Playa D’en Bossa
Space
In 1989 Pepe Rosello took over and fully renovated Space in Playa D’en Bossa. Rosello is fluent in six European languages and masterminded a strategy to compete with the other monster clubs on the island – Pacha, Amnesia and Ku (now Privilege) – he’d remain open when they shut. Spanish licensing laws require that an establishment close for a minimum of two hours a day which is exactly what Rosello put into place. Live bands and flamenco performances formed the early entertainment program until British DJ Alex P proposed decks be placed behind the bar so the punters on the terrace could experience live mixing while they chilled out over a beer. Two years later DJ Brandon Block completed the picture and viola – the Space Terrace was born!
Space is a five minute taxi ride from Ibiza Town and is also on the disco bus route. It’s built on a massive concrete slab with high walls that hide the carnage within. The venue’s close proximity to the airport means the terrace vibrates with the approach of each low-flying plane. This sensation compels the crowd to fling their arms skyward – enough to cause a stroke if the source of the tremor isn’t visible and you’re not prepared for it. The sound clarity and lighting design in the main room are awe-inspiring. Upstairs, two areas are designed to provide a more alternative sonic slant; Caja Roja (Red Box) and Premiere Etage.
Winner of two consecutive Best Global Club Awards (2005 & 2006) at the International Dance Music Awards in Miami, Space hosts the mecca of marathon dance parties – We Love Space. The crowd these epic parties attract is described perfectly on the club’s website – “a stimulating mixture of the beautiful and the damned”. Our own Presets played this year’s opening party, alongside Groove Armada (DJ set), Tiefshwarz, DJ Riton and Serge Santiago (the latter two having been chosen to mix this season’s ‘We Love Space’ CD). From 8am Sunday till 6am Monday you will be treated to a line-up akin to the best of the summer festivals both inside the main room and out on the sunny terrace. Throughout this 22 hour duration you’re only entitled to one pass-out after which your wristband will be cut off, so use it wisely. Memories of being offered a fruit-platter on a seedy Sunday session and tasting the most succulent melon ever to have tantalised my taste-buds sums up the Space experience. A notable amount of effort is put into ensuring all club-goers experience something unique (or maybe I just looked like I was about to pass out!)
When you first take in the amount of nights Space puts on it’s easy to assume they’ve made a mistake. Throwing both day and night parties means two promotion teams per day.
Entry 30E-60E (approx $48-$95.50)
We Love Sundays 60E (approx $95.50)
Beer (approx $13)
Vodka&Lemon (approx $16)
MONDAY – CLOSED from 6am
TUESDAY (morning) – ‘Diabolika’ (premiere season2007)
TUESDAY (evening) – ‘King Of Clubs’ presented by Carl Cox
WEDNESDAY (morning) – ‘In Bed With Space’/ ‘Twisted’
(Diva Barbara Tucker hosts & performs exclusively – In Bed With Space)
WEDNESDAY (evening) – Witness Baby Marcelo’s drag act on stilts at ‘La Troya’
THURSDAY (morning) – ‘Fake’
THURSDAY (evening) – ‘Spin Club’ / ‘Xtravaganza’ (premiere season 2007)
FRIDAY (morning) – ‘Cassagrande’ (premiere season 2007)
FRIDAY (evening) – ‘La Comunidad’ / ‘Azuli’ (premiere season 2007)
SATURDAY (morning) – ‘Matinee’
SATURDAY (evening) – ‘Gorgeous’
(Catering for a polysexual crowd, each of the ten events encourage guests to dress in a theme colour)
SUNDAY (morning & evening) – ‘We Love Space’
No Man’s Land (halfway between San Antonio & Ibiza Town)
Amnesia
Based on the premise that folk go out to forget their troubles, Antonio Escohotado first christened this club The Workshop Of Forgetfulness. I doubt this name would have lasted if his study of etymology hadn’t uncovered a single Greek word to describe the phenomenon; Amnesia. Where a windmill once stood in the 18th century, there’s now a 5,000 capacity club. It was originally an open-air hippie hang-out until regulations enforced that the club’s aircraft-hanger proportions be contained to regulate the sound, way back in 1990. The terrace here looks more like a greenhouse than a club, with its glass roof, palm trees and abundance of greenery. You can take time out and bop to a housier beat, have an ultraviolet temporary tattoo sprayed on, or even pay for a massage.
The main room is banging and no effort has been made to conceal the massive speaker stacks – as if to remind you of Amnesia’s superior sound quality. On the official website Jesus Turel notes that Expanded Amnesia Technology’s “function is to analyse and submit frequencies that provoke the human body to feel sensations that compare to having a sound massage.” The DJ booth elevates spinners to god-like status, and toasted dancers share the stage, sometimes performing acrobatics that have you fearing for their – and your own – safety. Espuma (foam) parties are legendary at Amnesia, as are the dry-ice canons. Listen out for a foreign sucking noise as these bad boys warm up… The icy smoke they spew onto the dancefloor from a great height is capable of knocking you off your feet and blinding you at the same time; awesome! Apparently dry-ice machines have also been installed under the floor and these arctic blasts also shoot upward through vents.
