With lauded Opening Parties for both Defected In The House and Glitterbox getting the 2015 Ibiza season off to a flying start last week, here Defected's Ben Lovett looks at the musical history of the definitive dance destination.
The Phoenicians were the first to settle Ibiza by establishing a trading port there in 654 BC. With an uncanny nod to the island’s current, dominant history nearly 2700 years later it was dubbed Ibossim – derivation of ‘iboshim’, a Phoenician term of dedication to the Egyptian god of music and dance Bes. Today, the archaeological ruins of Ibossim – made a World Heritage site in 1999 - can be visited just 10km west of island party hotspot Ibiza Town.
Since those earliest of days, Ibiza has been invaded and re-settled time and time again – by the Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantine Greeks, Moors, Norwegians and, most recently, Spanish. When Aragonese monarch James I conquered the island in 1235 it was allowed to self-govern. King Philip V reversed that during the early 18th century but by now Ibiza’s autonomous spirit had solidified. That was to become the perfect platform for yet another invasion come the 1950s and 60s; a cultural invasion paving the way for Ibiza’s definitive, global status today as an epicentre of dance music celebration. Bes has to be smiling down.
Ibiza’s geographical isolation from mainland Spain and the mid-20th century severity of General Franco’s fascist regime amplified its appeal as counter-cultural haven. Its idyllic setting and simple way of life amplified that appeal further. In 1954 wealthy aristocrats Aristoteles Onassis and Prince Rainier Of Monaco visited the White Isle and kick-started a tourism revolution. Ibiza’s economy and infrastructure grew in tandem with surging levels of visitors. Nevertheless, it was the hippy community who first truly embraced the island as a modern-day socio-cultural paradise. Idealists, hedonists and transgressive travellers from all over world flocked to it, attracted by its open-mindedness and cheap, rural lifestyle – no traffic, no industry, no problem. Their arrival en masse chimed with local, artistic communities already established in Ibiza Town and villages such as San Carlos the preceding decade.
“Outside Ibiza town, the island in the 1950s was one of the most archaic communities in Europe” comments travel writer Paul Richardson in his account of Ibiza’s subsequent, democratic rise to prominence, Not Part Of The Package. “Songs, dances and rural ceremonies with roots in the Carthaginian era, hundreds of years before Christ, were still being performed.” Ibiza’s easy, naturalistic rhythm struck a major chord with its new visitors, some making it a stopover on their epic, conscious-altering pilgrimages to India whilst others – many others – opted to stay.
This bohemian gaggle of gurus, hippies and Vietnam draft dodgers hung at bars such as Las Dalias and Anita’s (both in San Carlos, in the north east), losing and rediscovering themselves to a trippy soundtrack of psychedelic-rock and freeform drumming whilst high on marijuana and LSD. They also hung at a number of ‘fincas’ (country homes) dotted around the island (and neighbouring Formentera), re-channelling their auras and energies in much the same way. Tales of secretive full-moon parties earned mythic status.
Ibiza’s independent voice was growing louder, music an ever more important catalyst of its evolution. In 1964, the Rolling Stones stayed in San Antonio and made expected waves. Four years later, Barbet Schroeder movie More arrived to anxious reaction across Europe – the film, with music by Pink Floyd, presents a hazy fug of crime, romance and drug experimentation all upon the White Isle. By the time, in 1976, Madrid-based philosopher Antonio Escohotado took over one particularly pivotal ‘finca’ near San Rafael (on the highway between San Antonio and Ibiza Town) and launched it (loosely) as social club and discotheque The Workshop Of Forgetfulness, the seeds of Ibiza’s euphoric and far-reaching future in dance ‘n DJ music had been sown.
The Workshop metamorphosed into Amnesia in the space of 24 hours. Escohotado realised that the Greek word ‘amnesia’ expressed his desire for people to leave their troubles at his door far more effectively. Meanwhile, other discotheques were establishing themselves on the island like Ku, Pacha, Glory’s and Lola’s. Opening in 1973 - also within the shell of an old ‘finca’ (on the outskirts of Ibiza Town) - Pacha held similarly strong ties to the hippie community and pushed a similar, eclectic fusion of pop and rock psychedelics, abstract art and flamboyant party themes.
