DC-10

Famous for its iconic red walls and synonymous underground sound, DC10 has been an integral player in Ibiza’s electronic music scene since its opening in 1999.

The club is a venue steeped in notoriety. Its name is taken directly from McDonnell Douglas’ DC10 aircraft, as the venue quite literally started as a shack at the end of the old airport runway. Now situated just a stone's throw away from the island's modern-day aeropuerto, the club's Garden terrace is now the best plane-watching spot on the island, as they swoop lowly over your head.

In its heyday, DC10 was the off-radar workers and industry hangout where anything went. In the modern day, it tows the line and no longer operates on the borders of legality, but it’s still a hell of a party and remains faithful to both its edgy reputation and anti-establishment ethos.

The long-running Circoloco has been an ever-present fixture and goes hand in hand with the club. The two cannot be separated. Though DC10 does throw other epic events throughout the week (most notably Solid Grooves and Patrick Topping’s Trick imprint as of 2022), it’s Mondays at Circoloco that are the most notorious.

Upon entering, you’ll walk into the bustling garden, an area illuminated with low-hanging, infrared light beams and bars running down each side, tapering into a DJ booth in the far corner. The garden is a great place to catch a breather and chat nonsense to strangers.

Inside the club, there’s three spaces. The terrace with its blood-red walls and enormous fans, which used to be open-air - probably the most notorious dancefloor on the planet. High-grade lasers will cut through the haze, as the finest underground DJs on the circuit mix rolling 4/4, underground grooves.

The adjacent main room is home to tougher beats and feels almost subterranean with its stone decor. Finally there’s the backstage area - a commune for DJs, industry insiders and a handful of blaggers. You’ll need to bring your chat A-game if you want to get your hands on some wristbands. Either that, or be in with the guy on the door. Should you be lucky enough, there’s only one rule here: what goes on backstage, stays backstage.

Unlike the rest of clubs, DC10 does not rely on publicity to promote their parties, letting them speak for themselves. Circoloco only announces its line-ups 6-days before the party. This is because DC-10 is less about the celebrity of individual DJs, and more about the vibe, which is promised no matter who’s on the line-up.

Getting to play at DC10 is such a prestigious badge of honor that even the biggest names take a significant pay cut to do so. The theory is, you can easily recuperate lost earnings and then some off the back of bookings you get as a result of having played here. That emphasizes exactly how important this club is and the influence it wields on a global scale.

Circoloco always used to be a daytime party that ended at 02:00, but in recent years the opening time has gotten progressively later and thus the closing time has also been pushed back. Now, sadly, its opening times and busy peaks are pretty much identical to every other club night. That said, those precious evening hours in the garden are still amongst the best.

Arrive early and make the most of the garden being open. Music is only permitted out here until midnight - and what’s better than dancing in the sun or under the stars? It’s what the Balearic climate was made for.