is pushing CGI-heavy audio-visual spectacles, including a residency on Tuesdays at [UNVRS]. Meanwhile, Karm has adopted the stage name MRAK and is also touring as a solo act.

Any old guard reading this will probably have a wry smile by now. For all intents and purposes, what is now referred to as Melodic Techno is just Progressive House repackaged! The tag became unfashionable when the first wave of EDM producers mutinied the name.

Confused? Dance music is a political minefield, but we're about to muddy the waters a bit more...

Trance reborn?

Although it was hugely popular in the 2000s and then fizzled out, Trance has been enjoying a resurgence of late, thanks to new kids on the block like Ben Hemsley, Hannah Laing, Kettama, Daire and Morgan Seatree.

Until recently, the only time to catch pure Trance on Ibiza was during Ibiza Trance Event (ITE) week, which runs in mid-September. SHINE, Godskitchen, Judgement Sunday and Euphoria are all confirmed for this year. However, 2026 sees a real upturn in Trance's revival, as Tiësto returns to the genre after a decade and a half in self-imposed exile and Armin van Buuren celebrates 25 years of A State of Trance. Both scene-founding veterans share Monday nights at [UNVRS].

Clearly, music marketed as Melodic Techno is a lot slower than traditional Trance music, but there are a lot of parallels. You will encounter lots of the Trance classics remixed in a modern way. Often, these get the biggest crowd reaction of the night.

Although Trance became untrendy for a while, it's a fact of life that even at its lowest ebb, everyone loves a classic once and a while.

This link has led to Melodic Techno often being referred to as "Man-Trance" or "Neo-Trance". It's Trance, just a little more grown-up and higher-brow.

The current flows both ways though. As much as Techno acts have been quick to cash in on the Trance nostalgia, Trance DJs have found themselves incorporating Melodic Techno into their sets. This all furthers the point that all electronic music is inter-connected and overlaps.

The tribal nature of dance music is nothing new, but it's interesting to see what's regarded as cool and what isn't from generation to generation. No doubt the landscape will change again in ten years time. What will the Ibiza class of 2036 be dancing to?

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