The policia local sealed DC10 just before it was due to open yesterday. According to the diario de ibiza because san jose council had closed space early it was fearing a large influx to DC10. The council also upheld the 300,000 euro fine and the year closure.

According to a reliable source today, DC10 are on the verge of getting a licence for a 1000 person capacity…

August in Ibiza means one thing: clubs, clubs, clubs. It’s the month of blazing sunshine, beautiful people and parties that roll into the wee hours of the morning.

Make no mistake, the Ibicenco economy is close-hitched to the success of its clubs. The Diario de Ibiza recently reported on a survey which showed nine out of 10 British tourists come to Ibiza specifically for the nightlife. So, how are we doing?

At Amnesia their highlight events are going strong. Cocoon’s Monday night party is pulling a huge international crowd, its
usual popularity given an extra boost by the closure of DC10. The price of their “friends & family” concession guest-list tickets has shot up from €20 to €30 so it’s a safe bet anyone involved in this techno powerhouse will be laughing all the way to the bank this autumn.

Thursday night’s ‘Cream’ party is perennially popular with the British market and despite the economic hardships they
are still pulling full houses on the strength of their heavy duty DJs like Paul Van Dyk, Sasha and Ferry Corstan. Also wooing the trance crowd is Armin’s Tuesday night ‘Armada’ with guests like Sharam from Deep Dish and Laidback Luke.

However, another Brit standby, ‘Manumission’ (Fridays) has struggled to cope with heavy competition from Madrileno night ‘SuperMartXe’ which has been filling Privilege to capacity thanks to a canny mix of competitive door-pricing and mind-blowing production.

It seems Privilege has realised that its strength lies in making the most of its vast space as the other big night is Tiesto’s ‘In Search Of Sunrise’ party every Monday. Eager kids (mostly British, Dutch and German) are happily shelling out €60 or more for a peek at Tijs’ staggering, rock’n'roll style audio-visual trance extravaganza.

Filling out
the roster of big hitters at Privilege are two nights of techno: ‘Meganite’ and ‘Monza’.

The former has found success with a mix of classic tough techno and live acts, while ‘Monza’ is making a strong showing with its Berlin-orientated line-ups (Magda, M.A.N.D.Y. and Guido Schneider among others).

It’s not all smiles though, as local
favourite ‘La Communidad’ – which moved to Saturdays at the World’s Biggest Club after losing its Friday nights at Space – flopped and was quickly replaced by a new night called ‘Soldiers’.

Space, having ruthlessly culled its promoter roster after losing half its opening hours to new laws has still sometimes struggled to fill its six rooms. ‘Carl Cox and Friends’ is having another fantastic season, and long-running gay night ‘La Troya’ (Wednesday) is still packing them in despite squabbles with authorities over their colourful parades and artwork.

Danny Tenaglia’s first Ibiza residency, ‘Be’ on Thursdays has wooed fans of classic house but faces tough competition from its glamorous opposite ‘F*** Me I’m Famous’, fronted by Cathy & David Guetta at Pacha. In any case, Space’s undisputed flagship is still ‘We Love Sundays’, which pulled crowds and column inches with the return of the Chemical Brothers to Ibiza for the first time in 14 years (for a reported six-figure fee).

Other island big spenders include Eden, which has been rewarded for splashing the cash on Pete Tong with his muchtalked-
about ‘Wonderland’ party on Fridays. Along with Brit faves like Groove Armada and Rob Marmot the night has brought the
likes of Tania Vulcano and Deadmau5 to San An for the first time.

Tuesday night’s ‘Koolwaters’ party has kept Eden jumping with a mix of breaks and electro. Night-by-night, Eden is probably the most eclectic club on the island with events for garage (Twice As Nice), hard house (Advanced Vs Tidy), house (Garlands Vs The Hacienda) and electronica (Mondo Loco). Though it is still easy to get free or reduced entry to most nights, a sure sign they’re working to pull in the punters, the club has maintained a good atmosphere and Judgement Sundays is still hugely popular with the San An crowd.

