Overview
An odyssey through the realm of consciousness.
Tale Of Us were riding high as they entered 2016. The duo of Karmine Conte and Matteo Milleri had made their name producing emotive dance music during the deep house boom in the years before. At the time, the pair were heavily involved with Life & Death, the label they helped run along with fellow Italian DJ Tennis.
That year, they would break away, forming Afterlife. The announcement was two-fold. Not only would Afterlife be a record label to continue their exploration and advancement of melodic sounds, but it would also be a party series, revealing a 13-week run at Space, Ibiza.
The announcement was especially noteworthy as it was the final year of the legendary club (before it changed ownership and transformed into Hï Ibiza. It also replaced Richie Hawtin’s ENTER. concept on Thursday nights, which had come to a natural end after four summers, meaning Afterlife had big boots to fill. Initially, the party was formed of artists from Life & Death, Innervisions and Dystopian.
Operating as one room, Afterlife’s debut voyage was a successful one. The season ended with Tale Of Us and their label pals Mind Against invited back to play the final ever Space closing party. Afterlife had played a pivotal role in making Space’s last season one to remember, but question marks hung over what the party would do moving forward.
Over the winter, many of the personnel who had been part of Space’s fabric, including general manager Juan Arenas, took up new roles at Privilege. This migration of staff no doubt played some role in facilitating Afterlife’s move there for summer 2017.
Taking up residency in Vista Club, the venue’s dome-like sideroom, the next Afterlife chapter was set to unfold. With the room’s panoramic windows flooding the dance floor with light at sunrise, Afterlife’s ethereal feel was taken to new heights.
By the end of summer, Afterlife had such momentum behind it, that it was given the honor of hosting Privilege’s full closing party. Taking over the entire club for the first time, the night featured Dixon, Nina Kraviz and Solomun as well as Tale Of Us.
Off the back of that party, many expected Afterlife to return to Privilege in 2018.
Juan Arenas left Privilege after a single year and Afterlife, despite stealing the plaudits, was also unsettled. The promise of high-tech production and CGI effects to pair with the otherworldly soundtrack proved too irresistible to turn down, and in 2018 Afterlife was yet again on the move.
Returning to Playa d’en Bossa, the party arrived at Hï Ibiza with intrigue around it at an all-time high. Committing to two full rooms for the whole season for the first time, The Theatre would feature the progressive house of Tale Of Us and the Afterlife label while The Club would be darker techno.
Fans took time to adjust to this new dawn for Afterlife, but as is often the case, it didn’t take long for the party to settle into its new surroundings. Years down the road, Afterlife feels right at home at Hï Ibiza - a place where boundaries can be pushed and things taken to the next level.