Melon Bomb reflect on more than a decade of Ibiza, evolving their sound, and entering a new era with their Wild Comet residency at UNVRS.
Melon Bomb has become part of the very fabric that shapes Ibiza, building parties around good music, close friendships, and a genuine love for the island’s dance floors. This summer, the four-DJ collective began a new chapter at [UNVRS], joining Carl Cox every Sunday at Wild Comet for their first season at the mega-club. The residency marks a major moment, coming after nine years at Hï Ibiza during the Glitterbox era, while their long-running residency at Pikes Ibiza continues.
That 11-year run at Pikes has become one of the defining parts of Melon Bomb’s enchanting story on the White Isle. What started as a party for friends and family has grown into an international collective with a devoted following and a reputation for bringing together house, disco, techno, and everything in between.
Continuing at Pikes alongside their new Sunday residency at Wild Comet, Melon Bomb are positioned in an unusual yet exciting position: deeply rooted in one of Ibiza’s most intimate institutions while simultaneously stepping into one of its newest and largest spaces. For a collective that has always let the music lead rather than following fixed blueprints, this move gives them another opportunity to evolve naturally while staying true to the identity they have built.
We sat down with Melon Bomb to look back at the road that brought them here, from a party for friends and family to successful runs at major Ibiza superclubs. They spoke candidly about the evolution of their sound, the dynamic of working together as four DJs in one collective, and the moments that still make everything feel worthwhile.
Read on for our conversation with Melon Bomb.
Melon Bomb have spent over a decade building their identity in Ibiza. What has kept the collective relevant as the island’s nightlife has changed?
Being a collective is such an advantage because all four of us are always pushing things forward in one way or another. Collectively, we’ve always made a very conscious effort to constantly evolve the brand and our sound, and never rest on our laurels.
You’ve been at Pikes for 11 years, which continues alongside your residencies at Hï and [UNVRS]. What has each chapter taught you about Melon Bomb and its audience?
We are constantly learning and growing as a brand and as DJs. It’s so much fun getting to play the most iconic venues on the island, bringing a slightly different sound to the audience but still keeping with the MB ethos of underground house music while still keeping it fun!
We have to keep on learning and growing through every set we play.
Pikes and [UNVRS] represent two very different sides of Ibiza. How does Melon Bomb carry the same identity into such a different environment without losing what made it special? When you’re playing a room as large as [UNVRS], what actually changes from inside the booth compared with a night at Pikes?
Melon Bomb: We’re playing in Wild Comet in [UNVRS], so the two spaces are actually similar in size. In Pikes, we tend to push the boundaries of our sound a little with the odd experimental track. In [UNVRS], it’s all about building the energy levels then maintaining the crowd’s attention.
In both cases, we stay within the bounds of the Melon Bomb sound.
The distinction between the two venues is part of what makes this chapter interesting for the collective. While Pikes offers an intimate environment where the group can stretch its sound, Wild Comet gives us a different setting to build momentum and connect with a crowd through a longer musical journey. Our first [UNVRS] event saw all four of us take on an eight-hour set, a format that allowed us to explore that range while remaining rooted in our identity.
You are a group of four DJs. Four personalities and four musical perspectives inevitably means disagreement. Where do you tend to clash creatively, and have those disagreements ever pushed Melon Bomb somewhere better?
We don’t actually disagree on much, to be honest. We’ve always been good at leaving our egos at the door and, if there is a difference of opinion, we go with the majority. I think that’s helped us avoid things becoming personal and kept everyone focused on what’s best for Melon Bomb.
Melon Bomb brings together house, disco, techno, and a wide range of other influences. How do four distinct tastes ultimately decide what sounds like Melon Bomb?
We spend a lot of time sharing music with each other, but there’s also a cohesion that exists between us. We’ve also managed to find the right balance whereby there’s unity, but we all individually add our own uniqueness, too.
That balance has arguably become one of the collective’s defining characteristics. Our sound has never been tied to a single genre, but there is a recognizable thread running through what we play: underground music, forgotten gems, and records that can bring a room together. We’ve previously described our approach as sitting between forward-thinking sounds and the music that shaped us.
