Ibiza email i just got...... have a read

[Mr Moo]

Im sure sum of u already get it!

 

 

With Sunday June 1st approaching, and with it the Space Opening Party - the unofficial-official launch of the Ibiza clubbing season – the vicious winter rumour mill of gossip, information, disinformation and plain lies that have been widely circulated as hard fact in reference to various major club promotions, venues and bars are coming to the end of their long pre-summer grind.

 

As the season gradually unfurls in late May and early June most of the messier stories will doubtless, as usual, prove to have been largely unfounded, having resulted from bluff and counter-bluff measures used during the annual club contract renegotiation process. Come the summer the islands programme of events tends to remain largely intact. In Ibiza anything can happen, including NOTHING whatsoever!

 

For example - after many years of gossip-mongering relating to a possible MINISTRY OF SOUND defection from their incredibly successful Friday night residency at PACHA, plus repeated winter stories that they HAD finally left - it emerged that the men from the Min had merely been nudged along to Thursday nights at Pacha, instead – though allegedly now run by Pacha itself, rather than the London club.

 

This is Pacha Ibiza’s 30th Anniversary Year, with many colourful show-driven spectaculars expected throughout the season. However, under Danny Whittle’s successful direction the club have now virtually completed a strategy whereby they’ve installed the worlds biggest House DJ superstars as hosts of their own individual weekly residencies – ROGER SANCHEZ on Mondays, DARREN EMERSON on Tuesdays, ERIC MORILLO on Wednesdays, PETE TONG on Fridays, DAVID

MORALES, FRANKIE KNUCKLES etc Saturdays.

 

Yes, that’s correct, PETE TONG every Friday… Tong played about half of Perfecto’s events at Pacha last summer on behalf of the largely unavailable Paul Oakenfold. His event is likely to be one of the cornerstones of the season, with just about every other DJ megastar appearing as his special guest – DANNY TENAGLIA is a likely island exclusive for example, CARL COX, LAURENT GARNIER, MAW’s LOUIE VEGA and so on. Tong’s personal drawing power alone guarantees success, regardless of guests of such high calibre.

 

Additionally Tong’s ESSENTIAL SELECTION (by far the most popular and influential UK club show on BBC RADIO ONE, plus its vast international audience via BBCi internet broadcast) will be broadcast live for 14 weeks from the recording studio above CAFÉ MAMBO – the islands most famous clubbers bar, on San Antonio’s mega popular SUNSET STRIP. With Tong apparently based permanently on the island for at least the eight height-of-season weeks of July and August it’s easy to conclude that the island is about to return to the centre of positive UK club scene media talk in 2003, following a couple of niggling ‘backlash’ years.

 

Back at Pacha, the Tong-Ministry shuffle has displacing the long-running MADE IN ITALY promotion, which, despite being amongst the longest running outside promotions on the island, has been forced out of the venue. They are now settled on Fridays at Amnesia, which isn’t a bad move at all actually!

 

Incidentally two of Made in Italy’s leading lights – art director ALESSANDRO GAETA and star DJ CLAUDIO COCOLLUTO – have acquired a club venue of their own on the nearby isle of Formentera (an otherwise club-bereft paradise). They intend a far more ‘original’ and genuine Balearic musical experience, with legendary Ibiza DJ PIPPI being one of their key residents.

 

Speaking of CAFÉ MAMBO all of Pacha’s star DJs are going to be playing at nightly pre-parties at the bar – making it the most incredible free DJ entertainment roster ever assembled. Additionally Space’s WE LOVE SUNDAYS @ SPACE (run by ex-Cream/Home mastermind Darren Hughes) is Mambo’s Sunday pre-party – though quite how that counts as a ‘pre’ when it will actually be running in parallel to that 22 hour marathon event I haven’t quite worked out.

