RA Ibiza weekly: Free parties

To kick off the second half of the season in style, Cocoon invited its four keystone DJs to perform at Amnesia on Monday. In the Terrace, Sven Väth warmed up for Ricardo Villalobos, while Adam Beyer and Chris Liebing were left in charge of the party's militant Main Room. Dressed in an understated T-shirt and baseball cap, Väth spun rhythmic beats to a thin early floor (due to Circoloco's late finish). As people began to filter in, so the tracks became more rounded, with the Cocoon boss waiting for the right moment to drop Ten Walls's "Gotham." Changing over in a flurry of semi-awkward embraces, Villalobos moved from Väth's trancey last track into a slice of flamboyant euro pop, playing up to his own campness. From there things transformed into one of those mystical, much-lauded sets from the Chilean, with driving, tribal rhythms forming the basis of his sound. Lil Louis's "French Kiss" appeared briefly, as did DBX's "Losing Control," as Villalobos slowly and seamlessly intensified the atmosphere with increasingly twisted selections. As sunlight streamed in, and bedtime approached, he saw it as an opportunity not to wind things down, but to further crank up the dark eccentricity. After a sloppy set at the opening party in June, it was a treat to see him in such incredible form.

When spending prolonged periods of time in Ibiza, it's important to break up the usual cycle of clubs and parties with the odd off the cuff event. Sands, the Playa d'en Bossa beach club famous for being part-owned by Carl Cox, offers exactly that, irregularly hosting high-profile birthday parties and label showcases. The latest imprint to set up shop was Nicole Moudaber's MOOD Records, which presented a hefty bill of house and techno DJs to entertain the beachside crowd from early afternoon to midnight. Moudaber made a smart move by allowing the techier DJs to begin proceedings, and then moving the sound housier as the party swelled. Indeed, even the label boss kept things more summery than usual, dropping Daniel Dubb's Erykah Badu-inspired "On & On" to a chorus of cheers. Anja Schneider was next up, segueing neatly into more nocturnal, synthy fare, while maintaining an upbeat edge. NYC house hero (and quasi-mentor to Moudaber) Danny Tenaglia closed, using Traktor and various controllers to purvey his brand of groovy tribal house. While the party could've coped with another hundred people, the vibe was smiley and carefree, with people clearly happy to be enjoying such esteemed DJs without having to invest the time, effort and money of a routine night out.

Jamie Jones is an artist that, at times, seems to struggle with his own reputation. There's a certain style and sound that's—at times unfairly—attributed to the Hot Creations boss. As a result, it sometimes feels like Jones is kicking against people's expectations of him. And Paradise at DC-10 offers just the right platform for this. Following Loco Dice's return to the club last week, this Wednesday saw Richie Hawtin grace the Terrace, with Michael Mayer, Silvie Loto and Craig Richards also booked. Russ Yallop and Richy Ahmed span heavyset house, back-to-back, as a warm up for Hawtin. At 2 AM the Minus boss took to the booth faced with what must have seemed a rare challenge. Indeed, it took a while for the crowd to warm to his dry, thumping fare, with sections of the crowd clearly confused as to what they were hearing. Come the business end of his set, however, the packed Terrace appeared in-sync with his every move, with Hawtin really showing his class. A closing medley of house-tinged techno, complete with Chuck Robert's timeless "My House" vocals, left myself, and hundreds of others, with a fresh perception of what Paradise and Jamie Jones could offer.

Derrick May stays true to the wax at the first of four Movement-affiliated parties at DC-10 in August. Supporting him on the night was Frenchman Agoria. Next up, Skreamizm.

Solomun's loyal Spanish crowd get down to some Brazilian-inspired beats at last Sunday's Warung Beach Club takeover at Pacha.

Seth Troxler, one of the party's main residents, takes over from debutant performer Black Coffee in the Terrace on Monday. Delano Smith, Kerri Chandler and Cassy vs. Dan Ghenacia were among the other highlights.