Owners Ricardo and Piti Urgell had already launched discos on the mainland (they’d opened in Sitges in 1967) but Ibiza let them take their concept to the next, hedonistic level. Piti, Pacha’s founding DJ, played Brit rock (Island signings Traffic and Spooky Tooth especially prominent), pop and soul whilst flamenco dancers twirled around horses and the hippie clientele frolicked in temporary swimming pools out on the main floor. Tales of club-based musical and narcotic liberation started to sound all over Ibiza.
During the Eighties, Ibiza’s burgeoning discotheques freed themselves to an even greater extent by introducing open rooftops and separate Terrace parties. Refusing to be curbed by brick and mortar, their return to nature helped define the modern ‘Balearic’ sound. A widening of Ibiza’s playlist was also largely responsible, inspired by pioneering Amnesia resident DJ Alfredo Fiorito. Under his guidance, 1983-89, Amnesia achieved highs that its inquisitive, carefree audience could never have imagined and, in doing so, changed the face of contemporary pop and dance culture forever.
“In the summer of 1987 I was playing Thrashing Doves’ ‘Jesus on the Payroll’, Elkin and Nelson’s ‘Jibaro’, Joao Gilberto, Talking Heads, Prince, Bob Marley, the Woodentops” Alfredo told one journalist. “Early in the evening I'd play Manuel Göttsching’s ‘E2-E4’ or Art of Noise’s ‘Moments in Love’. I was playing music from South America, Europe, different places. It was the time of the Berlin Wall, Glasnost, and there was a feeling of unity among Europeans that influenced the music.”
Alfredo was also playing early US house records on the Trax label, as well as proto-dance supplied by those with connections to Larry Levan’s mighty Paradise Garage. At first, the combination was like Marmite. “It was a special club, a madness house” Amnesia bar owner Ulises Braun reflects. “Some people would come and look and just run away.” But, longer-term, Amnesia’s audience was expanding. In 1987, four DJs and promoters from London visited and then returned home full of the fervour with which they’d subsequently transform their domestic club scene. Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling, Nicky Holloway and Johnny Walker were about to spark an acid house revolution and introduce electronic club culture permanently to the UK, and beyond....
Ibiza’s influence grew exponentially as the Nineties landed. Many of its dominant clubs, fuelled by the insatiable rise of house and techno, were now famous worldwide - commercially-ratified brands with their own fashion and merchandise lines. The Balearic club soundtrack, sprinkled with a little business acumen, had gone stratospheric and mainstream society was sitting up and taking notice. International media began reporting for the first time, negatively, on the excesses of holiday club culture (the West End of Ibiza’s San Antonio lumped in with Med hotspots such as Malia, Ayia Napa and Magaluf) but fortunately the music retained focus and cut-through.
House remained popular with uplifting anthems via everyone from US heavyweight David Morales (‘Needin U’) to disco-loop specialists Fred Falke & Alan Braxe (‘Vertigo’) and Spiller (‘Groovejet’). A more progressive approach to 4-4, however, was also taking off. Cream blazed into Amnesia with talented Euro-trancers Paul Van Dyk and Sasha. Meanwhile, Space, over in Playa d’en Bossa, and the cavernous Privilege (formerly Ku) welcomed the ‘Perfecto’ beats of Paul Oakenfold. The latter, too, hosted Sasha at iconic, no holds-barred rave-orgy Manumission.
Back in San Antonio, two beachfront bars with a superlative sunset view were successfully championing ‘chill out’ (a combination of mellow post-disco, dubbed ‘Balearic beat’, and all of the above...) as a brand new genre authentic to Ibiza’s scopic history – Café Mambo and Café del Mar (fronted by legendary DJ Jose Padilla, the chill-out Ying to Alfredo’s main room Yang) were blissful counterpoint to the soaring and swooping rush of BPMs elsewhere.
The scale of Ibiza’s commercial growth in the years following the Millennium was to prove jaw-dropping. Brand was talking as loudly as beat, some cynics arguing that a preoccupation with money and marketing was actually starting to undermine the quintessential spirit of the scene. Contracts of exclusivity between clubs and DJs certainly contradicted the island’s original ‘free party’ ethos. There were other concerns. Regular clampdowns on late night licensing and anti-social behaviour – an attempt by fearful local authorities to prevent harm to the island from over exposure to dance music – were causing disruption to several key parties, not least underground haven Circo Loco at DC-10.