 

Still on the all-important SUNSET STRIP, the classic CAFÉ DEL MAR is of course unchanged by time and trend after 23 years, however, it is wedged between the far more dynamic Mambo, plus Mambo’s enormous musical sister-act - SAVANNAH BEACH BAR. Savannah is planning a less superstar DJ driven series of entertainments this season, dropping major club pre-parties in preference for unique, self-contained, chilled and soulful musical happenings. For example STEVE MILLER/AFTERLIFE is going to put on a monthly event called THE AFTERLIFE LOUNGE, enticing chilled chums of the likes of LENNY IBIZARRE, PHIL MISON and Coldcut’s MATT BLACK and the like out to play. After three years wait Steve is finally about to release the follow up to Afterlife’s immense SIMPLICITY 2000 album – which was virtually the non-stop soundtrack to chilled Ibiza in 2000 and 2001. It’s out on his, and manager Hywel’s, new TIMELESS RECORDINGS imprint, and should be entitled ON THE INSIDE, available in August/September. For such a chilled guy Mr Miller has suddenly become hyperactive, with LUX (his project with collaborator James) also releasing a new album on Timeless, provisionally called GOLD SEAL. Steve’s time on the island is currently spent tucked away in LENNY IBIZARRE’s studio, near Benirras in the north, recording material for THEIR forthcoming SUNTWINS project. Meanwhile island chill-king Lenny’s own new solo album will be out on Warner’s very soon.

 

More chill thrills, as Radio One’s ROB DA BANK is also penned in for regular SUNDAY BEST events at SAVANNAH, with BOBBY & STEVE also seen weekly. Likewise MARK HILL (of Artful Dodger/Craig David etc fame) is likely to be seen there regularly, perhaps appearing with his numerous funky and soulful musical collaborators - Mark now produces his own – as well as a large number of international pop superstar’s – material at his studio on the south coast of the island.

 

Away from the main San An Sunset Strip seafront, the giant COASTLINE CAFE is now only HALF so giant, the co-owners having split the enormous complex’s twin building/bars and pool terraces neatly between themselves. They are now rival concerns, with the higher level area – formerly the restaurant - retaining the Coastline name, café-bar approach, musical policy and DJ staff, with a new DJ-driven interior. They have a theme called EARTH & FIRE which is reflected in the new décor. Pre-Parties include CLOCKWORK ORANGE (before Eden), LASHED (before Eden), CREAM (before Amnesia), DAVE PEARCE (before Eden), HED KANDI (before El Divino and JUDGE JULES (before Eden), so clearly nights are going to be quite raucous around the pools.

 

The lower section of the old Coastline will now be known as SUN SEA, and is clearly going to need an identity overhaul, with live music bar approach rumoured to be a big part of the plan, though it will also host many of Privilege’s pre-parties. The added competition is certain to make this an even more interesting location than before, especial with adjacent KANYA now also under the full ownership of the Coastline crew.

 

Amazingly KANYA is earmarked as the permanent location of an as-it-happens live reality TV broadcast on the new C24 satellite channel. It’s launched on June 2nd and is going to be in the style of Channel 4/E4’s THE SALON, apparently. 17 cameras will continually record the topless action at this most sexy of Ibiza musical pool/beach/sunset bars, with live broadcasts a few times each day, plus highlights from the continual recording. The concept has been dreamt up by CHRIS BROWN – who is involved in numerous major club promotions on the island – TONIC, DEJA VU and HED KANDI amongst them. His partner is ALEX P, the original Ebeefa Nutbag DJ (now semi-reformed as a TV exec!)

 

Last year a court victory finally solved a problematic name and logo trademark conflict in Spain, a situation that had caused major UK club promoters like GATECRASHER, GODS KITCHEN and CLOCKWORK ORANGE major distress during the 2000 Ibiza season. Gatecrasher were forced to trade under an unfamiliar GC title for their island debut that year, and consequently floundered, whilst the long-running Clockwork did likewise as Orange Summer Of Love. The legal victory has enabled both to prepare for a second Ibiza coming, with the Sheffield-based superclub occupying Tuesday nights at AMNESIA (ironically - allegedly – the club thought to be at the root of the whole trademark fiasco). Gatecrasher’s arrival spells the demise of Renaissance at the venue, with the Nottingham-based organisation now

preferring to stage a series of ‘one-offs’ on the island, including a few collaborations with the Tong night at Pacha.

 

The battering Hard House sound of GODS KITCHEN (which left Amnesia for San Antonio’s Eden two years ago), has moved on once more, with a few rumoured one-off specials, though probably none at all. Many rivals have rejoiced at the likely absence of the aggressively in-yer-face marketing tactics employed by GK over the past few years. Gods have been replaced at EDEN with the similarly energetic LASHED – a new major collaboration between LISA LASHES, ANNE SAVAGE and The Prodigy’s LEEROY THORNHILL. The event is crammed with further guests, endless label co-promotions and surprises galore. This is surely the biggest totally FRESH event of the season. Since coming up with the concept LASHED has launched as a UK night too, debuting at Blackpool’s vast new 4,500 capacity SYNDICATE venue (the old ABC cinema) at Easter.