After nine years at Hï, did moving to [UNVRS] feel like simply finding a new home, or an opportunity to rethink what Melon Bomb could become?
We don’t think the move of club was such a big thing, but the move of event going from our Glitterbox residency and moving to Carl Cox was a big thing for us personally. We have been pushing the brand musically in that direction, so we now feel very aligned with our musical identity.
The [UNVRS] move comes after the end of Glitterbox’s run at Hï, giving Melon Bomb an opportunity to continue developing independently while remaining connected to a major chapter in its Ibiza history. The new residency is less about reinventing ourselves and more about showing a wider side of what we have already become.
After more than a decade, what do you hope Melon Bomb have contributed to Ibiza’s club culture beyond the parties themselves? What does the future look like for your collective?
We never set out with a plan. The only thing we wanted to do was play the music we love and send people home from our parties with nothing but good memories and a smile on their face, and we really hope we continue to do that!
Life is hard for people, and if we can bring some joy and help them forget about things for a while, then that makes us happy! And as for the future, as always, let’s see where life takes us. We are very happy so far.
That lack of a grand master plan is actually central to Melon Bomb’s story. The original party was simply a way for friends and family to come together around music. The name was never intended to become the name of a DJ act, either. That happened organically after Simon Dunmore discovered the us, booked us, and eventually added us to his agency roster.
What’s one Melon Bomb night you wish you could relive exactly as it happened?
Great question! The night we headlined Pacha in Ibiza with Dam Swindle was very special.
Is there a venue in Ibiza that you think is particularly special right now, and what makes it so?
Another venue we’ve been lucky enough to be part of is 528 Ibiza. It’s become one of the island’s standout venues over the last two years.
The open-air space has such a lovely feeling — it reminds us of the old Space terrace. They also ban phone cameras on the dancefloor, with a little sticker, that encourages the crowds to get on with the dancing! That detail feels particularly fitting coming from a collective whose identity has always been centered around the room rather than the spectacle surrounding it. For Melon Bomb, the value of a party still comes down to what happens when the crowd gets lost in the music.
What’s the biggest change you’ve noticed in Ibiza since Melon Bomb started? And is it a change you welcome?
Ibiza has definitely become more polished and less simplistic. We do miss some of the rough edges, but change is part of Ibiza. The fact that there’s still room for something like Melon Bomb is what matters to us.
What’s one thing about the old Ibiza that you miss?
The Phoenicians, they were a lovely bunch. And the Romans of course.
What’s the funniest, strangest, or most unexpected thing that’s happened at a Melon Bomb party?
Hmmm. What springs to mind as the most unexpected thing could have been what happened at a party we held on Salinas Beach back when we were just getting started.
The party was absolutely heaving and the crowd were going nuts, but then suddenly, without word or warning, the owner of the venue decided to unplug the decks and tell us the party was over. For fuck’s sake!
If you could put together the ultimate Melon Bomb night anywhere in Ibiza — any venue, any lineup, any era — what would it look like?
The late ’90s were a very special time on the island. A Sunday at Space with the likes of Danny Tenaglia, Carl Cox, and Alfredo could be very naughty!
After a decade of playing and creating in Ibiza, are there still moments that give you that “this is why we do this” feeling?
Absolutely. It happens all the time, looking across the dancefloor and seeing everyone — locals, visitors and friends — all completely lost in the music with smiles on their faces.
Those moments still give us that feeling.
For a collective that never set out to build an institution, there is something fitting about that being the measure of success. Melon Bomb’s story has unfolded alongside Ibiza rather than according to a predetermined blueprint. The venues have changed, the island has become more polished, and the collective has continued to evolve with it.
Yet the core idea remains remarkably simple: Play music they love, bring people together, and give them a reason to forget about everything else for a few hours. After more than a decade, perhaps that is what has kept Melon Bomb relevant — not trying to preserve Ibiza exactly as it was, but finding a way to keep the spirit that made the island special in the first place.
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