Review: IMS 2012 Grand Finale Festival, Dalt Vila, Ibiza

The Skiddle team headed to the stunning hilltop fort of Dalt Vila for the IMS 2012 closing party, With Carl Cox, Azari & III, Loco Dice and more.

Jayne Robinson

Last updated: 29th May 2012

One of Ibiza's most anticipated events of the year comes at the start of the season; the annual International Music Summit.

This year saw the return of IMS for their fifth consecutive summer, and along with it they had assembled a stellar lineup for their official parties.

At Dalt Vila, Thursday brought David Guetta, Paul Oakenfold, Goldfish (live) and Diplo, whereas Friday brought Carl Cox, Azari & III (live), Loco Dice, Seth Troxler and Pete Tong. We headed down for the Friday…

Dalt Vila stands at the top of a dramatic slope leading up from Ibiza Town, like a huge castle. Across the drawbridge, weaving through masses of Roman stone, the location is truly beautiful. Once you’re at the top, you’re greeted with breathtaking views, stretching out across the ocean on one side with the Ibiza Town on the other. You’re also greeted with a huge arena-like dancefloor, fronted by an impressive stage. Lights project on more stone on the hills opposite to enhance the surrounding areas and reflect just how impressive Dalt Vila is as a location.

Unfortunately we didn’t manage to get there until about 9pm (the party had started at 6pm) and so missed some of the acts, however we quickly got over this as Loco Dice began to take Desolat to the floor just as we arrived. One thing about Dice is that he never, ever fails to impress. He’s one of those DJs I’ve seen a number of times and each time his mixing has been flawless. He gave us the usual Desolat experience, plenty of drums, some choppy vocals, even a bit of rap from the ex-hip hop DJ, and of course a bag full of some of the best build ups around. As usual, Dice played loads of great tunes, including Pirupa’s ‘Party Non Stop’, a favourite of his, and a fantastic remix of Basement Jaxx’s ‘Fly Life’; most likely a Desolat one.

Next up was Azari & III. Having not seen their live set before this was something we were very much looking forward to, and they lived up to expectations and more. With a full band on stage, the two singers strutted out in tight, brightly coloured clothes, very eccentric! They played all their classics, diving straight in with ‘Hungry For The Power’, followed on by more recent hits like ‘Manic’. Their tune selection was impressive, some of which I recognised but hadn’t known Azari & III were the masters behind them. They are very dance orientated, with acid sounds and funky beats; combine this with the raw sound of live instruments and the result is a very rewarding and lively gig.

Last but not least, Carl Cox took to the stage. To everyone’s delight, he began with New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’, before taking it to the next level with his usual style of good old techno. The lasers came into full force now, a great collection splashing over the sea of ravers. Cox really knows how to get the crowd going, after all he is one of the biggest personalities in dance music, and he popped on the microphone every now and again to check how we were all doing. He played good party techno and the people loved it as always. You can listen to a recording of Carl Cox's set here.

At midnight, it all finished; a shame as it had gone so quickly! Dalt Vila is a really special place, kept even more so by the fact that parties only take place here once a year. It’s the perfect setting for the IMS; classy and powerful with a huge dance floor to boot. Can’t wait for next year!