 

Speaking of BIG, the islands largest and most successful event – the titanic MANUMISSION – is ten years old this year. Their lucrative three-year association with mobile phone giant ORANGE has ended, ironic really, because as Andy Manu said to me the other night, “for years we had this big sponsorship with a major communication company, but didn’t especially feel like communicating with the media. Now the deal has ended, just at a time when we are feeling much more talkative.”

 

Meanwhile over at BAR M (Manumissions San Antonio sunset bar), NANDO’S – the UK chicken restaurant chain - now have an outlet, providing the food!

 

Another club organisation celebrating their tenth anniversary in 2003 are CLOCKWORK ORANGE. They return to Ibiza (in collaboration form with THE GALLERY) for a mid-week slot at Eden, following their two-year break from the island. DJs of the calibre of FERGIE, the super sexy SISTER BLISS, TALL PAUL and BOY GEORGE are lined up.

 

Also at Eden, BBC Radio One’s DAVE PEARCE has swapped his EUPHORIA night from Saturdays to Fridays, thus lining up directly against Radio One colleague Pete Tong, over at Pacha in Ibiza Town. This has allowed Paul Taylor’s RETRO to slide over from Wednesdays in order to fill Dave’s vacated Saturday night slot. That has Retro going head-to-head against their former back room collaborators HED KANDI – who are new in at EL DIVINO.

 

The famous MARK DOYLE led quality compilation label have finally decided to launch their very own headline night following two years as support to both Retro and Miami in the Eden Funky Room. HED KANDI also have numerous promotion events at the new BASE BAR in Ibiza Town port, plus the ES VIVE hotel – both of which were promoted on compilation CDs by HK last year. Hed Kandi are in bullish mood following the soaraway success of their ongoing UK

club tours and nights at Pacha London.

 

Incidentally the hyper-connected BASE BAR has moved locations – just a hundred metres further up the Ibiza Town port front, to more spacious premises (formerly known as Sausalito - Space’s in-town restaurant). The original Base premises (adjacent to equally famous THE ROCK bar) is being renamed SPIN, intended as a more ‘cheap and chic’ idea, though still in the control of owner Jason Bull – the most charming, effective, walking-talking PR machine/bar host on the island.

 

Retro have helped out a number of people in their time, and Liverpool’s GARLANDS were one of them, After spending 2001 successfully hyping-up the backroom at Eden for Retro, then 2002 gifting the island club worker community a series of phenomenally popular and excessive free mega-parties, the happy scousers are moving in as a headline event at PIN UP, in Playa D’en Bossa on Tuesdays. They are guaranteeing cheap entry and drink prices, pre-parties at San An’s Kanya – with free buses across the island to Pin Up. The move will inevitably pit them directly against nearby BORA BORA and SPACE, both of whom, helped Garlands out last year by hosting parties.

 

The stakes are inevitably going to be raised in Playa D’en Bossa thanks to PIN UP’s arrival on the scene. A relatively low-key first season saw this revamping of the former adjacent indoor Konga and outdoor Hi Fi venues intent upon capturing the imagination of the influential hipster ‘island’ crowd. Being ideally located, adjacent to the beach, away from rival bars and apartment buildings, yet still central, Pin Up is showing all the signs of becoming THE place to be seen in 2003. At the end of last summer Monday evenings saw the pre-Manumission HONEY turn into a smash hit, and, with fresh involvement from the powerful organisation behind Barcelona’s classy Danzatoria and Salsitas clubs, plus the connections of Max of the trendy Es Vive hotel, Pin Up is destined to make a major splash as the monster-sized ‘credibility’ hype kicks in.

 

How PIN UP will effect BORA BORA, SPACE and DC10 remains to be seen. It could go either way, good or bad. By making Playa D’en Bossa an increasingly cool place to hang out the area should attract more clubbers, which will benefit all venues (the arrival of Bora Bora as a free beach club force in the late 90s merely served to boost the popularity of neighbouring Space, rather than diminish its impact). On the other hand an all-out promotion war could ensue, though a ‘friendship pact’ is rumoured to have been struck between at least two of the main rivals.

