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Ibiza
A zillion words have been written, spoken and sung about Ibiza, that little Island off the coast of Spain, its clubs, music, notoriety and unique place in the world.
True to EG life path I did my bit to ignite the flame of interest and true to form the Island's energy caressed me, inspired me, loved me, burnt me and left an indelible mark on my soul, but I'm proud of my contribution to today's Ibiza, my work is on the island forever and it was always from the heart not the Euro.
My daughter Olivia is now 12 years old and loves going to Ibiza which obviously has nothing to do with the clubs, she likes to eat there, visit the beaches and to feel free from School, like the children from many centuries gone by. In fact she has been going every year since she was 3 months old and I fully expect to receive 8am telephone calls from her in her teenage years to come saying that she has just got home to their villa from being out all night as I'm making my first cup of tea of the morning.
Mr Ibiza - Anthony Pike and myself in the reception at his Pikes Hotel
So now some history on Ibiza to show that its always been a destination for people to go a little nuts. Over the years, thousands of years, many have gone to Ibiza to seek to conquer the island only to be eventually chilled right down, totally conquered themselves, I'll explain.
Please read on and excuse the joviality as history needs a bit of humor to sweeten its digestion.
Going as far back as 654 bc (before Christ, not the Peruvian marching powder) the Carthage's landed on Ibiza, naming it Ibossom and built Ibiza City, thereby creating one of Europe's oldest cities.
Moving forward to the 1st and 5th century the Roman's then occupied and controlled the Island naming it as Ebusus, a place for rest and recuperation for their army, more relaxed than under the Roman realm of control. The Roman remains that are still present today are a copies of statues at the main gate to the old part of town and a small bridge in Santa Eulalia.
After the Roman period between the 5th and 9th century different tribes, such as the aptly named, the Barbarians and the chemically named Byzantians inhabited the island leaving behind very little that culturally is still evident today.
Into the 9th century and the Arabs pulled into the dock, staying for over 4 centuries. They re-named the island Yebisah, strengthened the City walls, which still stand today, and built their Mosque. There is still much evidence in influence in art and music on the island which is directly related to that Arabian period.
For nearly four hundred years all was peacefully Shalom until one sunny morning on the 8th August 1235 the Catalonians turned up and tore down the Mosque of Ibiza City, replacing it with today's Catholic Cathedral. Changes were swift including naming the villages and churches after the saints Santa Eulalia, San Antonio, San Miguel and San Jorge, which are still the remaining elder villages from this period. Under strict Catholic doctrine things like 'freedom of expression' were not accepted thank you por favor and anybody not doing the signum crusic (Placing the cross on oneself" as a request for a blessing from God) were sent off the island without a straw donkey or black Magno soap. I'm sure that Tony Pike still does the signum crusic every year when a fresh set of holidaying females arrive at the airport.
The Catalonians renamed the island Eivissa, after Ibiza City, placed it under political control of mainland Spain and left it to its own devices with periodic raids from Pirates. Devices and raids - similar to today you might say but in a different sense. Now Eivissa, along with the islands Mallorca, Minorca and Formentera belongs to the region of the Balearic, which Spain autocratically rules with half an eye closed to some of the now legendary infamous goings on. They should have called the main city Santa Vices, it would've been very apt.
The next 'invasions', as such, come right up to date and they include the Hippies and gay community, who found a form of paradise on the island. The Hippy sense of which, with its spiritual freedom, inspired me on my first visits in the early 90's. The Hippies tell stories of the lost city of Atlantis under the sea bed of Es Vedrá, the rock 400 metres high that sits just off the shore of Cala d'Hort.
On one trip to the Island my girlfriend Liz and I were discovering the off-the-road places on a Vespa scooter and ventured down this long, long old dusty dirty track to see where it ended. After a mile we stumbled on the restaurant Es Boldado but it was that huge Rock, Es Vedrå sitting in the sea that demanded your attention. I have since taken lots of friends down that dusty track to eat and look at that proud creation of nature. Es Vedrá is also known as the Island of the Sirens from the book Homers Odyssey. The Sirens tried to put Odysseus under their spell by singing sweetly across the water to him.
The rock Es Vedrá has also often been quoted as having mythical powers surrounding its waters but the crowning glory in mythical Ibiza folklore is the tale of being featured in the famous book "The Prophecies, by a certain M. Michel Nostradamus. Saying that at the fall of the world only Ibiza would still be inhabitable. Put simply, when the world comes to an end only Ibiza will be left standing, or still dancing most likely, oblivious to the doom and disaster everywhere else.