Also flying the flag for San An eclecticism, Es Paradis has a mix of classic and new nights. Its flagship ‘Fiesta del Agua’ has expanded to two nights a week (Thursdays and Saturdays) and is the biggest pull with local youngsters. Their ‘Bassline Vs Garage’ night angles to grab some of the urban crowd away from ‘Twice As Nice’ while ‘Clubland’ woos fans of commercial house and trance.

Possibly the most interesting night is Wednesday’s ‘Rogue DJs’ party which brings DJ sets from bands like Utah
Saints, The Subways and The Mystery Jets.

Meanwhile, the glamorous Ibiza Town clubs are still locked in a fierce rivalry. Louie Vega’s ‘Soul Heaven’ night at El Divino has taken the club back to pure house music with lots of live PAs and support from the likes of Erick Morillo (whose Wednesday night ‘Subliminal’ party at Pacha has been a bit quieter than previous seasons), while its busiest night remains Saturday’s ‘Hed Kandi’ party – a firm favourite of the stylish British crowd.

Competing
for their cut of the pie are ‘Fashion TV’ & ‘Miss Moneypenny’s’ on the Friday, Tuesday’s ‘Salvacion’ bash, house heavy hitters ‘Kinky Malinki vs Kidology’ (Thursday) and ‘Mn2S’ (Monday).

Minutes away is Pacha, which has stuck with a tried and tested line-up for summer 2008, beginning with Roger Sanchez’s ‘Release Yourself’ party on Monday (which started at El Divino, some years back). According to insiders the focus on traditional US house has given the club a long-in-the-tooth feel, with staples like ‘Def Mix’ (Saturday) and ‘Defected’ (Tuesday) relying too heavily on older acts.

Undoubtedly the most exciting night of the week is Friday’s ‘Pure Pacha’ which responded to Tong’s move to Eden by booking some of the biggest names in dance: Sander Kleinenberg, the Swedish House Mafia, Basement Jaxx and Faithless. The new acts have energised the night. “The atmosphere is brilliant and our guest-lists are full till September,” reports press manager Jasmine Elias.

Overall, it seems the club scene has stratified. The biggest, longest-running nights are as packed as ever with loyal fans.
However, less established parties are struggling as clubbers economise by making safe choices rather than exploring new
events. Numbers for the season may look roughly similar, across the board, but the true story is of a handful of big successes and a host of strugglers.

Of course, Ibiza has almost lost one of its most renowned clubs entirely – DC10. For the full story on the rise and fall of this underground institution see DC10 – club closure?.

By Cila Warncke

The Spanish authorities have ordered the closure of DC10, Ibiza’s most iconic underground club, for one year and imposed a e 300,000 fine on the club, on the back of a 57 day closure order spanning June to August.

DC10 is Ibiza’s Studio 54, its Paradise Garage. Every Monday beneath the searing blue Mediterranean sky a gaggle of outrageously dressed clubbers, babbling enthusiastically in a dozen languages, strut through the dusty car park and into Circoloco – Ibiza’s last truly eccentric party.

Ten years ago when Italian promoter Andrea Pellino and his business partner founded Circoloco at DC10 it seemed doomed to swift obscurity. The club lies a few hundred metres shy of the airport runway, between a marrow patch and a corral. It was dark and dirty inside. The outdoor terrace was open to the heavens.

The soundsystem was “terrible” according to resident DJ Tania Vulcano (who, in the first year, would go to work in the marina after playing her set, record bag slung over her shoulder.) Most of all, no one believed people would turn out to go clubbing on a Monday morning.

The sceptics were wrong. Party people came in droves and DC10 became an adjective used to describe cutting edge music and fashion. The club is a little more refined these days (though they only upgraded the grubby toilets last year and air conditioning came as a welcome novelty this season) but its gritty, no-frills atmosphere remains a beloved part of its peculiar charm.

There is no fancy decor, no laser shows, no ice cannon, no heavy handed promotion, no podium dancers, no billboards, no extortionate drinks prices, no VIP area. Just four walls, a deafening sound system and music you won’t hear anywhere else.

