It’s been almost three weeks since we closed the doors to Freddies for the last time this season, but here at Pikes HQ (which, by the way, is very quiet without you all!), we’re still reminiscing about the season’s best parties. After waxing lyrical about the top 10 Pikes parties last week, we’re now casting our minds back to the best events throughout the season hosted by our resident promoters. Just like last time, the simple act of trying to compile a list poses a giant dilemma (relatively speaking of course) because each and every night of the season was truly incredible and special to us, for so many reasons.
However, no one can ever say that we don’t rise to a challenge, so without any further ado, let us take a trip down memory lane and revisit our top 11 (because 10 was just not quite enough!) monthly nights beneath the disco ball last summer. The season is over, but it only takes a quick scroll through these photos to be transported straight back to Freddies, twirling through the lasers, grinning under the mirrorball, grooving to the beats. How many sleeps until next summer?
Melon Bomb Opening Party
Friday April 19, 2024
We started the summer season earlier than ever before in 2024, and while we were still in a semi-sense of recovery after the Pikes Opening Weekend, the impending roadblock that is the annual Melon Bomb Opening Party was enough to remind us that hangovers were about to become daily occurrences and sleep is for the weak! It was a joy to welcome back the four Ibiza-based DJs who’ve become a household name when it comes to disco-infused, hands-in-the-air house music: Paul Reynolds, Scott Gray, Ben Santiago and Corbi. It’s always a bit of a squash to fit everyone in the booth in Freddies but not only do they make it happen, they also make it look like the best place to be in the room!
The boys treated us to double sets for the opening, spinning the early session in Plaza Mayor alongside Lucy Lennox, then heading deep inside Freddies for an all-night-long danceathon that had half the island singing at the top of their lungs, and the other half calling their babysitters and telling them they’d be home much later than expected! An opening that definitely went off with a bang.
Chloé Caillet Presents Smiile
Tuesday June 11, 2024
We welcomed a newcomer to the Freddies roster in 2024 – well, technically Chloé Caillet is not new to the venue, having absolutely slayed whenever she’s played in the past, but it was the first time we hosted her über-inclusive label party, Smiile (no, your vision isn’t blurry, there are indeed two i’s in there). “I just love how free the hotel makes you want to be,” the Parisian-born, New Yok-raised, Ibiza-based queer artist told us. “It has so much history and there are so many things that have happened there. You can really feel that the minute you step through the gates.” It’s the perfect match for Smiile, as Chloé went on to explain: “The ethos of the Smiile party is very aligned with what makes you be. To feel free, to have a good time, to let go, to be present. To truly let the music take you on a journey but to also just have a great time… and to smile!”
Smile we did, all day and night long, as the party kicked off from 4pm poolside, with Camilo Miranda, Regular Fantasy, Nyra and Pascal Moscheni. Up in Plaza Mayor, we were kept on our toes by Aerobica, Jennifer Loveless and Roi Perez, while in the teeny tiny Bathtub Club, it was Jonny Rock who nearly took the roof off! And then, it felt a little like Pikes was going to erupt when we opened Freddies – love and hedonism were in the air – where Chloé Caillet, Octa Octa, Isabella B2B Gabrielle K kept the party going until we had to turn the lights on. And yes, we do mean ‘had to’ – we never ever want to!
Flash x Homoelectric with Confidence Man
Friday June 14, 2024
Flash! Ah-ah! Saviour of the universe! Not a month went by in 2024 when we didn’t start singing the iconic Queen song when Flash Daddy Guy Williams strutted into Pikes with his special guests in tow, but the evening he was joined by Janet Planet and Sugar Bones, plus Confidence Man DJs Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild also had us screeching ‘THEY’RE B-A-A-C-K!’ like the little blondie from Poltergeist. Sorry if we scared you gang – we were just so excited to see you all again.
“WOWSERS!” says Guy. “That was up there with one of the shit hottest parties we’ve ever thrown. What a dee-lite to have our favourites Confidence Man DJs, Gina Breeze and Homoelectric all in the house together with our amazing residents S/A/M, Jon Jak and disco sister guest on the Plaza, Jonjo Jury… still BUZZIN’!” Standing ovation to you all, including Guy and our effervescent host, Lucy Fizz. It was an acid house inspired extravaganza with dashes of disco and a mega dose of cool. And yes, we all piled in the tub together at the end of the night – what of it?