A prophecy that was probably mixed into Ibiza folk-lore using Nostradamus's method of receiving information to his sixth sense's as he himself describes "by emptying my soul, mind and heart of all care, worry and unease through mental calm and tranquility". Sounds like an evening at Cafe Del Mar and not an uncommon state to enjoy the energies of Ibiza whether from Yoga, more chemical, or alcoholic means, especially if you're sitting in San Antonio at Sunset with a drink in your hand as the Sun lays its glorious glittery blanket on the sea right up to the shore - nature's bliss.
Continuing with the theme of 'invasions' two profound, no maybe three, chapters were the reason for the 'explosion' of interest in the 1990's through to this very day and they were a pill called Ecstasy, the Brits with House Music and the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Obviously I have to tread carefully here but 'invasions' they certainly were because they changed the Island dramatically.
First Ecstasy (the Love Drug), which in the late 60's early 70's was prescribed as a form of love enhancement to help PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) Vietnam Veterans in the USA re-ignite their love lives with their long suffering girlfriends after their 13 month draft admist the horrors of the Vietcong war.
A lot of the Soldiers were so imaged damaged from the horrors of the war that when they returned home they couldn't get 'old johnny' up for duty so were given a form of Ecstasy to assist the passionate demands of their Mary-Jo's needing to make love. "Listen John-boy its been over a year now. I need a good shagging, the rabbit's worn out and hey! what's that 'Love Me Long Time' tattoo on your butt cheek all about?"
The 'Love Drug' soon found its way into the San Francisco Gay scene then into the New York 70's Disco revolution, itself very openly Gay, before moving across the Atlantic Ocean with the visiting UK pop stars of the 80's like Boy George, Marc Almond, The Pet Shop Boys, Freddie Mercury and Wham who had hit the New York clubs.
The infamous parties that Freddie Mercury had at Pike's Hotel tell of the Hotel being closed to guests so Freddie could take the place over with his entourage of dwarfs carrying trays of narcotic offerings and leather-laden chaps aromping about the place. WHAM's George Michael and Andrew Ridgley shot the video to their 1984 hit record "Club Tropicana" at Pike's Hotel in Ibiza featuring Tony Pike, with mustache, welcoming all in his red neck tie, sombrero and ready for 'any' action shorts.
Back to the E-invasion, once available in Ibiza the 'Love Drug' was soon picked up by the burgeoning House Music DJ's of the mid to late 80's right through to the end of the 90's as a hippie sense of liberty prevailed when a DJ could play across the board musically to raise the spirits of the "ecstasy" filled floors from the melodies of "Pacific State" by 808 State to the mesmerizing percussion of "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones from '67 ('67 is when Pacha opened its doors in Ibiza).
Improvisation was the key to bringing out the rapturous responses from the dancing hordes. As David Bowie once sang 'from Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads" in a song called "Life On Mars", itself a perfect parody of the unique place in the world that Ibiza is in the sense that it might as well be Life on Mars because it is so different to the rest of the world (even though now, it's influence has spread far and wide).
Ibiza DJ Alfredo made a huge impression with his DJ'ing sets from Amnesia, a club that literally was there for the insomniacs out dancing all night until 7am. Alfredo was not really a mixing DJ at first he spun a tapestry of music to fit the mood so he could literally go from 90 bpm to 140 bpm in three records and not lose the floor because he was mood inspired. It was Alfredo's influence over Paul Oakenfold, Nicky Holloway, Johnny Walker and Danny Rampling, four London DJ's, which started the entire Acid House movement that shook Britain to the very core of its Royal subjects.
Then the UK "acid phenomenon" was naturally brought to Ibiza for "its summer holiday" where all night partying was de-rigour, required, stamped on your passport upon entry in Eivissa Airport. A marriage made in heaven I believe, the perfect ménage à trios - Ibiza, Ecstasy and House Music.
Anybody visiting Ibiza these last 20 years would probably agree with that assumption but when you throw into the bubbling pan the final ingredient of the British Broadcasting Corporation you then have more than a revolution, you have a seismic explosion. And it was. The broadcasting of the parties of Ibiza to the rest of the world via the BBC network brought the eyes and ears of the world's media to the island like the paparazzi to the nude Oscars.
I have often heard it said that if you want to sell an album online just put Ibiza into the title like "The Ministry Of Aliens Chant Ibiza Mantra" and some people will buy it regardless.
Now every year during the first week of August (like the Catalonians on 8th August 1235) dear old BBC Radio 1 invade the Island and its impossible to park your car, get a drink at the bar or get a seat at your favourite restaurants but its big fun for a lot of people who enjoy the buzz so its all good in the hood.
I have opinions on the good and bad of Ibiza in its current expensive, invaded state but opinions are like onions - they are not very attractive or digested well if taken raw so I'll just close by saying I helped ignite the Ibiza flame with some love, sound and vision for the future, so without embellishing my contribution I'll just list some of what I remember below in year dates.
