Clubbing - Space

Voted the best club in the world this year, by the top DJs, Space has rightfully been acknowledged as the best nightclub in the world - probably, unmatched anywhere else in the universe...

To secure its own niche in a very competitive and world famous market, it has become what must be the most successful day & night time club - and what a theory! Space opens its doors virtually 7 days a week, 22 hours a day... and opens them to the hard core of the visiting and resident party animals who were enjoying themselves at other clubs until they shut.

These people cover the spectrum of musical taste and are catered for by the contrasts provided at Space. Inside in the dark interior the pumping techno throbs out incessantly, building from one crescendo to another. Outside on the terrace in the early morning sun more ambient Balearic house, reminiscent of the Cafe del Mar at sunset, punctuates the conversation. Upstairs you'll feel the urge to chill to a more soulful set of left-field vibes.

This unique club was the brainchild of Pepe Rosello, born in San Antonio in 1937. His first encounter with public entertainment came in 1956 in local restaurant businesses, then at "El Refugio" - a classy restaurant which most of us will know as Gorms Garage. In those days it was a very different San Antonio - a jet-set paradise for the bourgouisie with their yachts moored in the harbour. Then word got out and the younger crowd discovered Ibiza. Opposite "El Refugio" was a jazz club, "La Reja", which was one of the first establishments to obtain a music license - for their piano... Inspired by the concept of musical entertainment, Pepe discovered the terrace concept which has served him so well ever since. In those days the music was live and predominantly Irish folk, the sort that you couldn't resist dancing to.

However, even back then there was a mixture of live music and disc jockeys. Inevitably the restaurant changed as a younger crowd discovered the island with the advent of tourism. Demand for food was exceeded by demand for music and dancing and as Pepe was providing the latter, demand soon exceeded available space. In Playa d'en Bossa in 1987 he found a conference centre, built some 4 years earlier, that had also served as a disco in the evenings for those same conference attendees. When he took it over he completely renovated the existing building and enclosed it within a large perimeter fence. This allowed the creation of a huge outside terrace area. The same terrace that has become probably the most famous terrace in the world today.

The terrace concept is fundamental. The theory behind Space was to provide an area large enough to be able to offer a variety of different environments. You could then choose that which suited you best, or roam between the different options. Pepe, being Ibicenco, has always had a love of night life. In Franco's days the bars had to shut by 1 am and the clubs no more than two hours later. Eventually the law was extended by another hour, then another, to the point where the current law demands only that you close for 2 hours each day. In other words, you can pretty much choose which 2 hours of the day to call in the cleaner!
The ultimate solution arrived when "Home" began their mega-parties which ran from 8 am on Sunday morning till 6 am on Monday mornings. With almost all of the worlds top DJs performing at one or other of their regular weekenders, success was guaranteed and there was still time to get home, shower and have breakfast before going to work!

Young people are now becoming more intellectual, or spiritually and environmentally aware - respecting their planet and taking more care of their health, diet and fitness. Some would say that music has become a popular religious alternative, and this is the direction and responsibility that music has to deal with. A major responsibility for music and something that is understood best by the people who make music and those who provide the places where it can be heard.

Thank you Pepe and the other 120 plus people who make Space work, predominently Ibicencos, many of whom have been working with him for over 30 years. Without your commitment and eternal love of music, Ibiza may well not have become the legend that it is?