The party is a Petri dish for underground electronic music culture. Instead of paying huge fees to big-name jocks Circoloco seeks out and cultivates young talent. It has boosted Tania Vulcano, Luciano, Loco Dice and Rhadoo to the DJ A-list and spread the fame of cult heroes like Dan Ghenacia, Guido Schneider, Jamie Jones and Davide Squillace.

Like the punters, the DJs come from all corners of the globe – Germany, Uruguay, Spain, Italy, France, Rumania, the UK and the US – a merry, polyglot muddle drawn together by a mutual passion for music.

On the dancefloor party kids sport satin shorts and boxing boots, tight waistcoats, brightly hued harem pants, bikinis, sunglasses the size of satellite dishes, tattoos that snake up spines or wrap around bronzed arms, studded lips, tongues, noses and nipples. DC10 is part catwalk, part Camden Market, part fetish, part fancy dress – and wholly reminiscent of the wildly colourful heyday of New York’s club scene. (Jade Jagger riding across the dancefloor, naked, on a white horse would hardly raise a murmur.)

DC10 is pure escapism, a playground for grown-ups soundtracked by the hippest DJs on the planet. Yet the Spanish government seems intent on quashing this carnival. After a blinding opening party (the best in years, according to many regulars) and two more happy Mondays the Spanish government ruled (based on a three year-old drugs complaint made by the Guardia Civil) that DC10 would have to shut for the 57 “remaining” days of the 60 day closure ordered at the beginning of summer 2007 – even though the club was shut for 20 days last summer.

Government concern over illegal drugs is perfectly understandable, but this draconian move surprised even the most shock-proof island insiders. After all, DC10 has a strict security staff, often augmented by a team of Guardia Civil performing rigorous searches and the club installed CCTV cameras to better police the interior. Not to mention that drugs can be found in any club in Ibiza – or London, or anywhere – if you go looking hard enough.

In an interview, Circoloco promoter Andrea Pellino voiced his frustration: “I cooperated, I tried to do everything the government asked…. The situation is crazy. Circoloco started a movement in Ibiza. We brought the underground people together. I’ve put 100% of my heart into this club and I’m going to fight for it.” Pellino adds he won’t consider moving the iconic party elsewhere: “Circo Loco was born in DC10 and it’s not going to another club, never, ever. If DC10 is closed Circoloco is closed.”

Just as the club prepared to celebrate its reopening party the Diario de Ibiza published news that the club has been hit with a one year closure order and the maximum legal allowable fine because it is improperly licensed. Apparently, the club’s existing bar license only allows for 68 patrons on the premises.

Clearly, this is a ridiculous number, given the status of the club, but one can only speculate as to why one of Ibiza’s most popular discos doesn’t have a proper license. Would the owner have genuinely
been so reckless as to ignore the licensing laws for nearly a decade? Or is it the case that applications for a proper discotheque license have been refused or simply lost in a beauracratic wasteland?

Speculation about the decision is the hottest topic of island and internet gossip, as can be seen from dozens of angry comments on internet forums. “This is another step towards turning Ibiza into the golf resort concept that the government favours,” is one. Another, “The government is always facing the negative side of the medal. It’s always about drugs… those clubs are a reason for people all over the world to come to the island.” An online petition protesting the ruling is rapidly gathering signatures www.ipetitions.com/petition/DC10

Noctambula, in Sa Penya in Ibiza Town, is the spiritual home of the island’s techno loving Italian massive (the DC10 DJs regularly drop by for a few drinks, or to spin some tunes before a night out) and the mood is decidedly downbeat. “A lot of people were waiting for DC10 to reopen,” remarks Steve, Noctambula’s resident cocktail wizard, who normally works the door at DC10 on a Monday.

Clive Henry, resident DJ for Circoloco is pessimistic. “I have loads of friends who cancelled their holidays [to Ibiza] because DC10 was shut. What happens now?”

That is the question on everyone’s lips, and for many the answer is nothing to celebrate. “DC10 is finished,” opines Guy Hornsby, a DJ/producer who’s been visiting DC10 religiously for the last six years. “Once they’ve shut it they’ll keep finding reasons to keep it shut. It’ll never get a license now.”