Thank you Elizabeth Walton. Gracias mucho mi amigo Miquel and Rocio Ferrera the Flower of Ibiza. Welcome to the world Carlita. Mucho gracias Ibossom, Ebusus,Yebisah, Eivissia, Ibiza.
Imagine if Nostradamus's Ibiza prophecy's were to come true one day, as "the last place on earth where civilisation will remain after a global catastrophe"
I can hear the buzz around San An "Hey, are you going to Armageddon tonight, need a little something?" "Yeah we are and its going on forever so the something better be good."
EG's Ibiza contribution
1994 - first visit with lovely girlfriend Liz Walton for a few days on a Scooter a week before we started Manifesto Records for Polygram Music with Jules (the Judge).
1995 - Introduce BBC Radio 1 to the island with the Essential Mix from Manumission and the Pete Tong "I don't want to play in Ibiza" Essential Selection Show live from Cafe Del Mar. (Guess where Tong's been playing for 14 years?)
1995 - Sign the Cafe Del Mar albums to a Worldwide 5 year deal on my dance label Manifesto Records through Polygram.
1996 - Sign Cafe Del Mar DJ Jose Padilla to a 2 album deal with my dance label Manifesto Records through Polygram - 2nd album wins a Latin Grammy.
1996 - Bring BBC Radio 1 back to Ibiza with Danny Rampling, Pete Tong and Dave Pearce Shows from Cafe Del Mar and Cafe Mambo, Essential Mix Show live from Amnesia.
1996 - Bring my Manifesto label with 10 people to Ibiza to market the label and prepare for the first Cafe Del Mar CD release
1996 - Indo Aminata performs the first ever live showcase outside Cafe Del Mar to the Sunset to rapturous applause.
1997 - Bring BBC Radio 1 back to Ibiza with the Pete Tong, Danny Rampling, Judge Jules and Dave Pearce shows from Cafe Del Mar and Cafe Mambo. The Essential Mix with Pete Tong and Danny Rampling live from Pacha. First ever Tong gig at Pacha.
1997 - the first Worldwide release of the Cafe Del Mar CD wins critical acclaim in the media. The chill-out revolution is ignited.
1998 - Design with Cafe Mambo the logo for the Eden club. A Peach cut in half. Juicy.
1998 - Persuade SPACE to put the Terrace DJ on the Terrace itself instead of behind the Bar. Persuade DJ Carl Cox for his first ever Space Terrace gig , he literally tears the roof off. Now the DJ box on the Terrace is a permanent fixture and one of the most desired places to play in the world by DJ's. Carl Cox's show recorded that day by myself wins The Muzik Mag's Essential Mix of The Year.
1998 - Bring BBC Radio 1 back with Dave Pearce, Danny Rampling, Judge Jules, Pete Tong, The Essential Mix Show.
1998 - Manifesto Records release the 2nd Worldwide release of Cafe Del Mar CD - series goes on to sell over 15 million copies.
1999 - BBC Radio 1 in Ibiza wholesale the entire station doing shows from the Island
1999 - 3rd Worldwide Release of Cafe Del Mar CD on Manifesto Records.
2000 - Launch world's first ever duel internet Radio Show with Camera's live from Cafe Mambo - www.ibizamusica.com. DJ Roger Sanchez No:1 Single in UK features live at Sunset on six Cam to the World online.
2000 - Release Cafe Mambo Siesta II Sunset Double CD Worldwide.
2000 - BBC Radio 1 live in Ibiza etc.
2000 - 4th Worldwide Release of Cafe Del Mar CD on Manifesto Records
2000 - Release Live from Space The World's Sexiest Club CD on Neo Records Worldwide.
2001 - BBC Radio 1 Live in Ibiza etc
2001 - Put in a studio above Cafe Mambo to run Ibizamix.com streaming live music and images to the world from Ibiza
2001 - 5th Worldwide Release of Cafe Del Mar CD on Manifesto Records
2001 - Release Space The World's Sexiest Club 01 CD in UK, America, Asia, France, Germany, Australia.
2002 - Siesta II Sunset from Pikes Hotel CD released on Neo Records
2002 - BBC Radio 1 live in Ibiza etc
to
2012 - BBC Radio 1 still in Ibiza, Cafe Del Mar, Space Club are Worldwide brands, Ibiza the destination, passage of rites for the young, the wanna-be's and Superstars from all over the world.
Adios iBossom I'm proud to say the island includes some of my DNA.
Contact/complain/confer - eddie.gordon@yahoo.com
"Eddie Gordon - the career of a new Millennium, innovative, forward thinking mind that has shaped the way music is presented to millions of people the world over with his visionary attitude to life's changes and the reason why music is so influential in all of our lives from the cradle to the grave."
Gabor Szanto - Budapest
