Music On

Marco Carola was one of a raft of names who emerged in the wake of the original minimal explosion. Part of the set-up at Sven Väth's Cocoon, which at the time was Ibiza’s only dedicated techno party, Carola had ambitions to go into business for himself.

2012 would be the year that happened, as Music On launched to widespread acclaim. No longer playing second fiddle, Marco Carola was the star attraction and the masses flocked. Few parties can claim to resonate with the dancefloor to the same degree as Music On has.

Music On has built a core team of residents that includes LEON, Joey Daniel, Neverdogs and Hugo Bianco but make no mistake: Marco Carola is top dog and Music On is all about him. Music On without Marco Carola is unthinkable. The two just go together.

Carola isn’t afraid to put in the call to his industry friends and is regularly joined by some high-profile guests. Carl Cox, The Martinez Brothers, Loco Dice and Michael Bibi are just a handful of the big guests in which many of them end up playing b2b with Carola.

In times of need, Music On has always been able to fall back on some more than adequate understudies.

Like in the summer of 2014, when at the height of the season Marco Carola suffered an ear infection and was instructed to take several weeks leave by his doctors. The news came just hours before Music On was set to begin. Fortunately, he had a ready-made replacement in the wings waiting to swoop in. Joseph Capriati, who had been winning rave reviews in the Club Room, would deputize on The Terrace of Amnesia.

For the next few weeks Capriati led the charge and it felt like a new star was born. The Italians choose their idols well.

The three years between 2014 and 2016 were the glory days for Music On at Amnesia. During that period the party was untouchable. From 2017 onwards, the party got more in-house competition from the incoming HYTE night while local politicians tightened noise control, beginning to enforce an existing ban on music being played after 7AM.

Music On at Amnesia, Ibiza - 2018

With Music On’s big USP being daylight raving and Carola having a tendency to start late, the party took a hit with the new anti-noise legislation.

By the start of 2019, the Music On and Amnesia relationship had soured and the party had lost its momentum. Carola made a very public split from his promoter, Ernesto Senatore. Amid the fallout, the move that had been on the cards for a while finally came to pass… but not where anyone had predicted.

Music On at Pacha - 2022

Pacha, arguably the biggest clubbing brand on the planet, would be Music On’s new home with Carola immediately tied to an exclusivity deal. As part of the compensation package for breaking contract, Amnesia would be awarded €2.4 million as the settlement.

It might be the biggest transfer fee in the history of electronic music - but a worthy investment from Pacha Group who had secured a lucrative asset to play, not just in Ibiza, but at their global network of clubs.

Although the move would upset some of the original Music On faithful, Carola was changing with the times and would go on to recruit a new generation of clubbing soldiers. Moving further away from his techno origins, he would drift deeper into house territory while never losing that trademark groove.

Now, Pacha and Music On go together, almost as one entity. It just works. The 2024 Opening Party kicks things off on Friday May 17 for six whole months of Friday night antics, until October 11.