Will Space Ibiza to Return to the White Isle?

Carl Cox, Pepe Rosello, Dave Browning, and Juan Arenas announced a new joint venture to nurture the Space Ibiza brand once again.

First, let’s get to know the team that came together to announce this joint venture! For those unfamiliar, Pepe Rosello was the owner and founder of the most decorated venue in the history of dance music, the superclub known as Space Ibiza. Opening in 1986, it launched the future of electronic music clubbing. It took the reins it would not relinquish until its closure in 2016 as the world’s best superclub and laid the foundation for venues to become brands.

Space Ibiza was responsible for Amnesia (which opened in 1976), Privilege (which rebranded the Ku Club in 1995), and Pacha (which opened in 1973) to become bastions for marketing dance music. Their open-air terrace capitalized on uniqueness to entice many nightclub patrons to experience their musical passion outdoors. The mindful eye of Pepe expressed what clubbers desired.

However, it was not only Pepe that made Space Ibiza so unique.

Residents like Carl Cox – the roughly 15-year veteran who ran his “Music is Revolution” nights every season at the venue – encapsulated the allure of beats served with a dish of aircraft flying overhead. The brand “We Love…” also grabbed attention with their Sunday flagship night “We Love… Space.” Richie Hawtin brought his “enter.” concept to the venue for three years; a venture which helped launch a successful sake brand as well as recreating what a nightclub experience could be.

Curating these experiences required talented staff and Space definitely had one!

Dave Browning, the venue’s promoter, captivated many over the last fifteen years on the island. He is responsible for the island’s biggest and best parties including Carl Cox’s “Game Over” night in 2017. Juan Arenas on the other hand brings his general management experience to the table – including the final eight years of work at Space Ibiza. Both individuals remain steadfast in their commitment to excellence on the island and to the Space Ibiza brand.

Now that we have the history of the team locked in, let’s set expectations!

At first glance, there is not a lot to report. The team of four merely announced a new partnership to secure, in not so many words, the next chapter of history for the brand of Space Ibiza. While that in and of itself is great, the remaining details are teased in a few quotes.

“Space is a way of living the music, which is part of our shared experiences in the most vibrant moments of our life. The roots of Ibiza extend to new destinations with the joy, passion, and enthusiasm for this adventure, to return to our house, the island.”

– Pepe

There is a small hint there – new destinations! Could this mean a new venue on the island is coming? Perhaps. It could also mean that the group is looking to extend the brand beyond Ibiza and cultivate experiences around the world. Café Mambo began touring only a few years ago and other brands like Cafe del Mar and Pacha have locations in other parts of the world.

“Club Space Ibiza, has always been my home for the last twenty years, and now to pave the new way for the future of Space is really exciting, and now forming a partnership with Pepe, Juan, and Dave Browning, to run the newly formed team, it feels solid in the way that we are a family team, and I feel we can bring everything back to where it belongs. We already have some exciting news for next year, and we will tell you all more about that nearer the time. But for now, I am very happy with my new role for Space, and I can happily fly the Space flag high.”

– Carl Cox

Can we see more details here? Well, Carl Cox elaborates that “we can bring everything back to where it belongs.” It would be easy to link this concept to a new venue on the island – perhaps in Sant Antoni de Portmany as prior rumors suggest. However, it could also simply be an allusion to the atmosphere the venue brought for so many years and finding a location or locations somewhere worldwide to capitalize on the created atmosphere. Cox states more news is coming in the next year – so we will bring you updates as soon as we hear them.

Calm seas and shoreline may be the next step!

While the group continues to remain cryptic about the possibility of a new venue and will neither confirm nor deny them, it is safe to say the house that Pepe built is not going to disappear from clubbing lore anytime soon. The venue itself may have been replaced (today the location is home to Hï Ibiza) but the atmosphere of Space cannot be easily recreated.

In the eyes of Pepe, and agreed to be more than a fair share of the clubbers that ever touched down in the venue, Space represents more than the music, it represents the shared experience “in the most vibrant moments of our life.” We are ready to boogie. Are you?

Brush up on your Space Ibiza history with their twenty-sevn-year documentary:

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