The origin of the party in Ibiza

In 1978 he opened the KU Ibiza nightclub, created by three Basque partners, who made this place a flagship of this island, a complete inspiration.

 Then there were only small clubs like Playboy, open to the outdoors, which then became Playboy2; Es Paradis, also open pit; Star Club, Ecstasy, Boucala, Glory’s, Pacha nightclub and Sa Tanca. They born shortly after other establishments conviertieron referents, as Amnesia, KU Beach and, of course, the Pykes Hotel, which housed all the stars who came to the island, and the Dos Lunas restaurant.

What made only to Ibiza at that time were its core values: hospitality, tolerance, generosity and universality of the people. The Ibiza is delivered with devotion to the visitor, they gave everything. The island was a multicultural place that welcomed without barriers or prejudices. In those days were all part of the same group. Intellectuals, actors, businessmen, aristocrats, singers, the people, merged into a universal spirit. All were enthusiastic ambassadors of the island and everyone went quiet operation, without any need for recognition. And many were those who contributed in the shade with their bit to make Ibiza a unique place in the world.

60. Creative Movement

In the 60s, the hippy culture in Ibiza a little paradise, a mixture of freedom and mysticism. Hippies began to arrive from all over the world, creating a creative power which is still pays tribute.
And anchor painters, intellectuals, artists and photographers, making the island a special place that began to attract the interest of the whole world. Ibiza was then a long wrapped in a magical air, where everything was permitted a natural stronghold.
Hippies from all walks, the PELUTS, as we affectionately called them the Ibiza, settled on the island and began living with their crafts and street markets. They formed small communes in the field and made some enclaves like Sa Pedrera Cala d’Hort (renamed’Atlantis’) and Punta Galera Benirràs almost sacred to all those fleeing the disappointment dreamy places.

Other important pilgrims landfall: the Pink Floyd group was inspired by Formentera and moved to Ibiza to compose some songs, among other’Ibiza Bar’,’More’ disk. Artists like the Bee Gees rehearsed their new songs in the Ses Guitarres of San Antonio and Cat Stevens sang’Moonshadow’ bar on the terraces of the port of Ibiza.

70. The’glamour’

Pacha discos Glory’sy championed that stage. They represented the spirit of the island, with an unprecedented hippy and cool style. They formed an important complement to the island, but were not without a dimension disco people, but that was precisely its charm. In those years also mythical concert, as the king of reggae, Bob Marley in 1978, or the Thin Lizzy and Eric Clapton, all in the former bullring were organized. Concerts and visits by international stars begin to forge the legend of Ibiza as an island of music. Mike Oldfield was inspired from his home front is Vedra to compose his masterpieces, Frank Zappa and King Crimson also made landfall in Ibiza. The singer Joni Mitchell up your hard’Blue’ and Nico, the Velvet Underground, was inspired by the unique atmosphere of the island.
In San Antonio, the video’Club Tropicana’, the group Wham, managed to Ibiza was a landmark destination for the British. It was recorded at the iconic hotel Pykes.
And then the arrival of KU, together with Amnesia, brought a new concept to the island: the glamor and international projection, Adlib fashion and the figure of Smilja Mihailovitch, the first international ambassador for Ibiza.

80. The explosion

Ibiza musically represented the real engine of the eighties in Spain. Ian Dury, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Suzanne Vega, Nick Cave, Nina Hagen, Chris Rea, Miguel Bose, Grace Jones, Alaska, Mecano, The Last of the Row, King Creole and The Coconuts, Poison, Marillion and the unforgettable performances of the group Talk Talk and the genius of soul-funky James Brown. An explosion. The culmination of this period was the apotheosis festival’Ibiza 92′ Ibiza definitely consolidated as a global musical destiny. For the first time in history, two radically different genres, such as opera and rock merged. Montserrat Caballé and Freddy Mercury introduced the world anthem’Barcelona’ from the KU discotheque. 500 million viewers watched the show, which had an unprecedented media coverage. Other very great stars participated each year until 1990, at the festival.
Then he opened the KU Beach, beach club pioneered the concept of the current Ushuaïa has taken over.

