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Amnesia (nightclub)
Encyclopedia
Amnesia is one of several internationally renowned clubs
in Ibiza
due to Joseph Murphy who created Cream in 1996 and was awarded Best Global Club in the 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 International Dance Music Awards for the respective previous year at the Winter Music Conference
in Miami. The club is located close to the village of San Rafael
on the highway between Sant Antoni de Portmany
and Ibiza Town
and less than a kilometre apart from Privilege
, both among the island's most popular nightclubs. The club can pack more than 5,000 people on the dance floors. Amnesia was the first major outdoor club on the island. Today, the previously open-air terrace is closed, but light still floods in as sunrise approaches. Like Privilege, it is famous for its sunrise dance floor.
nightclub, created and founded by Joseph Murphy in 1996, in Liverpool
. It was the most talked about club in Europe, and also the hardest club to get into, with thousands being turned away every week, it is still one of the longest-running UK nights on the island. Joseph Murphy sold the brand in 1998 to Cream Uk.
Club Cocoon, promoted by the veteran DJ and producer, German Sven Väth
, is another popular night, taking the share of Monday's crowds since Manumission, for many years its biggest rival at Privilege
, moved to Fridays in 2006. Amnesia was also home to the famous club night La Troya Asesina night up until 2006, when it finally moved to Space
to end a long association with the venue.
One of the oldest clubs on the island (island legend Alfredo was a resident in the 80s, when it was open air and the haunt of celebrities in the days before thousands of clubbers flocked to the island every season) it opened in the 1970s, and survived closures and memorable summers alike before it finally cemented its position as one of the island's premier clubs in the early 90s.
bands playing and other facets of hippie culture taking place.
In May 1976, Antonio Escohotado, a young man born in Madrid and with a degree in philosophy, who had arrived on the island two years earlier to start a new life, signed a lease with the landlady for use of the premises and he chose the name for the discotheque he was going to establish: "The Workshop of Forgetfulness". He wanted to express that when people go out at night it is to forget their problems and indulge in an unknown world far away from ordinary routine. However, the next day he realized that the Greek word Amnesia contains it all.
Two years later, in 1978, Ginés Sánchez, a manufacturer from Madrid took over Amnesia and a decade filled with ups and downs began. Unexpected closings alternated with wonderful summers with capacity crowds in active competition with the other discothèques, such as Ku (now Privilege), Pacha
, Glory’s and Lola’s (the last two have long since closed).
In the 80s, a young Basque named Prontxio Izaguirre took over the running of Amnesia, and the music changed to dance music
, a mix between pop and funk
, and hip hop
. Freestyle mixing
was permitted and house
was about to take over. The Ibizencan discothèques introduced the magic of open rooftops. The original Balearic Beat
emerged spearheaded by legends like DJ Alfredo Fiorito and DJ Huggy MacPherson. On the night of June 22, 1991 Amnesia reopened under MFC management. It is at this time that the clubs of Ibiza began to gain international fame. In the mid nineties, Ezna Sands, one of the major influences within the UK Dance scene, was instrumental in the arrival of many UK promoters and labels, including Joe Murphy, onto the Balearic Island and into Amnesia specifically. This heralded a shift in the perception that the Island was simply a destination for 18-30 holiday makers, instead becoming the mecca for dance music enthusiasts the world over with Amnesia and Pacha, amongst others, leading the way.
Due to complaints from its neighbours, Amnesia had to cover its open-air dance floor. Even so, the club experienced massive expansion with the number of bars increasing from four to 16, and from a staff of 30 to more than 200 employees during the summer festivities. The staff now includes waiters, go-go dancers, security, light-jockeys, as well as office workers.
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
due to Joseph Murphy who created Cream in 1996 and was awarded Best Global Club in the 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 International Dance Music Awards for the respective previous year at the Winter Music Conference
Winter Music Conference
The Winter Music Conference is a weeklong electronic music conference, held every March since the mid-1980s in Miami, Florida, United States. Venues are hosted primarily in Downtown Miami and Miami's South Beach...
in Miami. The club is located close to the village of San Rafael
San Rafael, Ibiza
Sant Rafel de sa Creu is a village on the Spanish island of Ibiza. It is located off the main road which connects Ibiza Town and San Antonio and a short walk from two of the most famous Ibiza nightclubs, Amnesia and Privilege....
on the highway between Sant Antoni de Portmany
Sant Antoni de Portmany
Sant Antoni de Portmany is a town on the western coast of Ibiza. It is the second-largest town and municipality in Ibiza; an island described by Time Out magazine as "arguably the clubbing capital of the universe"...
and Ibiza Town
Ibiza Town
Ibiza Town is a city and municipality located on the southeast coast of the island of Ibiza in the Balearic Islands autonomous community. Although called Ibiza in English and Spanish, the official name is in Catalan Eivissa and its inhabitants call it Vila d'Eivissa or simply Vila...
and less than a kilometre apart from Privilege
Privilege Ibiza
Privilege Ibiza is the "world's largest nightclub" according to the Guinness Book of Records, with a capacity of 10,000 people. It is located not far from San Rafael, Ibiza, less than 1 km from the nightclub Amnesia. For fourteen years, Privilege hosted Manumission, one of the island's most famous...