Only time will tell if Hornsby’s glum prediction is correct, but what is certain is Ibiza – and club land – stands to lose a cherished institution. Resident DJ Luciano is dismayed: “It’s like the f**king politicians are trying to break down one of the last bits of paradise on earth,” he says. Meanwhile, beneath the cobalt blue sky, at the end of a runway, DC10 lies silent, hovering between hope and history.

By Cila Warncke

A friend, Nick, went to the after hours protest in Ibiza town yesterday evening and sent us this short account:

Basically, about 8pm an assorted ragbag of hardcore (ie ageing ;-}) clubbers, queens and hippies headed off from Vara de Rey chanting “Libertad”. (It took some time for a chant which could be agreed on to emerge.)

The crowd then traipsed round sitting down at various road junctions accompanied by the honking of car horns. This may have been seen as support although it was rush hour… The demo was also joined by a car with a stereo only slightly less powerful than Amnesia’s. This gave everybody an excuse to jump around and perhaps provide justification for the authorities’ actions.

The local police made a half-hearted attempt to clear people from the road. But the Guardia Civil didn’t show, at least while I was there. And that was it really.

According to this mornings Diario de Ibiza – there were roughly a maximum of 300 people…

Desperately bored on a flight to London, I actually started reading those bits at the back of the EasyJet in-flight magazine which offer information and recommendation about their various destinations (and which I suspect only the terminally uninterested ever read). I expected to learn stuff that will probably never be of any use to me, i.e., that Wagner composed Parsifal in the Grand Hotel in Palermo and that it takes half an hour to get from Orly airport to central Paris by train.

I didn’t expect the advice in the Palma entry which reads: “If you still have some energy to burn after leaving Palma’s clubs at 6am, why not hop on the fast ferry at 8am to the neighbouring isle of Ibiza? You can then take a short taxi ride and experience one of the world’s best clubs, Space, open all day.”

Clearly news of the new after-hours restrictions hasn’t drifted as far as the ears of EasyJet correspondent David Anderson. More to the point, do you think news has drifted to the ears of the Ibicenco government that it was the glorious fun of daytime parties like Space, DC10 and Bora Bora that made Ibiza famous? And that for many visitors they were the whole point of a trip here?

Last month in Ibiza NOW we reported on the International Music Summit and the eternal strife that seems to exist between the established ‘superclubs’ and the rest of the music and party organisers on the island. Since then DC 10 and
Kumharas have subsequently been shut down, so those in power would appear to have won. But have they…?

Reports are now beginning to filter through of alternative events that some at the conference predicted would occur. Their predictions anticipated a market that will develop over the summer involving 4 x 4 police chases into the depths of the campo.

It would appear that a rethink might be in order…

This report came in recently in response to concern expressed by foreign observers at the conference. They were worried that Ibiza’s previously tolerant and welcoming attitude to foreigners had been crushed. We felt this report worthy of
publication to illustrate the fact that the island’s spirit will not be crushed.

Interestingly, the majority of the participants were residents and almost exclusively Spanish. The party clampdown is not being fought by Italians, or any other organised group of foreigners. These are the legislator’s own children… Is anyone
surprised?

The venue was in Ibiza Town, but to be honest from the outside you would never have guessed it was a club. It was only the two meat-heads standing outside a door that gave it away. We were charged 5 euros to get in and were then led down some stairs through a series of blankets which were doubling up as makeshift soundproofing. Very old-school.

The club was in a dark, musky basement and was already very busy with a predominantly young Spanish crowd even though it was not long past kicking out time at the big clubs.

The fug of marijuana smoke was as unmistakable as it was overpowering and people were openly taking drugs – well, I’m no chemist, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t sherbet dib-dab they were snorting off the tables that’s for sure. The walls were wet with condensation and a DJ was playing dark minimal house which suited the surroundings perfectly, but it wasn’t quite loud enough to dance to (they obviously didn’t trust the makeshift soundproofing).

There was a bar selling reasonably priced drinks and the crowd in there were smiley and relaxed – very relaxed actually. Basically the whole experience was as far away from the big clubs as you can get. These parties are obviously in their infancy and the low volume of the music did reduce the atmosphere to little more than an after-hours bar than a proper rave. But I could tell kids in there were getting off on the fact it was illegal, they seemed excited just being part of it. I’m sure that eventually they’ll get braver and start turning the sound up which will give it the atmosphere the punters were looking for.

