Fourteen months ago, I had the privilege of seeing RÜFÜS DU SOL perform live at Crystal Palace on the the outskirts of London. Whilst I am fortunate enough to experience live music multiples times a year, this was the first time I had attended a band's headline concert in many years.
Despite getting separated from my friends, I had a ball surrounded by strangers, as we sang back the lyrics to trio's global hits. They make a strong case for being the biggest electronic band in the world right now. Underworld, The Chemical Brothers, Justice - without exaggeration, that's the league we're talking about.
Back in 2026, and RÜFÜS have secured a four-date residency at Pacha Ibiza.
This time, not playing live, but DJing.
Curious to see how these two very different artistic disciplines would compare, I rounded up the troops for a visit to their opening night.
RÜFÜS DU SOL can work dancefloors just as well as they rock festival stages
RÜFÜS DU SOL and Pacha have a relationship that stretches back to 2023. They headlined the first 50th anniversary El Cielo party, when Pacha took over 528 Ibiza that summer. The year after, they had the distinction of fronting the club's Closing Party.
Last year, RÜFÜS were a curious inclusion on the Music On roster, breaking the party's reputation for being a Tech House fortress, so in lots of ways it made sense to hand them a run of their own parties.
While they might be no strangers to Pacha, I was still curious to see how they would adapt to a different format. For starters, the trio is reduced to a double-act for their DJ sets. James and Jon swap their drum set and keyboard for decks, as frontman Tyrone is surplus to requirements.
When we arrive, the club is already bustling - no sign of a midweek dip in attendance here. Peak-summer is upon us and RÜFÜS's fans are out and ready to be accounted for.
Another musician-turned-DJ, Romy from The XX, is putting the final touches to her own DJ set. Favouring Trance-y chords and big room moments, she gives the dancefloor good reason to move their feet before the main event.
She ends on HAAi's remix of her own Love Who You Love - a LGBTQIA anthem that sounds incredible on Pacha's peerless speaker system. Anticipation builds as James and Jon appear behind her in the booth. The hosts are up next as we hit primetime.
Within a few minutes of jumping on, they drop the club edit of Music Is Better, instantly grabbing the crowd by the proverbial scruff of the neck. In that moment, any anxiety vanishes and you can feel everybody in attendance ease up.
"Music is better, when we're together. Listening to music, LISTENING TO MUSIC."
Whilst before, there was a lot of jostling for position, now the dancefloor in front of the booth is a moving sea of bodies willing to forgive the lack of space, instead embracing the intimacy.
The zone behind the both swells in-sync with the dancefloor. We take the prompt for a change of scenery, repositioning ourselves on the balcony overlooking the club. From above high, the views are even more impressive.
Another club-ready remix of one of their own tracks, Cassian's rework of Treat You Better, is the next track to catch our ear.
We wish our colleague from down under, Luke, was here to appreciate this. He would loved to have seen his fellow Sydneysiders in action. Tough break when you're off island.
Regardless of when you plan your time away, you do tend to miss a lot of the "best of." That's the nature of an Ibiza season! On any given night, something unmissable is happening. Certainly, many of RÜFÜS DU SOL's fellow countrymen have made the pilgrimage for the occasion.
The Adriatique remix of On My Knees - a Pacha favourite in the last few years, thanks to frequent plays at Solomun +1 - later follows, proving it is still capable of moving the cherries' dancefloor. Of course the crowd reaction is a fraction of what is to come.
Collectively, the entire dancefloor loses their mind as the instantly recognisable opening notes of Innerbloom permeate the speakers. It's still, far and away, RÜFÜS DU SOL's biggest hit and we are rewarded for our commitment to staying late into the morning.
The sweetest of pay-offs, to a piece of music drenched in melancholy.
When you go to see a band play, you know largely what to expect: their latest material, biggest hits and a handful of covers.
While the experience is quite different (and don't get us wrong, we are not trying to make a case for either artform being better than the other), DJing can perhaps throw up a few more surprises.
For sure, you will hear music by the artist playing, but you will also find them peeling back their musical taste and sharing tracks that resonate with them. And what could be more perfect than your favourite band members sharing music they love by other artists?
It's like handing them the aux lead yourself. A simple joy in a world class setting.
You have three more opportunities to catch RÜFÜS DU SOL headline Pacha with a DJ set this month, starting with ANOTR on 14 July for what's sure to be a roadblock. Jimi Jules (21 July) and Disclosure (28 July) follow.
Tickets to all can be found below or listed on our party calendar.
PHOTOGRAPHY | by Raul Sanchez