, both among the island's most popular nightclubs. The club can pack more than 5,000 people on the dance floors. Amnesia was the first major outdoor club on the island. Today, the previously open-air terrace is closed, but light still floods in as sunrise approaches. Like Privilege, it is famous for its sunrise dance floor.
Events
Amnesia is currently run by the CreamCream (nightclub)
Cream, based at the Nation nightclub in Liverpool, is one of the best-known night clubs in the UK. Cream began life as a weekly house music night at Nation, and ran in this format for 10 years, from October 1992 to June 2002...
nightclub, created and founded by Joseph Murphy in 1996, in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. It was the most talked about club in Europe, and also the hardest club to get into, with thousands being turned away every week, it is still one of the longest-running UK nights on the island. Joseph Murphy sold the brand in 1998 to Cream Uk.
Club Cocoon, promoted by the veteran DJ and producer, German Sven Väth
Sven Väth
Sven Väth is a Frankfurt-based DJ who has produced an extensive range of work since his career began in 1982. From 1985, he was part of the band OFF which released the hit "Electrica Salsa" in 1986...
, is another popular night, taking the share of Monday's crowds since Manumission, for many years its biggest rival at Privilege
Privilege Ibiza
Privilege Ibiza is the "world's largest nightclub" according to the Guinness Book of Records, with a capacity of 10,000 people. It is located not far from San Rafael, Ibiza, less than 1 km from the nightclub Amnesia. For fourteen years, Privilege hosted Manumission, one of the island's most famous...
, moved to Fridays in 2006. Amnesia was also home to the famous club night La Troya Asesina night up until 2006, when it finally moved to Space
Space (Ibiza nightclub)
Space is a nightclub on Ibizaowned bi STANCA. It was awarded "Best Global Club" at the International Dance Music Awards in 2005 and again in 2006...
to end a long association with the venue.
One of the oldest clubs on the island (island legend Alfredo was a resident in the 80s, when it was open air and the haunt of celebrities in the days before thousands of clubbers flocked to the island every season) it opened in the 1970s, and survived closures and memorable summers alike before it finally cemented its position as one of the island's premier clubs in the early 90s.
History
The history of Amnesia really began in April 1970, when the Planells family who had inhabited the house for five generations decided to move in to town and sell their finca (country house) to a widow from an aristocratic background. Ibiza, which had become a destination for tourism already in the fifties, was at that time a hive for counterculture and idealists and the building that was to become Amnesia turned into a meeting point with hippieHippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
bands playing and other facets of hippie culture taking place.
In May 1976, Antonio Escohotado, a young man born in Madrid and with a degree in philosophy, who had arrived on the island two years earlier to start a new life, signed a lease with the landlady for use of the premises and he chose the name for the discotheque he was going to establish: "The Workshop of Forgetfulness". He wanted to express that when people go out at night it is to forget their problems and indulge in an unknown world far away from ordinary routine. However, the next day he realized that the Greek word Amnesia contains it all.
Two years later, in 1978, Ginés Sánchez, a manufacturer from Madrid took over Amnesia and a decade filled with ups and downs began. Unexpected closings alternated with wonderful summers with capacity crowds in active competition with the other discothèques, such as Ku (now Privilege), Pacha
Pacha
Pacha is a nightclub franchise with headquarters in Ibiza, Spain. The first Pacha club was opened in Sitges outside Barcelona in 1967. The Ibiza club, located in Ibiza Town, is the best known venue today. During 2009 Pacha acquired El Divino, near the marina of Ibiza la Nueva, which will be...
, Glory’s and Lola’s (the last two have long since closed).
In the 80s, a young Basque named Prontxio Izaguirre took over the running of Amnesia, and the music changed to dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, a mix between pop and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, and hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
. Freestyle mixing
DJ mix
A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically mixed together to appear as one continuous track. When a DJ mix or DJ mixset is recorded onto some medium, it is often referred to as a mix tape...
was permitted and house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
was about to take over. The Ibizencan discothèques introduced the magic of open rooftops. The original Balearic Beat
Balearic Beat
Balearic Beat or either Balearic House and Balearic Trance is an eclectic blend of DJed dance music that originally emerged in the mid-1980s. It later became the name of a more specific style of electronic dance music that was popular into the mid-1990s...
emerged spearheaded by legends like DJ Alfredo Fiorito and DJ Huggy MacPherson. On the night of June 22, 1991 Amnesia reopened under MFC management. It is at this time that the clubs of Ibiza began to gain international fame. In the mid nineties, Ezna Sands, one of the major influences within the UK Dance scene, was instrumental in the arrival of many UK promoters and labels, including Joe Murphy, onto the Balearic Island and into Amnesia specifically. This heralded a shift in the perception that the Island was simply a destination for 18-30 holiday makers, instead becoming the mecca for dance music enthusiasts the world over with Amnesia and Pacha, amongst others, leading the way.
Due to complaints from its neighbours, Amnesia had to cover its open-air dance floor. Even so, the club experienced massive expansion with the number of bars increasing from four to 16, and from a staff of 30 to more than 200 employees during the summer festivities. The staff now includes waiters, go-go dancers, security, light-jockeys, as well as office workers.