In the late 90s, at its peak, the authorities in Ibiza decide that the clubs no longer open spaces and KU must be covered. In my opinion, it was a big mistake. They sought to curb noise and thus appease the neighborhood. It was a political decision that definitively eradicated noise. With this unfortunate decision achieved a huge void for leisure. KU became an enclosed space and lost the essence that made her so attractive. People flocked to the clubs to enjoy the best international stars in the open, in the unique nights of Ibiza. Thereafter, these indoor distorted the concept of live music, causing serious indecipherable sounds, sound nightmare.
KU was a magnetic center that attracted people everywhere, of all kinds, types and streams. Universal people. When they closed Ku, Ku Beach, and Amnesia temporarily, that people stopped coming to the island. Ibiza was orphaned, without direction or guidance in complete bewilderment.
Ku group companies were auctioned in San Sebastian and acquired another Basque businessman Jose Maria Etxaniz. Amnesia was bought by Martin Ferrer Catalan, leaving only reference Pasha, along with Playboy-2 and Es Paradis in San Antonio. Thus, in the late 90s, there was no flagship in Ibiza, except for the Playboy 2 Sant Antoni and Es Paradis.

Ibiza destination’clubbers’ EnglishThe party island

At that time, London was experiencing a boom in underground. The clubbers had serious difficulty making their holiday in England due to a railway regulations that put all sorts of obstacles to parties and concerts. Some entrepreneurs soon saw in Ibiza the perfect place to organize your events in London. So lightning began to plan trips to the island, with charter flights and tour packages including travel, concert and party. Then after a day or two, they returned to their places of origin as they had come. Thus, gradually they landed new clubs and a number of groups acting turn as music promoters: at Pacha, Ministry of Sound; Amnesia, Cream and Cocoon; Privilege (the new brand that was installed on the old Ku) Manumission; Space, We Love Sundays. And new clubs emerged as Eden (ex Star Club), and the emblematic Café del Mar, birthplace of chill-out music. At that time, the theme nights and tourist-goers packs become a party island Ibiza. Canned music, not direct.
Ibiza parallel also reaches people like Pete Tong, a DJ BBC1, which will begin to broadcast live sessions of the different nightclubs all over Britain, giving an even greater impact on the island. MTV discovers the potential of Ibiza and produces’The Rock’, the first festival of dance music with live performers and discjokeys in sa Pedrera de Sant Antoni. The holidays are increasingly popular, the English conceived as a paradise island of freedom. DJs thus acquired unprecedented prominence and become the new rock stars.
For the first time in a long time, the clubs are again profitable and become big business and an important source of income for the island. It is the boom of the DJs and sessions that will travel the world, Ibiza being the main reference for this industry. Each clubber proposal is his own tribe; young people are added to this new idea of ​​musical clan.

2000. The’djs’, the stars”new and the arrival of the set”jet

Djs sessions are steadily gaining prominence attracting young people and Ibiza becoming a destination for total liberation. DJs are now stars and take up residence on the island, transforming it into a global showcase. Ibiza becomes an explosion of different sounds, which not only captures young people around the world, but also to the international jet set.
The tourism starts to be of higher quality: better hotels, better houses, better restaurants, planes and luxury yachts. Begins to arrive in good numbers elite tourism which previously had little place in the island due to lack of infrastructure. The luxury business and VIPS becomes a gold mine. What a nightclub billed in a year before, the bill now in one night. Ibiza emerges, expands and multiplies.
But at the same time, what was once fun now is stress, with safety devices and VIP lists … What was once mixed, coexistence and freedom, is now overwhelmed and suffocation. Certainly I think that the concept of VIP made the reality of the island altered so brutal, savage. Before we were all VIP and true VIPS who were in Ibiza were integrated and transmitted joy and fun, they were admired and honored to enjoy them. Today the VIP does not exist. You do not know what kind of VIP you are. One is no longer VIP but so worth what you pay for, if you do not pay, not vouchers.
What saddens me is that now that same Ibiza and large entertainment companies (Pacha, Amnesia, Privilege, Mess, Blue Marlin, Ushuaia, Space, KM5 and newcomers Cipriani, Boom or Destination) have something in his hand important: providing quality, innovate with something different and keep alive the legacy that made this island a special and unique place in the world. That legacy of hospitable and generous island, the island of all, where we were all and are part of it. This is an invitation to the future, to continue building Ibiza.