I didn’t stick around for very long – it was just my curiosity that had taken me there in the first place – but I’m sure that more and more of these parties are going to start popping up around the island. And maybe the music might get so loud that the politicians might even start hearing it.

Please don’t ask where this venue is…

The Diario this morning reported that the Island council is going to propose that the all the clubs will have to close at 6am (as normal) but not open until 4.30pm – (which basically only affects DC10 & Space). However they’ve said that the boroughs can allow the clubs extensions/exemptions if its between May 25th & June 5th and 1st – 15th October. This is obviously trying to get the clubs to extend their season…

What is strange is that there a couple of music bars who are openly advertising that they are “after hours” – ie they open at 7am…

Josep Mari Ribas

At a meeting last night San Jose passed the legislation to ban after hours from 6am to 12 noon. They dismissed arguments by the clubs and although 8 P.P. councillers abstained the laws were passed and fines set to a maximum of 600,000 euros for “serious” offences. The major, Josep Mari Ribas also said that the rules were designed to be the same as neighbouring San Antonio but there could be small adjustments if needed by the council and that it would allow [clubs] to apply for exceptions for certain days. We guess Space for example could apply to open all day for New Years day…

The festive season is a distant memory now for those embroiled in the business of a long cold winter north of the Alps. So now attention turns to that glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel – summer holidays.

T.V. advertising is now awash with waves lapping beaches decorated with bikini clad revellers frolicking in the sun. The time has come to book a summer holiday, and the tourist boards from resorts all around the Med are setting out their promotional stalls. It is also the time of year when news gets a bit thin on the ground. Journalists have to dig a little deeper into their resources, or imagination, to come up with something that the ‘editor’ might find print worthy.

So, neatly combining these two facts, the international press have once again seized upon the imminent demise of Ibiza as a holiday destination with headlines like “The Party’s over”. The logic behind writing off Ibiza this year stems from the decision of San Jose municipality to fall into line with the rest of the island’s municipalities by insisting that its clubs close at 6 in the morning.

This has been the case for some time for the rest of the island and for all but one of the big clubs – Space.
The only other notable venue affected will be DC10, but that has more or less revolved around a dozen or so Monday mornings each summer. Consequently it seems a little odd to vilify, for alleged noise nuisance, a venue in the middle of a field on the far side of the airport runway.

The consensus of opinion, amongst the majority of those who should know, is that the negative effect on island tourism is unlikely to be huge. As regards Space, it has capitalized upon being voted the ‘best night club on the planet’ by prudently investing and expanding to cater for the various ‘Carry-on’ parties and other events that have enabled it to stay open almost around the clock. Their business will be affected, as will the livelihoods of their daytime promoters fighting for slots in the most exclusive clubbing market in the world, but don’t expect Space to file for bankruptcy any time soon…

Turning to the thousands of clubbers who’ll change their holiday plans if they’re not allowed to party between 6 in the morning and lunchtime – most of us probably won’t notice their absence. In actual fact, they’ll be struggling to find anywhere else in Europe offering ‘after-hours’ parties, so they might as well pass those morning hours waiting for the clubs to re-open at one of the islands’ hundred plus beaches for a change?

If, however, the island authorities’ assertion that the people who attend after-hours parties are undesirables and cause problems, what are their contingency plans if these people still turn up?

They won’t be confined to two easily controlled clubs in the southern corner of the island – they’ll be everywhere else… One does wonder what constructive observations were put forward by the islands’ police, to proposals that will likely see them running around the island breaking up illegal hill and beach parties when they’re already understaffed and struggling to keep on top of petty crime. The ambulance authorities certainly aren’t amused by the prospect of attending to drug casualties in homes spread across the island, rather than at one or two clubs with security and medical officers in house. All in all it promises to be another interesting summer on Ibiza.

Expect to see further growth in the burgeoning private villa party sector, which the police have no power to stop…

(This article appears in February’s Ibiza Now Magazine – tomorrow…)

Just because we like it we’re putting this piccy up: