Look De Ibiza

Tourist promo video for the spectacular and legendary Ku Club in Ibiza from the 1980s. Big thanks to Apiento and Test Pressing for bringing the video to our attention.

Having began it’s life as a relatively humble swimming pool, restaurant and leisure space for the Ibiza locals in the 1970s, Ku soon became the lavish, hedonistic and opulent early precursor to some of the Ibizan superclubs which followed when the mainstream descended upon the island. Indeed, Manumission held it’s trance, progressive house and techno nights in the Ku complex which is now known as Privilege (and to be avoided at all costs).

Here’s how a highly notable article on Ku in Ibiza-Spotlight website puts the transition from swimming pooled hang out to pleasure palace:

When Basque entrepreneur and former Real Sociedad footballer, Jose Antonio Santamaría, expanded his Ku franchise from an existing Ku club in San Sebastian – From here, spontaneous parties began and a culture of high fashion, hedonism and excess spiralled Ku into the 1980s where it garnered fame as arguably the most reputed nightclub in the world. Amongst those in the know, it certainly picked up where Studio 54 had left off – after it’s demise in the early 80s – as the playground of the rich and famous…

With a little research you’ll see and feel that Ku, frequented by Grace Jones, Kid Creole, Freddie Mercury and Roman Polanski to name four was infinitely cooler than Pr

ivilege, Manumission and the similarly related superclubs that followed; and above that it was the kind of place you may well have given your left or right leg to get the chance to hang out at for a few weeks. As you’ll see from the video the music was out of this world in terms of vibe and variety. Some would say that, alongside Amnesia with their DJ Alfredo residency, Ku was where the Balearic beat and ethos was born.

Enjoy the video anyway and have a look at some of Yves Uro’s poster design from the time. Much more goodness to trawl through if you like the look of this sort of thing on the Ku Ibiza Best Years Facebook Page too.

This was taken from the ever discerning Apiento’s Vimeo channel. Apiento alongside Dr Rob runs Test Pressing which we think is easily one of the finest online music and culture magazines on the planet. The definitive destination for all things Balearic. And more. If you haven’t had a look at it, you should.

(Images courtesy of the Ku Ibiza Best Years Facebook Page by Yves Uro)