25Y Cocoon Ibiza: Memories

[W_I_C]

Hello forum members and specifically Cocoon fans!
We'd love to hear from you. We did something similar last year specifically regarding after parties in relation to Sven's dates at Akasha, but this year we're opening it up to overall best Cocoon Ibiza memories. Please leave your favourite moments from 1999 to 2019 on this thread. There will be some cool prizes for our favourite post or posts

 

[Djsaltynuts]

Cocoon 20 Opening Party (I think!), Amnesia June '19

Very little recollection , was the first night of a mates 30th and after drinking from the morning flight through to this, I was somewhat inebriated

 

[Gemski_83]

I don't have any photos from my 2009-2015 visits but these from 2017, when we met KiNk in the crowd and he was the nicest guy ever

Had a few great nights on the Amnesia terrace... Except for in 2008 where we had a rollover from Space, went for a disco nap ahead of Cocoon but all woke up on Tuesday morning and missed the entire night

 

[W_I_C]

More news coming today

 

[W_I_C]

First names are out!

 

[dfade]

First names are out!

Rooooh RICHIE

 

[Chris Main]

Cocoon closing party 2016, day after space closing. Both amazing parties and didn’t stop dancing for 3 days solid. Trying to make it out for 528 in Sept…

 

[moe]

 

[dfade]

2019 closing afters at Benimussa. Great memories

 

[Browny]

Len faki - the octopus getting played at the jellyfish themed year

Had my first pic outside the amnesia bus before my first cocoon maybe 2011

Matthias kaden playing a blinder one year

peggy gou being absolute dog shite at the closing

 

[Robi3249]

My cocoon memories are all very old but some of the best.
First year 2000 and first full season they did after 4 test parties the previous year. Remember that they really went to town on visuals and decor which wasn't the norm in most clubs as they were obviously very nice anyway, a very different look. You only knew the line-ups once on the island as well by looking at flyers/posters and luckily Sven was on as didn't do all nights. Remember we were very much in the minority as brits with Manumission still in its pomp over the road. Also had to go the following week for Jeff Mills as well once we saw he was on. Not sure how we managed a two week stint that wasn't unusual then but pushed through.

We went again for the closing party in 2001, much harder music than the previous year and also went to the joint session at Space after that they did with Manumission. Sven was on the terrace there but way too hard really and retreated inside where he played the most banging set I've ever heard, until we could take no more about 4 in the afternoon and crawled out. He wasn't stopping though!

Last time I went was then 2003 when they had people walking around with massive paper cache heads of the DJ's (I hope). Incredible sets by Mr C, Marco Carola (when he was a proper DJ and producer see

and a full on proper (Frankfurt style) trance set by Sven until about 8.

Great days and shame I didn't get back for the proper afters mid 2000's etc

 

[elmooreo]

First visit will have been about 2009 I think...first came to Ibiza in 2005, and then again in 2007 but in those days it was all about Space Sundays (at least for our group) and we would fly home on the Monday. I distinctly remember speaking to a group of guys in the airport on the way home in 2007 - they had come straight to the aiport from DC10 and were waxing lyrical about Circoloco/Cocoon so I think we all made a mental note that next time we'd need to be around on a Monday. 2008 I didn't make it over - I was in the U.S that summer, but I remember going to one of the last Cocoon's in 2009 - will have been September and Villalobos on the terrace. For me, the first cocoons I went to I was more into that minimal sound with Villalobos and Raresh taking over the terrace...I had bought the "sound of the third season" Cd years before and the afters bit at the end was always my favourite section of the cd. I remember Butch - Quiet Storm, and Whirlpool Productions - Disco to Disco being big Villalobos records back then. Sven was still mainly playing the main room and I was more into the housier/minimal stuff. I used to like getting there early and catching someone less known warming up - it was always really cool with just a couple of hundred people in front of the terrace booth and seeing it gradually fill...I remember Tobi Neuman used to play good warm ups on the terrace. One that sticks out is Dixon - again terrace, must have been 2013/2014 and he was just hitting his peak...his set was filled with warm synths...sometimes it would verge on trance. The decor were these big fluorescent leaves and it was just incredible...David August - Epikur was a stand out from this set, and Sven used to play it a lot too. from then on I think we went to a couple a year almost always September or sometimes the closing. Sven would gradually play more in the terrace and his sound calmed a little...I remember Benoit and Sergio - Count the Ways being a big one for him in the terrace. The year of the big space closing we skipped Amnesia and just went to the after...it was at Benimussa and he played an amazing set - he stopped a few times to play some african tracks but he went right through his full repertoire including Aphex Twin - Windowlicker. There is a bit of a gap when the kids arrived, I missed the pacha/Hi years but I went to the last Amnesia closing. Peggy Gou wasn't great but Sven was just unstoppable that night, playing Funk D'Void - Diabla and Paul Jackson - The Push...also remember he played Kraftwerk - Numbers towards the end...It was a great night.

Edit..updated to include links to all the tracks mentioned!

