Ibiza Virgins' Guide to… House music – Ibiza Spotlight

The sound of the island.
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.
This week, in honour of Defected‘s Ibiza move to Ushuaïa for 2024, we’re re-introducing you to House by republishing the first in our series. The pure House label and party series takes over every Tuesday from 7 May. House, House and more House!
Indulge in our playlist below to get a firmer grip on House.

Follow the playlist here and subscribe to our Spotify channel here.
Ibiza parties where you can get a good dose of House in 2024:
Defected at Ushuaïa | Tuesdays
The Masquerade by Claptone at Amnesia | Tuesdays
Amnesia Presents at Amnesia | Mondays
Joel Corry Pool Party at Ibiza Rocks | Wednesdays
LoveJuice Ibiza at Ibiza Rocks | Saturdays
Although it’s Disco heaven, you will also find a fair dose of House at Defected’s sister party Glitterbox at Hï Ibiza on Sundays. While it will cover genres across the dance music spectrum, you’ll get House at Radio 1 Dance X at Ibiza Rocks on Tuesdays in June and July.
You will also find soulful, vocal House music in abundance most days at O Beach, but in particular at D4 D4NCE, House In Paradise, Pool Party, Soul Heaven, Kinky Malinki, Paravana and Jack Your Body.
Overall, House is the most prevalent genre of music found on the island. The sun and House just go hand-in-hand. That’s an understatement – they’re a match made in heaven!
Ever since legendary DJ Alfredo imported records from the USA to play during his sets at Amnesia in the ’80s, Ibiza has taken House music to its heart.
We’re sure you’ll be familiar with songs by names such as MK, Duke Dumont and Meduza. Well that is House music (at least at entry-level, in its broadest terms – and that’s a good place to start!) Later you can learn about Lil’ Louie, Tony Humphries and DJ Pierre.
House music originated in America’s Midwest, namely Chicago. Widely-regarded as the mutation of Disco, at the beginning House was the preserve of marginalised Black and Hispanic communities. DJs such as Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles were the early pioneers.
At first House enjoyed success at a local level, but after it found its way to Europe, that’s when things really took off. Rave culture exploded in the UK and then across the continent.
But what is House music?
House is a form of dance music typified by a repetitive 4-bar loop. Originally, DJs such as those mentioned above, made their own edits of tracks, to make them easier to mix in and out of. This often meant extending the intro and outro and adding beats where they were previously missing.
Typical bpm (beats per minute) range: 115 – 129
Sub-genres
Of course, there isn’t simply “House music”, but an ever-growing family tree of sub-genres that fall within the remit of House.
Tech House is a sub-genre of House, which borrows elements from Techno. Compared to straight-up House music, uplifting components, such as piano riffs, are stripped away, leaving Tech more steely, perhaps even moody. READ MORE
Deep House is silky smooth. It features softer pads, spacious percussion and more muted basslines, which tend to roll – there’s less “drops”, making it a less aggressive form of House. This distinction might lead some to see Deep House as a more organic sound. READ MORE
Featuring native instrumentation and musical elements from African culture, Afro House adds tribal tones to Deep House. The most obvious example of this style of music, is Hï Ibiza’s Saturday night host Black Coffee, who has taken Afro House to the global stage. READ MORE
Find here our other music guides:
Ibiza Virgins’ Guide to… Disco
Ibiza Virgins’ Guide to… Minimal music
Ibiza Virgins’ Guide to… Techno
– Melodic Techno
Ibiza Virgins’ Guide to… EDM
Ibiza Virgins’ Guide to… Reggaeton
Ibiza Virgins’ Guide to… Garage
This article is part of our Ibiza Virgins’ Guides, packed full of information on how to get the most out of your stay on Ibiza. Check them out.
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