DJ MAG has published ‘DJMAG Top 100 Clubs 2009’ and Space Ibiza gest back to win keeping the third position in the prestigious ranking. An absolutely honour for the Club. There is still no club in the world quite like Ibiza's Space. A sprawling temple of hedonism, its labyrinth layout never fails to command both shock and awe in those navigating it for the first time with six separate arenas all offering their own distinct vibes. Recent additions like the intimate club confines of La Caja Roja (the Red Box), the al fresco vibes of La Premier Etage and El Salon's reclining Balearic lounge are all blessed with charm and style, but it is undoubtedly the twin bastions of Le Terrazza and Le Discoteca that drive the club.
A vast centrepiece that James Zabiela once described as “a journey to the centre of the Earth”, the combustible explosions that bear witness in the engulfing 2000-capacity main room - Le Discoteca - are as routinely ecstatic as any club on the planet.
Admittedly, the open-air raving of the old terrace may exist in folklore alone, but the partly covered Sunset Terrace remains a smile-populated vestige to the original Ibiza experience, whilst the new terrace - Le Terrazza - has carved a legend of its own thanks to impeccable programming and a crystal clear Funktion One soundsystem.
Nights like Tuesday's Carl Cox & Friends remain island favourites but it is undoubtedly the venue's Sunday flagship - We Love - that has left the biggest impression on the island's musical landscape over the past decade. Each one a mini-festival in its own right, Jeff Mills, Laurent Garnier, 2Many DJs, Marky, Chip and even The Chemical Brothers played We Love's diverse 16-hour marathon at some point last season.
Indeed, as We Love resident Paul Woolford puts it, everybody in clubland seems to have a story from Space - be it an eternally unforgettable dancefloor experience, a chance meeting or an impossibly debauched clubbing marathon. The terrace is renowned for being the place where people inexplicably meet their long lost best mate from primary school or future wife/husband, whilst the venue as a whole remains one of the few where DJs themselves routinely get lost in the hedonistic abandon of the party.
Carl Cox describes it as “the Roll's Royce of clubbing”, whilst both Yousef and Steve Lawler claim to have enjoyed just as many epic nights at Space as clubbers as DJs.
”Space is a club that has seen so many late nights that you'd be hard pressed to find any real clubber who doesn't have some hazy memories of its madness burnt into their synapses”, confirms Paul Woolford.
”People from all walks of life and musical preferences find themselves here at some point each summer and this gives the night an unexpected air, as you never know who you might bump into”.
”As for how it feels to play there, when everything's right there is nothing like it. It's an incredible club with killer sound, lovely staff and an unbeatable vibe”. Celebrating an impressive 20 years this summer, Space remains the jewel in the crown of acid house's original clubbing Mecca.
Words: DJMAG