Who made Ibiza?

nickclayton

Active Member
I know this sounds a bizarre question, but I can’t think of another way phrasing it.

I'm a journalist dreaming of Ibiza sun on a miserable Scottish November night. Last summer I managed to write a big piece for The Scotsman about the joys of being a middle-aged clubber which I enjoyed doing, even though the trip cost me more than I earned. Now I’m trying to think of angles so that I can get back next year.

One thing that intrigues me is the way that the island has gone from being the poorest part of Spain to the wealthiest in about 30 years. There must be quite a few people around who’ve been on the island for a considerable proportion of that time and contributed to the change. I’m thinking about people like Tony Pike and John Moon who were around years before Ibiza became the island of dance.

I know vaguely that a lot of the clubs grew out of the whole hippy/traveller scene, but it would be interesting to know more. Anybody got any suggestions of who would be good to talk to?
 
I know what you mean, but things had started to happen before 1987. Even quite a few of the clubs were already there then. What I'm interested in is the people who've been there even longer.
 
:: Es Paradis Terrenal officially opened the summer of 1975
:: Since June 1973 Pacha is cosmopolitan, flamboyant, effortlessly stylish and more
:: Privilege (Ku) was in 1978 a mini disco with a capacity of 125


so the HISTORY OF IBIZA goes way back in time
 
I saw your article in The Scotsman, Nick and thought it was absolutely fantastic! I think I posted the link to it on the board as well.
 
If you're on about who made it into the clubbing mecca it is today see my signature courtesy of that nice man Mike Skinner ;)

Have you read Wayne Anthony - Class of 88 or Sex, Drugs and Excess in Ibiza, both have got a nice chapter of what happened when 4 cockney geezers went to Ibiza and tried esctasy for the first time in Nightlife of all places :eek: :p

And the rest they say is history ;)
 
i'm not quite sure why you call it dance island - let's face it only a minority of its visitors come for that reason and for 10/12 weeks of the year. talk about poetic license.

why don't you come here right now and do an article about it?
 
I'm trying to remember which magazine I had read a 4 page spread on Ibiza and the people who have been there before it became what it was....It was a very good article......talked about it's up and rising into what it is today and what it used to be like before.....Ohh that's going to bother me until I find that mag!!! I probably don't even have it anymore... So I really am of no help what so ever!! :(
 
nickclayton said:
I know this sounds a bizarre question, but I can’t think of another way phrasing it.

I'm a journalist dreaming of Ibiza sun on a miserable Scottish November night. Last summer I managed to write a big piece for The Scotsman about the joys of being a middle-aged clubber which I enjoyed doing, even though the trip cost me more than I earned. Now I’m trying to think of angles so that I can get back next year.

One thing that intrigues me is the way that the island has gone from being the poorest part of Spain to the wealthiest in about 30 years. There must be quite a few people around who’ve been on the island for a considerable proportion of that time and contributed to the change. I’m thinking about people like Tony Pike and John Moon who were around years before Ibiza became the island of dance.

I know vaguely that a lot of the clubs grew out of the whole hippy/traveller scene, but it would be interesting to know more. Anybody got any suggestions of who would be good to talk to?

This can sound annoying for the local people, as Ibiza and her name exist centuries before the dance scene. Who made Ibiza? The local ancestors.
 
TigerVlc said:
This can sound annoying for the local people, as Ibiza and her name exist centuries before the dance scene. Who made Ibiza? The local ancestors.

I agree completely. Ibiza has always been an amazingly tolerant place. For example, many Jews came to island over 500 years ago to escape persecution on the Spanish mainland during the Inquisition. Ibiza had the first openly gay club in Spain. Jazz musicians came to the island in the 1950s and 1960s to get away from racism, particularly in the US.

But I am not trying to write the entire history of the island, just wanting to look at some of the massive changes that have happened in the last 30 years and, more importantly, talk to some of the people who have been directly involved. This is certainly not just the dance scene, although it shares common roots with other aspects of the island. Ibiza has an amazing number of artists and it is regarded as the yoga capital of Europe. Those hippies may have a lot to answer for.

Seriously, in many countries the most dynamic people and communities are immigrants. In America's Silicon Valley, for instance, you'll find an amazing proportion of the businesses are run by people born in India. The native Californians are out surfing or smoking dope in the sun. Lucky whatsits.

The people I want to meet and interview, hopefully, are those that have been around for a while and helped to create what's sometimes called the "New Ibiza". I don't care what nationality they are, although I'd struggle to carry out an interview in anything other than my native English. But there are always interpreters.

i'm not quite sure why you call it dance island - let's face it only a minority of its visitors come for that reason and for 10/12 weeks of the year. talk about poetic license.

why don't you come here right now and do an article about it?

I'm working on it. The trouble is that getting from Scotland to Ibiza is time-consuming and expensive outside the season - three flights or two flights and a ferry. But I'd love to see what Ibiza's like without tourists.

I saw your article in The Scotsman, Nick and thought it was absolutely fantastic! I think I posted the link to it on the board as well.

Thanks for that :oops: :D
 
Re:

Hi Nightout here.
Well Ibiza really rotates around the History of the a magical place it self.

I guess they got bored and thought off music. Know look at it today....

Yours sincerely

M.P.NICOL
:arrow: :) :twisted: :idea:
 
Ibiza-girlie said:
interesting, I hope the article Justified Ibiza in every way

Yeah it was really good, very funny too. Nice to see that sort of thing in The Scotsman!
 
:D There is a book (I think it's called a Photo History of Ibiza?) that gives a bit of History. I have it at home and will look it out.

It would be good to hear about all the guys that came over after the Vietnam War to escape from that type of life and kick started the Hippie movement in Ibiza.

A bit on the Orange Juice Man of Ibiza would be good.

I have so many mad tales over the years, that I have always said I would write a book. Think I will start it this weekend..........! :D
 
nick if you seriously want to research some history then try the blay newsagents and stationers in san antonio opposite the market. they still have ibiza style/society/guide magazines on the shelves from the 80's with loads of photos from the period - grace jones, nina hagen, boy george, roman polanski etc etc. and also loads of adverts for long disappeared places - piano bars and the like.
 
I've never been into that newsagents. It does sound as if it's got some intersting material. It would still be good to talk to some people, not just stars and celebs.
 
why not try gary hardy?

an unassuming bloke who's probably responsible for a great deal of what the island is today (i think)
 
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