Homies
Friday July 19, 2024
We’ve been in cahoots with the Homies crew for over a decade now and their monthly residencies have become the stuff of Pikes legend over the years. The motto is simple: The best parties are always at home. And since our house is your house, and obviously their house, it makes sense then that the best Homies parties are always at Pikes! If that hasn’t made your head spin a little, then perhaps a reminder of the hot and steamy mid-July Homies event will.
It was the crew’s second monthly gathering and a day-to-night affair that brought together the OG Homies – Camilo Miranda and Christian Len – with some very special guests. We were treated to a guest starring slot by Barcelona house veteran Dadame in Freddies, along with Homies stalwarts Sama Yax B2B Myria. In the tub, the Italians were doing it better with Luca Caluccio and Luca Averna at the controls, and also out on Plaza Mayor with cosmi disco pioneer Roberto Lodola, alongside Balearic ensemble Moon & Mann. Our beloved Jo Mills took over the Sunset Terrace, another Barcelona bae, Julian Reca, was by the pool. We manouevred our way through each and every room, time and time again, finding old friends and new, in classic Homies style. Oh what a night!
Back to Mine with Groove Armada & MELÉ
Thursday July 25, 2024
It’s the party that was voted the event of the year in the recent White Ibiza Awards and if there was ever a night in Back To Mine’s residency history that summed up the label, its fans and its musical ethos, this hot and sweaty night in July was the one! The who’s who of the music industry – including mastermind Dan Prince – mingled alongside dedicated Pikes party people from the get-go, grooving alfresco to Black Hawks of Panama, Carly Foxx, Martin Madigan in Plaza Mayor before making their ways indoors.
One thing we’d been wondering all season was how many DJs does it take to fill a Bathtub Club? It seems this was the night we were destined to find out, with Days of Disco featuring EFKT, Syncia, PJ Gardner, Aleks Sputnik, Roger Rom and Rob Correte all finding enough space to spin, dance and play alongside our guests – we’d love to have seen what was at the bottom of that tub after we’d closed for the night. It’s always a highlight when the one and only Andy Cato of Groove Armada joins us for a DJ set in Freddies (we always pray he doesn’t bump his head on those ceiling beams) and we were in for a double whammy of a treat when we saw the Superstylin’ maestro on the line-up alongside tribal house guru MELÉ. Sometimes, it’s for your spirit and your mind!
Oushe
Friday August 09, 2024
Spreading love, healing, good vibes and sparkle (and her signature ‘oush’ of course!) wherever she goes, Santanna Oush was once again at the helm of her monthly soirée that celebrated feminine power through music. Though every month was a firecracker, it was a very steamy night in August that broke the barrier when it came to energy, line-ups and, well, Oushe!
Spurred on by their fearless leader, we had B’Elle, Stef Jo, Gaidukova, Ellia Jaya holding court in Plaza Mayor, plus Ezmé, Laura Real and Molly D rifling through balls and all in the Bathtub Club. Then, whipping Freddies into a frenzy was Scarlett O’Malley, Foxy Bitch, Angela Merkaba and of course, Santanna Oush herself. Let’s hear it for the girls, with an honourable mention for our resident DJ Camilo Miranda who was getting into the Oushe spirit by the pool with Aisha and Ezmé. Ou to the She indeed
Sarah Story x A-Trak
Wednesday August 14, 2024
“It’s been an honour to hold our first ever Stories Recordings Ibiza residency at the legendary Pikes Ibiza,” said the delightful – and delightfully talented – host of BBC Radio 1 Future Dance, DJ and Stories label boss, Sarah Story, of her debut season in Freddies and we have to say, the feeling is mutual. We were blown away when in the peak of summer silliness, right smack bang in the middle of August, she was able to pull of the enormous coup of calling her pal (“He is a living legend!”) A-Trak to come and play an exclusive B2B with her, with extra special guests ABSOLUTE. and William Kiss along for the ride (including a special B2B2B2B at the end of the night).
Have we ever seen that much jumping in the Freddie booth in one night? We think not. Have we ever been wowed at track after track after track of class house beats that had us traversing decades, eras and what felt like continents? Not in recent memory, that’s for sure. There was joy, there was fun, there was unadulterated raving, there was magic and there was even perhaps a little madness. The perfect night at Pikes – after all, we’re all mad here!
