Inspired in Ibiza: Holly Lester on the party that changed her life

A night on the dancefloor can be monumental. That’s why we started this series, The Party That Changed My Life, inviting artists to tell us the story of the clubbing experience that had a profound impact on who they are today. 

Today’s edition features Belfast-based DJ, label owner, and producer Holly Lester. Holly has continually advocated for nightlife in her native Northern Ireland, and in 2021 cofounded Free The Night, a charity focused on protecting grassroots culture after dark.

Having been DJing for over a decade, Holly recently announced her production debut. The four-track Open Your Mind EP is due next month via her label Duality Trax. The title track is out now, almost seven minutes of searing tech house with light, skippy percussion and layers of psychedelic pads. 

Kehakuma was the party that changed Holly Lester’s life. The Ibiza institution launched in 2009 in the Terrace at Space, going on to become one of the island’s defining events for underground house and techno.

Holly’s pivotal night was in 2012. At one point, tINI dropped Kris Wadsworth’s “Lime and Pink”—a moment that directly inspired Holly’s trajectory as a DJ in a time when the scene was still completely male-dominated. “Seeing a female DJ play the music that I really wanted to play was just a really life-changing moment,” she says.

Like so many dance music diehards, Ibiza holds a special place in Holly’s heart: her parents met in San Antonio, and she worked at Space herself in 2012. In the years since she’s played all over the island, from beach bars to DC-10 and a residency at the since-shuttered Sankeys. 

Watch the full interview here.

You can also revisit the previous editions of this series: Kiimi on Adonis and Rosie Ama on a night with Dresden in Vilnius.

Words by Felicity Martin
Video edited by ARNII