The iconic party, Cream Ibiza, has been a bastion of British identity on the island for well over two decades. Amnesia Thursdays and Space Sundays, were two of the main parties alongside Manumission, that enlisted a strong UK battalion. The Cream brand has become a part of modern British culture, born in Liverpool, it was a lifestyle choice for many, a light at the end of Thatchers cold tunnel of conservative repression. That light blossomed in the warm Mediterranean sunshine after it arrived on the shores of Ibiza in 1994, an island that was very different to the one we see today. The innocent and free environment that nurtured Cream to become Ibiza’s longest running UK party, is sadly becoming an endangered one, as commercial smog and big egos cloud its once clear blue skies.
A 90’s image of Cream @ Amnesia Credit: Everynight Images /Alamy
If rumours on the island are correct, and many respected sources are corroborating them, Cream Ibiza is about to end its 23 year Balearic Odyssey at Amnesia. It is set to depart a stage it has enriched with its presence choosing to withdraw gracefully, its honour and respect intact and before people start questioning why its still there alongside circus and EDM acts. As the elder statesman of British culture on the island, it will get to choose its successor to carry the flame of its original ethos, the freedom to dance and celebrate music surrounded by good friends and allies. This is something that the British clubbing community have always projected and its the complete opposite face of the stiff upper lip of the pro Brexit brigade that prefer to remain in the past rather than embracing an all inclusive future.
DNS @ Space
That future, if those same rumours are true, now lies with two of the most promising UK parties to emerge in Ibiza in recent years, Abode and Do Not Sleep. Word around the campfire suggests that Thursdays at Amnesia, will remain a very British affair, if a deal can be reached to accommodate the two who are without a home due to the uncertainty surrounding Sankeys, which may not open this year. Both parties are to the forefront of the next wave of British dance culture that looks set to inherit the titles and standards set by Cream. Abode’s London crowd would be younger than the more international following of DNS which has a sound pedigree on the island, having played Pacha, Privilege, Sankeys and holding the accolade as the last party to play the iconic Space terrace. Abode has been one of my favourite parties on the island ever since I saw them play the backroom of Savannah in their first Ibiza season of 2016. An energy that was refreshing and they have a star player on their team in Jimmy Switch.
Jimmy Switch Abode
Abode has thrived ever since, selling out events in London at Printworks and Tobacco Dock with DNS enjoying its best season on the iconic Space Terrace made famous by so many British promoters and DJ’s. Amnesia were in the running to sign DNS back in 2016, so it would be a live runner to replace Cream this summer in the main room. With Abode on the Terrace, it would make for a very promising night as both parties champion a back to basics and music comes first policy. It has been a ballsy move by Amnesia to clear its decks of two such iconic parties as Cream and Cocoon, but with Hi and Pacha setting new standards for clubbing on the island, Amnesia have had to raise their game. One gets the feeling that the changing of its traditional guard, will trigger a fresh impetus on how business is conducted at Amnesia in the future.
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