Disco Disco x Dan Shake
Wednesday September 04, 2024
Back in their Balearic spiritual home (“Ibiza is the best place on earth!”), the London party crew from Disco Disco loved keeping us on their toes in 2024, with line-ups that were kept under wraps until the very moment the DJs stepped through our gates, and excitement levels that were difficult to maintain at times. The team tell us they’d been trying to get North London house and disco don, Dan Shake, to Pikes for quite some time but the stars (and their schedules) just hadn’t aligned, until one fateful Wednesday night in September when it seemed that just like in Disneyland, dreams really do come true.
With a queue halfway around the carpark (don’t judge us – we do advise you arrive early!) before we’d even switched on the lasers in Freddies, we knew the penultimate party of the season for Disco Disco would be one for the books. Working the room into an absolute tizz all night, it almost seemed a little unfair of Dan to finish with a rollicking rendition of Mousse T’s Horny before sending our fair dancers out into the Ibiza night. Talk about a tease…
Jaguar Presents Utopia Closing
Wednesday October 02, 2024
She’s a woman of many many talents, but getting a crowd H-Y-P-E-D is one of Jaguar’s mightiest skills and as we eased towards the end of the season and her Jaguar Presents Utopia Closing Party, let’s just say our girl came to play! The collective energy in Freddies that night was big, bouncing and boundless – really evocative of the mood of Jaguar’s entire third season at Pikes (“My fave one yet!”) and with special guests Katie Baxter and P-Rallel in the house to celebrate wrapping up another year, we knew the soundtrack would be as off-the-hook as the crowd.
Describing the event as a “big fun house party” that she curated in a way that “symbolises what Utopia is about: that community, the representation of an inclusive line-up from so many different genres”, Jaguar told us that she loved the community aspect, the diverse mix of UK sounds ranging from jungle and house to soul, the queer energy and of course… the iconic venue that is Freddies. It’s been our pleasure to host you and your special guests Jaguar – we can’t wait to live the Utopian dream again with you somewhere soon.
Vitalik Closing Party
Friday October 11, 2024
The homegrown record label and party starters from Vitalik Ibiza never fail to – well, please excuse our French but the analogy is just so apt – tear Freddies a new one when they pop up every month so we knew (from experience!) that the 2024 Closing Party was a night not to miss. Known for championing the finest in underground house and techno, head honcho Ryan O Gorman was pulling no punches when it came to booking the line-up for his last hurrah of the year and when we first laid eyes on the flyer (loved the pretty kitty design by the way – you know the way to our hearts!), we went straight home to polish our dancing boots and stock up on hangover cures. We know the score.
From the minute we opened the gates and whacked the Pikes Codes on our desk, it was non-stop action – from up-for-it guests to Vitalik’s musical invitees alike. We eased into it by the pool with Camilo Miranda, Italo Brutalo and S/A/M, while DJ Howard set the dinner mood on the Sunset Terrace, then we fired things right up with August Artier and Mick Wilson in Plaza Mayor. It was a Bathtub Club battle of the DJs worthy of gladiator status, with veterans UOKHUN, Cami Jones and Danny Beck all showing us what’s what. Then last, but absolutely never least, very special guest Cassy took control of Freddies, alongside Ryan O Gorman and Nuzzo and we were in it for the long haul, right beneath that mirror ball until Nick turned on the lights and made us go home! Gracias a todos – what a season.
Rock Nights Bonus Track
Friday October 18, 2024
One more song! One more song! One more song! After already swinging from the rafters at their Closing Party just a month earlier, we invited our pals from Rock Nights back for an encore, a party they dubbed the Bonus Track edition of their monthly residency in 2024. What would a summer in Freddies be for Diego Calvo and his merry band of rockers without one last dance-slash-mosh to rock-inspired beats and treats in our final month?
On this auspicious Friday night, S/A/M reigned supreme over the Sunset Terrace, while inside Plaza Mayor, Rock Nights heroes Colin Peters, Manel Simone and Dani Less held court. As always there were the Rock Nights girls inciting riots (in the nicest way possible of course), there was live tattooing (were you really at the Rock Nights Bonus Track if you didn’t go home with a cowboy boot or lightning rod for life?) and there were plenty of chupitos (ooof! that next morning was a killer) and to top it all off, we had Lola Von Dage, Sergio Russek (Zoe) and Diego Calvo bringing the beats to Freddies. Bravo gang – see you in 2025!
