For Melon Bomb, Ibiza has never simply been a place where the collective plays.

It is where the story began.

Ten years after forming, the Ibiza-based collective is looking back at the community, friendships and musical culture that helped shape its identity, reflecting on a journey that started with a small party at Pikes in February 2015.

In a new interview with EDMTunes, founders Paul Reynolds, Scott Gray, Corbi and Ben Santiago discuss how Melon Bomb grew from a gathering for friends into an internationally recognised collective while maintaining its connection to Ibiza.

It Started at Pikes

Melon Bomb's first event took place at Pikes in February 2015.

Importantly, it wasn't launched as a major summer concept. The founders describe their earliest audience as being largely made up of people who were already living on the island during the quieter months.

Pikes subsequently encouraged the collective to continue with a monthly party throughout the year.

That off-season connection became an important part of Melon Bomb's development. As summer arrived, island residents brought friends visiting from elsewhere, helping the collective gradually build an audience beyond Ibiza.

The Importance of the Ibiza Community

Looking back, the founders say the support of Ibiza's local community was central to their development.

They describe trust as one of the foundations of Melon Bomb, with audiences knowing what to expect from the collective even as its music, venues and artists change.

For the founders, there is also an important difference between people who discover Melon Bomb while visiting Ibiza and those who have followed it from the island's local community.

The latter have experienced the collective's history from its earliest days.

That connection is something the founders say remains particularly important to them.

More Than a Summer Party

Melon Bomb's origins outside the traditional peak-season calendar are significant.

The collective says its off-season audience helped establish the foundations of the project before it became associated with larger summer events.

That history has allowed Melon Bomb to develop an identity based on consistency rather than simply relying on individual line-ups or major promotional moments.

When asked how it has maintained loyalty over the years, the founders offered a simple explanation: delivering music they believe in and remaining consistent.

Why Ibiza Mattered

The founders were also asked whether Melon Bomb could have developed somewhere else.

Their answer was that it could have been possible, but not in the same way.

They point to a combination of place, timing and people, explaining that the four founders met in Ibiza at the right moment and that Pikes provided an environment where the concept could develop organically.

They also believe the island's particular mix of residents, seasonal workers and international visitors helped create an audience with a strong appreciation for music.

As they put it, “Ibiza is in our DNA.”

An Ibiza Dancefloor Unlike Anywhere Else

The collective also reflected on what makes Ibiza's clubbing audience distinctive.

According to the founders, the island brings together an unusually broad mix of people, from younger clubbers to older generations, with locals and international visitors sharing the same dancefloors.

They say that audiences in Ibiza have a strong knowledge of and appreciation for music, something Melon Bomb has tried to respond to throughout its time on the island.

For the collective, that relationship between DJs and dancers remains central to what makes playing in Ibiza special.

Ten Years of Steady Growth

Melon Bomb's story has not been defined by one major breakthrough, according to its founders.

Instead, they describe the past decade as the result of many smaller decisions and gradual growth.

The four founders also point to the importance of timing, saying that the moment they came together in Ibiza was right for the collective to develop.

That approach has allowed Melon Bomb to grow internationally while maintaining its original connection to the island.

Growing Without Losing Its Identity

Today, Melon Bomb is no longer limited to Ibiza.

The collective has taken its music to venues and events internationally, expanding its audience beyond the island.

But the founders say that growth comes with an important responsibility: evolving without losing the characteristics that make Melon Bomb recognisable.

They acknowledge that their sound may change, that they may play different venues and work with different people, but say the energy and passion behind the project should remain.

For them, evolution is part of the journey, as long as the identity remains intact.

A Decade Later, Ibiza Remains at the Centre

Ten years after that first February night at Pikes, Melon Bomb's connection with Ibiza remains one of the defining parts of its story.

The collective has grown considerably beyond its original monthly party, but its founders still point back to the same ingredients that helped them get started: the island, its people, the music and the friendships formed along the way.

It is a story that also highlights another side of Ibiza's clubbing culture.

Behind the major summer residencies and international line-ups, the island has long supported smaller communities that build their identities through consistency, relationships and a genuine connection with the people who live there.

For Melon Bomb, that connection has lasted a decade.

And as the collective continues to evolve, the founders say the goal is not to recreate the past, but to keep growing alongside the island without losing what made Melon Bomb what it is.

Ten years on, Ibiza remains more than a backdrop for Melon Bomb. It is part of the collective's identity.