 

Huge Dutch festival organisation DANCE VALLEY (having spent two tough years at Amnesia) are returning to the island at PIN UP, following a season out, whilst DAVE SEAMAN’S progressive FOUR:FOUR is another rumoured to be on the

way now that its Monday residency at El Divino has lapsed. Dave may also be making regular appearances at Manumission – possibly in the back room - but then since Manu never bother to tell anyone who their guest DJs actually are… who will ever know? The only sure thing at Manu is that long-time residents ALFREDO, GRIFF, COLIN PETERS and JOHN KELLY will all return, as usual.

 

At Space, ALEX P & BRANDON BLOCK are returning for a second season at their increasingly popular TONIC ON THE TERRACE residency on Friday mornings, teaming up with gay-friendly SALVATION, who will take care of the dark pumping techno interior section. The Tonic event is also planned for live broadcast on the new C24 as an addition to its live BIG BROTHER-esque action over at Kanya.

 

CARL COX is also repeating his night time sessions at Space, though moving to Tuesdays this season. Other returnees to Space at CARRY ON, IN BED WITH SPACE, LA TROYA, MATINEE, LA COMUNIDAD and WE LOVE.

 

The seemingly unstoppable CREAM have secured TIESTO and PAUL VAN DYK as exclusive weekly residents at Amnesia again this year, with PAUL OAKENFOLD as a guest in August, when Oakey’s ongoing Heineken Thirst World Tour commitments take a short break. Oakenfold has, of course, vacated his Perfecto night at Pacha this year due to unavailability. At EL DIVINO a nice little line up is being compiled. DEFECTED, the Ministry of Sound related record label and night, are taking on Sundays, with SOUL HEAVEN moving on (possibly to some Sundays at Pacha). However, former Soul Heaven mainstays BOBBY & STEVE are remaining at El Div, slipping over for their own night on Fridays, whilst HED KANDI are tucked in on Saturdays of course.

 

One surprise sees SLINKY, having enjoyed a rather lukewarm introductory season at Es Paradis last summer, regrouping at the far larger PRIVILEGE (the ‘World’s biggest club’) on Fridays. They’ve dislodged Alex Gold’s trancetastic Xtravaganza from its familiar slot after three seasons. Slinky were allegedly hampered last summer by not having access to their familiar star DJ regulars, or even having hands-on control of the event, but the Bournemouth-based UK club organisation now feel better prepared for the task, with their regular superstars DJ roster penned in to appear this time around.

 

Away from the ‘cool and trendy’ club and bar scene… The tackier West End of San Antonio (those few narrow bar-lined streets that have provided virtually the whole of the tainted material for both series of Ibiza Uncovered, Reps and numerous other ‘as-it-pukes’ ‘reality TV programmes) has had a major club revamp. Formerly home to a number of clubs playing pumping, hi-tempo, underground contemporary club music, the main stretch has suddenly flipped to promoting something decidedly retro-tastic, baby. With SIMPLE SOUL CITY having gone for a 100% R&B policy last year - to great acclaim and success - another of the larger ‘serious’ clubs – NIGHTLIFE – has now been renamed STAR CLUB and is banging out a Top Of The Pops hit pop formula, including DJs on the mic. Likewise KREMLIN – for so long the home of darker Drum & Bass and UK Garage rhythms in the area – is now re-branded FUNKY FLARES – modelling itself as a close variation on the UK 70s-inspired club-bar chain. This sort of thing is huge in Ayia Napa, when a dozen or so clubs pump out party-retro themes every night of the week.

 

Of the West End clubs only PLAY 2 is out to retain its underground clubbing credibility – and how! In a major change of direction for themselves, and for the area, they are intending to emulate the major clubs, offering different promotions each night, with music themes covering Urban, Old Skool, Hard House, Trance and so on, but more spectacularly, doing so with major guest DJs. For example SLIPMATT, RATPACK & DOUGAL are around each week, plus guests like ALTERN-8, SHARP BOYS, TOMISLAV, LISA LOUD, GRAHAM GOLD, JOHN KELLY, PHATS & SMALL, EDDIE LOCK, ALEX P, BRANDON BLOCK, CHARLYS ANGELZ and much bigger still.

 

Ibiza… it’s never ever boring. So if you still haven´t bovvered yourself to book your break then get hold of those girls at Ibiza Hospitality on 08700 110034 (yes, they have a UK number now) and get yourself sorted.

 

[Guyster]

Yup, got that too mate....

 

No mention Viva Trance tho...