 

[Browny]

First trip will have been about 2009 I think...first came to Ibiza in 2005, and then again in 2007 but in those days it was all about Space Sundays (at least for our group) and we would fly home on the Monday. I distinctly remember speaking to a group of guys in the airport on the way home in 2007 - they had come straight to the aiport from DC10 and were waxing lyrical about Circoloco/Cocoon so I think we all made a mental note that next time we'd need to be around on a Monday. 2008 I didn't make it over - I was in the U.S that summer, but I distinctly remember going to one of the last Cocoon's in 2009 - will have been September and Villalobos on the terrace. For me, the first cocoons I went to I was more into that minimal sound with Villalobos and Raresh taking over the terrace...I remember Butch - Quiet Storm, and Whirlpool Productions - Disco to Disco being big Villalobos records back then. Sven was still mainly playing the main room and I was more into the housier/minimal stuff. I used to like getting there early and catching someone less known warming up - it was always really cool with just a couple of hundred people in the terrace and seeing it gradually fill...I remember Tobi Neuman used to play good warm ups on the terrace. One that sticks out is Dixon - again terrace, must have been 2013/2014 and he was just hitting his peak...his set was filled with warm synths...sometimes it would verge on trance. The decor were these big fluorescent leaves and it was just incredible...from then on I think we went to a couple a year almost always September or sometimes the closing. Sven would gradually play more in the terrace and his sound calmed a little...I remember Benoit and Sergio - Count the Ways being a big one for him in the terrace. The year of the big space closing we skipped Amnesia and just went to the after...it was at Benimussa and he played an incredible set - often stopping and playing some african tracks but he went right through his full repertoire including Aphex Twin - Windowlicker. There is a bit of a gap when the kids arrived but I went to the last Amnesia closing. Peggy Gou wasn't great but Sven was just unstoppable that night, playing Funk D'Void - Diabla and Paul Jackson - The Push...also remember he played some Kraftwerk - Numbers...It was an incedible night.

Count the ways

 

[elmooreo]

Guesses at the rest of the line up?
Beyer for the seal pit? Dettman/Klock? Imagine it will be harder sound in that area?
Wouldn't be surprised to see Krystal Klear or Damiano Von Erkert in the main arena warming up for Sven?

 

[dfade]

30 May 2017

 

[Anselmi K]

My memories are very hazy. I don't remember exactly the year when I visited Cocoon for the first time, but let's say it's been more than 20 years. I visited maybe 4-5 times between 2001-2005. Sven's sound really opened up later, but that's a different story..

In the beginning of the 2000s, I was strongly involved, only in classic house, but I'm a good guy, so of course I went to see Sven with my friends because they asked me to join, even though the sound wasn't quite was to my taste. So, before Cocoon, I made sure at the pre-parties that I would definitely have a good time at Amnesia, and I kind of did. I was young and I didn't need money!

Like I said, the memories are hazy for this very reason, but I got the feeling that the atmosphere was always wild and I don't know if this really happened, or if I just imagined this, but was Sven hanging upside down from the balcony and the security guys tried to lift him up from there?

 

[stivi]

i genuinely don't even know where to start my friends!

 

[Hogimuzik]

i genuinely don't even know where to start my friends!

Expect the book out by Christmas

 

[Michael1982]

Expect the book out by Christmas

„Soooooooon“

 

[JB2008]

Just dug up this photo from after the 2007 closing, when the carryons had gotten too big to be public but still small enough to keep private and not get busted. There was a scavenger hunt-like setup where the passes were distributed at the club but you had to go to the church in Sant Llorenc to get directions revealing the final destination. Total carnage in the church parking lot. Overflowing with punters stuck there unable to get past that step. On the side of the church, someone quietly giving out directions to those who had passes from the club...invisible to the crosseyed masses just a few yards away.

Just getting to the church was a challenge, since no smart phones or Google Maps at the time. Driving through the countryside in the late morning, post-Amnesia, asking locals on the side of the road in our broken Spanish "donde esta la iglesia de San Lorenzo?" Ultimately we had to rely on a cartoon map printed on one of our beach towels. Probably entertaining to anyone who spotted us, towel/map stretched across the car, squinting and pointing in different directions.

IIRC that party was at a private residence, and did get shut down later in the day...it would be a few more years until Cocoon out of necessity switched to hosting the closing party afters at legit venues where anyone could attend. Those years from '07-'11 (ish) were so nice, when we could go super late at Amnesia and then straight to the beach or wherever...a stretch of closings that ended at the "old" Ushuaia; La Plage (de L'Elefant); and Sal Rossa. You could have a swim break in the ocean while still listening to Sven belt it out.

My personal favorite was 2009 closing at Atzaro. Beautiful stage set up in the orchard, sun setting, Sven pulling out mind benders like dOP - Genius of the Crowd and Warren Fellow & Michael Steinbach - Cosmic (Latest Mix). Think he also played Basti Pieper - I Love You that afternoon.