In a post on social media, Sven Vath dropped the bombshell on an unsuspecting Ibiza faithful that he was leaving Amnesia for Pacha. There was no warning, or final chance for Cocoon fans to party one more time on that famous Amnesia terrace and pay homage to the man that inspired so many. It was a stark lesson in German efficiency, a short sharp shock to the systme that reflected the dark, emotionless nature of his music. As the PR boys tried to put a positive spin on the story, the collective jaws of the Cocoon faithful hit the dance floor. While the industry will rally around Sven and his respected Cocoon crew, the Elephant that has now entered the room, is the hard industrial question……has Sven sold out?
Unlike the infamous Luciano spat, Amnesia and Sven have parted company in a professional manner – an 18 year old marriage now loveless, but where the partners remain friends. While I do not have any insider insight into what went on behind the scenes, my educated guess would be that ego’s got in the way of a successful partnership. One gets the feeling that Ibiza 2018, could be the year of exploding egos, which would be good for the island. Before Marco Carola arrived on the scene with Music On, Sven Vath was King of the Amnesia terrace, the dark techno lord of all that he surveyed. Cocoon had been Amnesia’s premier party all through the first decade of the new millennium, on trend and lending the club a prestigious authority.
That all changed in recent years with the succession of Carola to the throne. Amnesia have been more than accommodating to Music On, pandering to their yearly tantrums of moving, ear infections and other indiscretions, while Sven behaved in his customary professional manner. Italians and Germans are cut from different cloth, throw in the British and the Spanish, and you get a feel for the diversity of cultures that make Ibiza so special. Cocoon would have felt they deserved more respect and support than they were receiving and when Hyte arrived on the scene, then maybe Sven realised there were too many cooks in Amnesia’s techno kitchen something we wrote about back in April 2015. But it does look like the decision to move was an sudden one, as there was no mention of it at last years closing party, an ideal time to say goodbye. Pacha made a well timed offer they could not refuse.
Respect and reputation are big words in Ibiza. The island trades on it and those lucky enough to work on the island will tell you, that its not given, its earned. As we mentioned in 2015, Cocoon needed some love to help re-energise itself. While that may have been missing at Amnesia, the shiny new Pacha crew will no doubt spoil Cocoon and give it the attention it deserves as it enters its 19th season on the island. Amnesia will have a big hole to fill on its program this summer, but rumours are suggesting they are quiet happy with the party replacing Vath on Monday nights. There is talk that Resistance, or Afterlife could defect from Privilege, now without a manger after the departure of Juan Arenas, or a move by Woomoon. The return of Enter could also be a possibility.
So has Sven sold out by moving to Pacha? In the original spirit of Cocoon and black or white German correctness, I would feel he has, because Pacha, without the Urgell family, is now a corporate brand with a faceless identity and DC10 was always an option, but not one as financially beneficial. But if any party or DJ deserves a pardon on this one, its Vath and Cocoon, for distinguished services rendered to the industry. Pacha are the big winners here, make no mistake about it, and one would hope that they will deliver the vorsprung durch technik vehicle fit for Sven to advance and progress his vision for Cocoon in such changing times. With the advent of Hi, Ibiza is entering a technologically advanced era and now more than ever, we need Ibiza institutions like Cocoon to adapt and survive. To coin a phrase from the Cocoon movie, “It is everything you’ve dreamed of. It is nothing you expect”.
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