Without a doubt among the best-loved clubs on Earth, the scene of more legendary nights than anybody could reasonably count over the last three decades, Ibiza’s Space nightclub closed for the final time earlier this month after a final epic party.
The club, which has been lauded repeatedly over its 27 year reign as one of the greatest in music, has received any number of awards and accolades during the course of its run to confirm its place at the top of the pile.
Owner Pepe Rosello, the 79-year old who has run Space since its opening in 1989, put together an absolutely packed line-up for the venue’s ultimate send-off this last weekend, with long-time resident Carl Cox bringing the era to an end with a 6-hour set from 6am til noon on Monday October 3rd. Cox, whose Music Is Revolution night was one of the club’s most legendary nights in the history of Space, led the crowd in a chant of ‘Pepe, Pepe, Pepe’ as the night drew to its final conclusion, in honour of the man who had helped light up the island with music so consistently every season since the late 1980s. A 50-minute documentary was released online just in time for the closing party, featuring reminiscences of any number of the big names who have graced the rooms of Space in the time it’s been operating in its current form.
The 19-hour long party took the assembled revellers through the night, as the venue, which is due to be taken over soon by the Ushuaïa Group for the coming years of parties, offered up one last set of experiences before everything starts to change.
Capacity was increased as building extended into the venue’s car park, allowing thousands more to partake in the last round of mayhem the White Isle’s greatest institution will ever be remembered for. Alongside established heavyweights like Cox and Nick Fanciulli, modern superstars like Kolsch and Maceo Plex rounded out a line-up that any dance fan would die to get a ticket to. Indeed, tickets for the event, even taking into account the increased capacity, were like gold-dust. Unanimous among all the party-goers, however, was the agreement that it was all absolutely worth it.
The place will be missed.
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Words: Joe Henry & Cathal Kavanagh
