ANOTR have gained serious cool points in recent years. If case you've been on mars, they’re the Dutch DJ and production outfit on every booking agent’s lips, every festival billing and every Ibiza clubber’s wish list. That all raises one important question: are they worth the hype?
A few years ago, they were a promising name on the deeper end of the Tech House circuit. Now they're the reason Pacha Ibiza’s dancefloor hit max capacity well before 02:00 on Sunday for part four of the Grand Opening Weekend.
Going back to our question, the short but unequivocal answer is: yes, and here’s why...
Upon entering, we roll straight into the club room and it’s already going off.
Rooléh and Toman are two upstart DJs cut from the same Dutch cloth as our party hosts. They join the strain of instinctive selectors resonating out of The Netherlands right now with a brand of deep, groove-led House music.
Well attuned to the understated art of the opening slot, they rile up the crowd just nicely ahead of the headliners' looming entrance.
A flash of our gratefully-received VIP wristbands (perks of the job!) and we head straight for the tiered DJ booth, where there’s no space for elitism. It's merely an extension of the dancefloor. Everyone is hooked on the back-to-back grooves coming out of ANOTR’s stacked USB right now.
A low, prowling groove soon slides into earshot. Immediately, I'm cast back to the golden era of the Soundcloud ID market by Kettama's Raw Cuts. The free download first posted almost a decade ago packs a punch stronger than the tequila I’d knocked back earlier in the night.
Gritty production, Acid-inflicted hi-hats, jacked-up energy and the '90s lyricism of Wu-Tang Clan's Da Mystery of Chessboxin vocal, sampled like a leather jacket that has no right still lookin' this good.
That's the skill, really. Any DJ can hit up the latest music charts for their USB inspo. The true art of DJing, however, comes from the lesser-known finds. The ones you least expect to strike, but when they do, hot damn, they floor the room.
Another unreleased treasure for good measure? Go on. Approaching the ripe time of 04:30, ANOTR drop one of their own IDs, Like It, and it’s an instant win with the crowd.
The soul-soothing House grooves and rhythmic energy radiate around the room as fans in-the-know recognise the luscious vocal loop on first listen, a hook that's been surfacing in ANOTR's DJ sets for months.
Could we have a contender for song of the summer 2026? It might be too soon to place bets, but rest assured, I'll be reporting back.
Until then, ANOTR will next return to Pacha to join Marco Carola's Music On crew on Friday 3 July.
You can find this listing and others on our party calendar or click here to see all of ANOTR's confirmed dates (excluding advertised back-to-backs).
