The world’s most important dance broadcaster speaks to MoS about this summer’s hard line action against the clubs in Ibiza, and what may happen next...
The clubbing industry in Ibiza is by far and away the biggest, most celebrated, intense and profitable one on Earth.
But it now finds itself under unprecedented pressure from the island’s recently elected ‘powers that be’, who are intent on dealing with some of the more unsavoury elements of the scene with a spate of venue closures.
With so much at stake the island needs to find a balance, or risk losing out to a whole host of other holiday destinations keen to attract affluent young clubbers with their own rapidly expanding nightlife options.
Island Champion
As a long-running Pacha resident and all-round island champion via 12 seasons of live Radio 1 broadcasts, countless interviews and one amusingly titled movie, Pete Tong would make a good mediator between the opposing sides.
“The authorities have got a point, the clubs have got a point and hopefully the debate will be an open one,” he says.
“That’s what I’d like to think – as long as the authorities are happy to have a dialogue with the clubs and the clubs are intelligent about it then there should be a way forward.”
But as things stand now, it’s far from clear what course of action will be taken next.
Negative Press Reports
Amnesia, DC10 and Bora Bora have all now reopened after their initial forced closures, however non-club venues - equally important to the overall nightlife economy - are still suffering daily pressure.
Temporary closures like last week’s chaining up of the legendary Kanya in San An, the forced closure of the celebrated Al Ayoun restaurant/venue and rumours of threats to a number of beach bars may all be part of island political life, but only go to compound existing negative press reports.
Meanwhile Manumission’s Bar M has seen the last minute pulling of events this summer, and is currently fighting to keep the Ibiza Rocks nights running, despite a contract to broadcast footage on Channel 4 and big money sponsorship from Sony Ericsson.
Scaring off that sort of investment seems crazy, but the authorities are on a mission to prove they will get tough on drugs, bad behaviour and more controversial ‘licensing issues’, seemingly no matter what.
“If it appears like they are beating everybody with a stick just to close everything down then the long term implications would be really bad,” says Tong.
Shocked
But already there has been a learning curve, and Pete hopes that the new officials have taken heed of the reaction to their earlier tactics, and may pursue other policies and negotiations as a result.
“I think they thought, if we shut down DC10 for instance, we deter a certain type of tourist that we’re not that interested in. And I think they were shocked by how many of the high-rollers - who come to the island in their private jets and boats, hire big villas and spend fortunes at restaurants and all the boutiques – by how popular a real grassroots club like DC10 was with them and everybody, including the islanders themselves.”
So as Radio 1 embark on their annual weekend in Ibiza and the busiest month of the year gets underway, those who work and love the scene that exists on the island hold their breath and hope for some solutions to the stand off.
It would be easy at this stage for apparently well meaning attempts to improve the island to end up sending out a very damaging message to all club-bound visitors, who are ultimately the lifeblood of this unique economy, as Pete notes.
“The reality is different to the perception, so I hope that that information sinks in,” he says.
“If they carry on simply curtailing people’s entertainment it will have a big knock on effect for the island that will go way, way beyond your average 18-year old who comes to drink 20 pints in the West End.”