Entry 30E-55E (approx $48 -$88)
Beer 10E (approx $16)
Vodka & Lemon 12E (approx $19)
MONDAY – ‘Cocoon’
TUESDAY – CLOSED
WEDNESDAY – ‘La Troya’ (Espuma)
THURSDAY – ‘Cream’
FRIDAY – ‘Made In Italy’
SATURDAY – ‘People From Ibiza’
SUNDAY – CLOSED
It is yet to be confirmed whether Cream’s opening night at Amnesia (scheduled for June 28) will go ahead. Its recent closure by local police and Guardia Civil pertaining to drug-related investigations is still being fought.
Privilege
In 1978 a venue called Club Raphael was bought by three Basques, and they promptly changed its name to Ku. The capacity of the club at this time was 125; a far cry from the 10,000 capacity space we now call Privilege! Manumission (Latin for ‘freedom from slavery’) kicked off in 1996 and contributed to the site’s reputation for being more a circus than nightclub. There’s no doubt about it, this joint is immense! In fact Privilege is so vast there’s a map of it out the front behind the sign.
With an area of over 7,000 square metres and a 25-metre high roof, it’s listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest nightclub. At last count there were 16 bars and there’s a DJ rocking the toilets as well as a DJ suspended above the swimming pool in the main room. You can’t go to the clubbing capital of the world without taking in the world’s largest nightclub.
In keeping with the increasingly blurred line between the dance and rock music genres, Manumission has the Music Box room for quality live performances. This 700 capacity side-arena is bound to burst with tumultuous riffage as it features the likes of The Bravery, Kaiser Chiefs and Maximo Park.
Entry 20E-50E (approx $32-$80)
Manumission Entry 60E (approx $95.50)
Beer 8E (approx $13)
Vodka & lemon 10E (approx $16)
MONDAY – Home Club
TUESDAY – Alma
WEDNESDAY – Meganite (featuring weekly resident Mauro Picotto)
THURSDAY – Monza
FRIDAY – Manumission/Music Box
SATURDAY – Silicon
SUNDAY – Slutfunk (Switzerland)
Ibiza Town
Pacha
Meaning ‘Prince’, with the ‘ch’ pronounced as in ‘chair’, this year marks Pacha’s 40th anniversary. Situated opposite the marina in Ibiza Town, it’s a 10-15 minute walk from the port (10 if you’re sober, 15 if you’re staggering). This club opened its own hotel – El Hotel – in 2003, check out their website it looks lush, although “state of lodging and breakfast” in the high season will set you back 190E-300E (approx $330 – $477) a night.
Pacha itself caters for over 3,000 up-for-it revellers. An intimate feel is maintained despite the club’s mammoth dimensions, with many different rooms and catacombs catering to a wide range of musical tastes; turn left as soon as you enter Pacha (into Pachacha) to experience Spanish pop, El Cielo (Funky Room) features jazzy house, soul and funk, Zenith is for tech-heads. The main room circa 5am is often banging bedlam; if you need to take a breather retire onto the terrace for some soothing tunes before reclaiming your position on the dancefloor.
To further illustrate Pacha’s savoir faire, Sander Kleinenberg is in the house monthly bringing his ‘This Is…’ party experience, and Jade Jagger’s Jezebel Party runs weekly in the Global Room as part of Pete Tong’s Friday contribution; Pure Pacha.
Entry 30E-60E (approx $48 – $95.50)
Beer 10E (approx $16)
Vodka & lemon 12E (approx $19)
MONDAY – ‘Release Yourself’ with Roger Sanchez.
TUESDAY – ‘Defected In The House’.
WEDNESDAY – Erick Morillo’s ‘Subliminal Sessions’
THURSDAY – Alternate weeks ‘F**ck Me I’m Famous’/ ‘Renaissance’.
FRIDAY – ‘Pure Pacha’ with Pete Tong.
SATURDAY – ‘Def Mix’.
SUNDAY – ‘Pacha Classics’.
El Divino
Defected and Roger Sanchez’s Release Yourself nights may both have been lured across the harbour to Pacha, but don’t leave this glamorous 1,500 capacity venue off your clubbing itinerary. Proposals for future development of the marina suggest the pier on which El Divino sits may be demolished, so get in there and soak up the atmosphere before it’s too late. Originally ‘V.I.P only’ with one resident DJ, El Divino was built in 1992 to cater for the yachting elite who moored in Ibiza’s marina. It attracts all manner of European head-turners so save your trainers for another night.
Ask for a receipt if you cab it in, as taxi fares for groups of three or more are refunded at the door. The ultimate mode of transport, however, is catching one of the boats provided from Ibiza harbour to the entrance – a much more auspicious start to an evening of decadence. El Divino features a five-star restaurant on its terrace and the view from here is tres magnifique! Even if you have to max the credit card, the memory of marvelling at the old town’s castle – which has justifiably achieved World Heritage status – while dining on this Mediterranean terrace will take some beating.
Entry 25E – 40E (approx $40 – $64)
Beer 7E (approx $11)
Vodka & lemon 10E approx ($16)
MONDAY – ‘Milk’n’2Sugars’
TUESDAY – ‘Kissdafunk’
WEDNESDAY – ‘Penetra’
THURSDAY – ‘Salvacion’
FRIDAY – ‘Miss Monneypenny’s’
SATURDAY – ‘Hed Kandi’
SUNDAY – ‘Just Scandal’
