Amnesia (nightclub)

Amnesia is one of several internationally renowned clubs in Ibiza. It opened in 1976; the venue was awarded Best Global Club in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 at the IDMA Awards in Miami.^[1][2][3] The club is located close to the village of San Rafael on the highway between Sant Antoni de Portmany and Ibiza Town.^[4]

Amnesia

Crowd on the Amnesia Terrace in 2012
Location	San Rafael, Ibiza
Coordinates	38°56′52″N 1°24′29″E / 38.94778°N 1.40806°E / 38.94778; 1.40806Coordinates: 38°56′52″N 1°24′29″E / 38.94778°N 1.40806°E / 38.94778; 1.40806
Type	nightclub
Capacity	5,000
Opened	1976 (1976)
Website
amnesia.es

History

 

The so-called Main Room of Amnesia in 2012

The origins of Amnesia are in April 1970, when the Planells family who had inhabited the house for five generations decided to move into 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 hippie bands playing and other facets of hippie culture taking place.

In May 1976, Antonio Escohotado, a Madrid born philosopher who had arrived on the island five years earlier to start a new life, signed a lease with the landlady for use of the premises. He launched a discotheque named "El taller de los olvidadizos" ("The Workshop of the Forgetful Ones"). 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.

In 1978, Ginés Sánchez, a manufacturer from Madrid took over Amnesia. 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.

In the 1980s, 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 original Balearic Beat emerged invented by legends like DJ Alfredo Fiorito.^[5] 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 was instrumental in the arrival of many UK promoters and labels, including the legendary Joseph Mullen, 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 with Amnesia and Pacha.

The club experienced 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 and administration staff. Nowadays the venue has a capacity of 5,000 people and is divided into two areas: Main Room and Terrace.^[4]

Since 2005, Amnesia has been run by the Cream nightclub, created and founded by Joseph Mullen from Chester in 1995, in Liverpool. Joseph Mullen sold the brand to Cream UK for £4.8 Million and retired from the music industry for personal reasons.

The club hosts Cocoon, a party by Sven Väth. The club has also hosted popular nights such as La Troya Asesina.

Awards and nominations

DJ Magazine's top 100 Clubs

Year	Position	Notes	Ref.
2006	?	New Entry	^[6]
2007	8	—	^[7]
2008	3	—	^[8]
2009	5	—	^[9]
2010	3	—	^[10]
2011	4	—	^[11]
2012	9	—	^[12]
2013	10	—	^[13]
2014	6	—	^[14]
2015	5	—	^[15]
2016	3	—	^[16]
2017	11	—	^[17]
2018	12	—	^[18]
2019	14	—	^[19]
2020	12	—	^[20]

International Dance Music Awards

Year	Category	Work	Outcome	Ref.
2005^[A]	Best Global Club	Amnesia - Ibiza Spain	Nominated	^[21]
2006			Nominated	^[22]
2007			Won	^[23]
2008			Won	^[24]
2009			Won	^[25]
2010			Nominated	^[26]
2011			Won	^[27]
2012			Nominated	^[28]
2013			Nominated	^[29]
2014			Nominated	^[30]
2015			Nominated	^[31]
2016			Nominated	^[32]

International Nightlife Association's Top 100 Clubs

Year	Position	Notes	Ref.
2015^[B]	5	New Entry	^[33]
2016	10	—
2017	8	—
2019	8	—

See also

• List of electronic dance music venues
• Privilege Ibiza

Notes

1. Category Debut
2. 2005 saw the debut of the chart.

References

1. "22nd ANNUAL IDMA NOMINEES & WINNERS".
2. "23rd ANNUAL IDMA NOMINEES & WINNERS".
3. "24th ANNUAL IDMA NOMINEES & WINNERS".
4. Stewart, Iain (2003). Ibiza and Formentera. Rough Guides. p. 265. ISBN 9781843530633.
5. Brewster, Bill; Broughton, Frank (2014). Last night a DJ saved my life : the history of the disc jockey (Updated and revised ed.). Grove Press. p. 380. ISBN 9780802146106.
6. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
7. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
8. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
9. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
10. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
11. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
12. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
13. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
14. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
15. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
16. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
17. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
18. "Top 100 Clubs 2017".
19. "Top 100 Clubs 2020".
20. "Top 100 Clubs 2020".
21. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
22. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
23. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
24. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
25. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
26. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
27. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
28. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
29. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
30. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
31. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
32. . Archived from the original on 2018-09-15. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
33. "World's 100 Best Clubs". www.international-nightlife.com.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amnesia.

• Official website