Circo Loco, with its predilection for rugged tech-house courtesy of gifted residents including Davide Squillace, Luciano and Loco Dice, as well as ‘fan boy’ guests Pete Tong and Danny Tenaglia, can be viewed as something of a stylistic bellwether for the Ibiza of the Noughties. The club well reflected a trend across the island (and clubland) for deeper, more minimal 4-4, new generations of traveller feverishly supporting this punchy, credible culmination of the uptempo trance and house that had rocked before. Carl Cox and We Love... at Space, Sven Vath’s Cocoon at Amnesia and Pete Tong’s Pure Pacha (precursor to All Gone Pete Tong) at Pacha all pandered to a heavier house agenda. At the same time, Ibiza demonstrated more soulfully woven fayre via nights from Defected and Def Mix (also both at Pacha) but the island’s onus was firmly on rhythmic bite.
In last five years Ibiza has made further tech-tonic shifts – residencies from Marco Carola (Music On), Jamie Jones (Paradise), Richie Hawtin (ENTER), Loco Dice (Used + Abused), Luciano (Vagabundos) and Steve Lawler (VIVa Warriors) all pivoting on tech-house and techno. But rock and live bands have also made their mark, acknowledging a younger generation of fans raised on limitless streaming and downloading – this summer, for example, Ibiza Rocks (firmly settled in San Antonio) promises Spandau Ballet and The Libertines next to Skepta, De La Soul and Moda Black’s Jaymo and Andy George.
Ibiza, today, is a hugely complicated beast. It’s hard to make sense of; let alone connect it to that rich Balearic heritage of simple, counter-cultural, almost Pagan celebration. Many continue to argue that the island risks imminent ruin in allowing itself to divide between underground, live, EDM and VIP. That Alfredo-era veterans are revisiting Ibiza today with good jobs, young families and higher expectations of their surrounds, has prompted major council investment to maximise spend from this quarter and further strengthen the local economy. Today, you’re as likely to rave in your pants as quaff expensive champagne from the Michelin restaurant of an ultra-luxe hotel.
Ibiza does, however, continue to evolve. And, interestingly - very much perplexingly - it is finally coming full circle. Perhaps.... Of VIPs, Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay importantly reminds: “Ibiza has always had a VIP thing in one form or another.” Indeed, one might do well to reconsider the Eighties when headlines abounded following George Michael’s visits to Amnesia and star-studded events like Freddie Mercury’s outrageous 41th birthday at Pikes Hotel (now the similarly boutique Ibiza Rocks Hotel). Have things really changed so much?
Musically speaking, Ibiza is experiencing a resurgence of free (and rather good) beach parties in locales such as Salinas, Cala Nova, Cala Jonda and Bossa – pure Ibiza spirit. And then there are exciting new club residencies like Glitterbox at Space which has ripped up recent musical form on the island and fashioned its own clear agenda. Glitterbox is a bold concept which took time to bed in last year whilst debuting at Booom! The night promotes a timeless, soulful fusion of house and disco, at once reaching back to Ibiza’s glamorous past (aural, sexual and aesthetic release) and re-configuring it through lens of contemporary, cutting-edge club production. Anything goes - a simple mantra referencing and respecting simpler times on the island when all that was needed was good music (just ‘good’...) and good people. The night is a breath of fresh Balearic air.
Earlier this month Jose Padilla released his first solo album in 14 years. Last autumn, he returned to play Café del Mar after an absence of 15.The legendary Ibicenco has lived in Ibiza for nearly four decades now and remained cynical towards much of its musical revolution during that time. But here he is again making sweet White Isle sounds in a manner true to Ibiza’s earliest club roots and consistent with his own widespread success thereafter. “We played from 11pm to 6am so we had to play different styles...we had to keep the crowd going whatever we had” he reflects of his Nineties heyday. “That’s my roots. Even today I still do that.... That’s where Balearic came from.”
Ibiza’s music scene marches on and there is a sense, just maybe, that its broad revolutionary circle is closing – that amidst recent turbulence the island is close to achieving the absolute balance with which it first seduced the outside world. That, of course, is music full stop – action-packed cycles of trend and creativity. If Ibiza does come full circle, no doubt another revolution will be right behind it and we’ll all be there grinning every step of the way.
Words: Ben Lovett 
Defected In The House hosts The Terrace at Amnesia Ibiza every Tuesday throughout the season – click for full line-ups and tickets
Glitterbox is at Space Ibiza every Friday from 12 June - 25 September - full line-up details and tickets here
Defected presents The Opening Party 2015 is out now (digital) on Defected Records - order from iTunes
