The Reborn Sankeys in Ibiza is This Summer's "EDM Antidote"

"Dance music now is pop music. The artists sitting in big labels aren't making music, they're manufacturing products. They're like boy bands. It's synthetic." David Vincent doesn't do objective. I'm sitting opposite Vincent, owner of international clubbing chain Sankeys, in a cafe overlooking Playa del Bossa beach, Ibiza. Luckily for Ibiza, it's not just opinions that he likes weighing into. Vincent's been awake for almost 24 hours personally overseeing a massive refurbishment of Sankeys Ibiza, just two blocks away.

It's 10am at Sankeys. Power drills are still being stashed, pizza boxes are being cleaned away and workmen are still spooling up cables as a Vincent, visibly shaking with excitement, talks us through the refit. "We're all about sound over substance" he explains, as we're walked through the 1,000 capacity Spektrum room. It's lit by a low ceiling of hot LEDs - reminiscent of the original Sankeys Manchester - and into a vast, 2000 plus capacity main room.

It's a simple affair, graffiti and hazard tape over black walls and steel. Vincent insists that the new soundsystem is the island's loudest. (NB: we've been here a week, and we can confidently verify this). But there's more. "We timed the refurbishment to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Sankeys. This is our new flagship." Suddenly, the strobes, simple visuals and minimal artwork start to come into context. This venue has the look and feel of a 90s warehouse spot.

There's nothing stripped back about Vincent's own philosophy, however. Sankeys Manchester remains a byword for 5am, sexy, sweaty music, and Sankey's pop-ups in London and New York have attracted DJs and debauched after-parties every time they emerge. For Vincent however, creating something of a clubbing empire creates an existential challenge.

How does Sankeys get to a point where it's mentioned in the same sentence as the likes of global chains Pacha and MInistry Of Sound, without becoming a brand? "We're not a brand. We're a movement. Other venues pride themselves on being a brand. We feel the second you try to mimic or duplicate the feel of one place, it takes something away from the original."

Vincent goes on to discuss how each venue is intended to have its own character. Certainly, Sankeys Ibiza is nothing if not leftfield. DJ names are graffitied into toilet stalls ("It's all mixed, but the original plan was to do them in chronological order" Vincent explains, unable to keep his face straight), and season residents are hand-painted on the outside of the venue in 7ft tall portraiture. Where other venues have pool parties Sankeys has a barbecue on the terrace, with burgers personally grilled by Sankeys main resident Darius Syrossian.

Darius himself has recently completed a compilation album commemorating the anniversary - mixed live in the club - to bring a sense of unique to the venue. "I wasn't nervous about mixing it at all, until Vincent hopped in the booth and began jumping around me" he laughs, as we slowly but surely covered our shorts in ketchup on Sankeys terrace.

A return to roots, a priority on forward thinking music - "which, FYI, was our flyer tag line long before any other venue" Vincent laughs, back at the cafe - and a venue which eschews the up-market club scene is a bold move in the most famously expensive clubbing destination on earth. But, its part of a wider picture.

"EDM is plastic. It's not real, but I'm not against that at all. It's helped the scene. It's brought so many fresh faces in. Kids who previously didn't even like the music at house parties are now interested in EDM DJs, following EDM DJs. Eventually they'll want something more than that. Then they'll come to a venue like this, and we reckon they'll love it."

What they'll see, amongst the a sea of vest-wearing Brit ravers and sultry Spanish head-nodders, is a line-up that retains the same 'sound over substance' philosophy. The launch featured NYC legend Danny Tenaglia. Brit head-of-house Duke Dumont, French G-housers Amine Edge & Dance join Syrossian as season residents, whilst Saturdays are the remit of London warehouse promoter royalty Magna Carta.

Down there, in main room getting in amongst it with Spain's sweatiest, or up in the DJ booth, people leaping up to high-five Duke Dumont as Amine Edge photo-bombs clubbers' #DJ Instagram attempts behind him. There's a definite sense of audio priority. The focus here really is on the music, rather than glitter bursting from the ceiling or podium dancers. Judging by the ecstatic look on people's faces and the excited yabbering out in the smoking area, it seems to be working.

A return to a more serious brand of electronic music seems to be a general trend in Ibiza 2014. Other venues famous for glitz-house are beefing up line-ups and opening hours. Vincent is leading the charge on this. He was on a panel with other club owners at the IMS conference 4 hours after the first opening party, where he laid out his famously strong opinions on not taking clubbing too corporate. Aside from arguing his case, he did this by arriving to the discussion directly from the opening party - still wearing face paint, and feathers in his hair.

IMS head honcho Pete Tong said in an interview two months ago that "Ibiza has changed more in the last 5 years than it has in the last 15 previous. It had to." Looking at Sankeys and their booking shake-ups, there's a seductive sense of flux about the place; plenty of these vibes emanate from a reverberating warehouse, with DJs painted on along one side and queue down the block well before midnight. Everyone relax. There's a cure for EDM.

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