In summer 2024, top DJs will play in Ibiza made the bold decision to forego the distraction of cell phones during their performances at White Isle. With modern technology and cell phones deeply ingrained in today’s dance music culture, this change marked a significant shift. While cell phones often clashed with the old-school vibe of dancing and living in the here and now, the sight of people constantly recording their favorite artists has become the norm.
However, a movement to rediscover Ibiza’s roots is gaining momentum. DJs like James Hype And MEDUZA first enforced this “no phone” rule during their ‘Our house’ show at Dance event in Amsterdam last year. They carried it into their Hi Ibiza Stay in Club Roomand asked participants to put away their phones. Our story followed suit and asked Life after death Visitors in their Hi Ibiza Residence not to film the sets. To make this clear, they even paused the music during the first shows until the audience joined in. This decision was made after Anymaone half Our storysurveyed her fans on Instagram in early July and asked whether Life after death should ban mobile devices at events. There was a backlash on social media, criticizing attendees for filming the show’s striking visuals rather than immersing themselves in the moment. The poll received 32,000 responses, with 77% in favor of the phone ban.
In May, Damian Lazarus a similar policy in his Club Room Stay at Hi Ibizawhich he Black coffee. Lazarus explained: “From start to finish, we pride ourselves on creating a completely unique environment centered around the mystical temple. It’s a proper session where we can lose our inhibitions and enjoy a sense of freedom while enforcing our groundbreaking ‘no cell phones’ rule in the room.”
Solomon tried this policy again in his recent Pasha shows special images of cell phone ban signs throughout his performance. Recently Michael Bibi followed the same approach in his DC-10 Residence, there were no phones visible at his last shows.
As this movement gains ground in Ibiza and among the dance music giants, the big question remains: can the dance music and clubbing scene go without technology for even a few hours? While some argue that phones are helping to take these artists’ careers to new heights by making their shows go viral on social media, others see this policy as a way to recapture the essence of the experience. What do you think?
