How Ibiza’s identity is shaped, sustained and reimagined — with insights from Sven Väth, Igor Marijuan, Amnesia & Chinois, ahead of IMS Ibiza
Before Ibiza became a global symbol of hedonistic tourism and electronic music culture, it was something far less defined — a place where music, freedom and chance encounters shaped the experience. It has always been shaped from within, by the artists, the spaces, and the people who return to it year after year.
In the context of IMS Ibiza’s panel “Ibiza On The Brink: Paradise or Paradox?”, we spoke to voices who are not observing the island from the outside, but actively shaping it — including Sven Väth, Igor Marijuan, Amnesia and Chinois. To understand this evolution, we look at Ibiza through three lenses — its foundations before it became a global brand, what has endured from that early spirit, and how the island is being reshaped today and in the future. What emerges is not a single narrative, but a set of perspectives that occasionally align — and at times quietly diverge.
One of the most defining chapters in Ibiza’s club culture was Cocoon at Amnesia, founded by Sven Väth in 1999. As one of the most influential figures in electronic music, Väth’s connection to the island runs deep — not only as an artist, but as someone who helped shape Ibiza’s global cultural impact.
Amnesia itself holds a foundational place in Ibiza’s history. It is widely considered the birthplace of the Balearic Beat — a sound and philosophy that emerged from musical openness rather than genre. In our 2020 interview, DJ Alfredo — often referred to as the “Father of Balearic Beat” — recalled playing Sade from a cassette on the Amnesia terrace, defining an era where, as he put it, “the centre of everything was the music.”
Today, Amnesia stands as both a cultural landmark and a living institution — a space that has managed to remain relevant by continuously evolving while staying rooted in its identity.
Igor Marijuan represents another layer of Ibiza’s ecosystem: a DJ and long-time curator, he co-founded Ibiza Sonica and shaped its sound as artistic director for 15 years, before returning to Ibiza Global Radio as its director. Alongside this, he serves as music director at Akasha Ibiza and is closely linked to the iconic Las Dalias — a space that bridges the island’s hippie heritage with its contemporary cultural expression.
Chinois offers yet another perspective — as a more intimate one-room club entering its fifth season with a dancefloor-first ethos. For this piece, insights come from Chinois’ Head of Sales & Marketing Wyan Schreiber, who was raised on the island and has worked closely within its evolving nightlife landscape.
Foundations: The Origins. The Spirit. The Myth.
Before Ibiza became a global phenomenon, it was a small, off-grid haven for outsiders — defined by musical curiosity, openness and a spirit of freedom. From Balearic sounds to early club culture, these foundations were less about rules and more about moments of connection, ritual and experimentation — but what moment, place or feeling still captures that original spirit today?
Sven Väth:
When I think about Ibiza’s foundations, my mind always travels back to the early 1980s. Back then the island still felt like a hidden sanctuary for dreamers, artists and outsiders. One place that captured that spirit perfectly was the early Amnesia — at that time more an old finca than a nightclub.
There was an open courtyard, a small pool under a glass pyramid, and people dancing under the stars until sunrise. The music was completely free in spirit: African rhythms, psychedelic rock, early electronic sounds, Italo disco — and DJ Alfredo Fiorito weaving it all together in a way that felt more like storytelling than DJing.
But the real essence of Ibiza was not the club itself — it was the atmosphere of openness. People from completely different worlds were dancing together without hierarchy. Artists, travellers, locals, aristocrats, hippies. Nobody cared who you were or what you did.
Ibiza was not an industry then. It was a cultural meeting point. A place of curiosity, freedom and experimentation. That feeling — the absence of barriers and the presence of pure human connection — is, to me, still the true foundation of the island’s spirit.
Igor Marijuan:
When I think about Ibiza’s foundations, I think about a sunrise on a dancefloor or the sand and that exact second when you realise it’s already daylight and the night felt like it lasted two hours. That distortion of time in a good way. That feeling that something special just happened and you can’t quite explain why.
I think about driving through caminos (back roads) at night, slightly lost, looking for a party that someone told you about. No GPS, no certainty. Just instinct and curiosity. That sense of adventure was part of the magic.
I think about the sunset, this amazing, world-class show that happens every single day for free. And we still stop and watch it. With or without music. That says something.
I think about talking to Pajeses (locals) who are genuinely interested in who you are, and somehow in five minutes they make you feel like you belong. That mixture of deep roots and total openness.
And I think about not planning too much. Ibiza used to reward spontaneity. You’d wake up with no agenda and end up somewhere unforgettable. Time felt slower, softer. You’d think, “I could live like this forever”…
What really captures the original spirit for me is that strange phenomenon where completely different people somehow become a tribe just because they’re here.
Amnesia:
The first image that comes to mind is that of the young philosopher Antonio Escohotado, cycling along the road to San Antonio, immersed in his thoughts until a sudden inspiration made him stop. That inspiration was the traditional Ibizan farmhouse of María Fuencisla Martínez de Campos y Muñoz, the place where that hippie philosopher would go on to create Amnesia Ibiza.
That moment in 1976 was key to the island’s development, one of the foundations upon which the spirit and legend of Ibiza would be built, marking the birth of a space where the values of love, peace, and freedom were explored to their fullest extent.
Chinois:
The “Spirit of Ibiza” is in the eye of the beholder. It’s one of the unique qualities of Ibiza, everyone creates their own experience and gets what they want from it. Ibiza has gone through many eras in terms of music from the hippies’ Flower Power to the summer of love of 88, to becoming the Mecca of the clubbing world.
Across these reflections, Ibiza’s foundations appear less as a place and more as a shared state of mind: the island wasn’t built on infrastructure, but on what came to define the hedonistic and artistic lifestyle of the ’80s — freedom and connection.
But if Ibiza’s foundations were built on freedom and instinct, the question today is what has allowed that spirit to survive — and what it has had to adapt to along the way.
Continuity: What Has Endured — and Why
As Ibiza has grown into a global phenomenon, its scene has become more professionalised and commercialised — shaped by tourism, scale and increasing demand.
As the island’s global relevance has increased, so has the conversation around music tourism. Already during our interview at IMS 2019, local DJ Anna Tur highlighted the importance of close collaboration between politics and the industry — not only because Ibiza remains one of the most important scenes for electronic music, but also as a global holiday destination. What becomes clear across these perspectives is that Ibiza’s evolution is not a contradiction of its past, but a condition of its survival.
Yet certain places and cultural values have endured, raising the question: what has allowed parts of the island’s identity to survive while others have had to adapt?
Sven Väth:
Ibiza has changed enormously over the decades. The scale of the industry, the infrastructure, the economics — everything has grown. Some changes were inevitable and even necessary.
But what has allowed parts of the culture to endure is authenticity. The moments where the original intention of the island is still alive.
Places like Las Dalias are important because they remind us that Ibiza has always been more than nightlife. It has been a meeting place for creativity, music, art and free thinking.
The danger today is that the island risks becoming too much of a spectacle — something to consume rather than something to experience. When nightlife becomes purely transactional and dominated by VIP structures, it can easily lose the democratic energy that made Ibiza special in the first place.
The dancefloor used to be the great equaliser. A place where people disappeared into the music together. Whenever that spirit still appears — in a sunrise moment, in a magical crowd, in a DJ set that truly connects — you realize that Ibiza’s soul is still alive.
Igor Marijuan:
Everything evolves. Everything changes. Especially us. We are not the same people we were twenty-five years ago — so how could the island be?
From my position within Las Dalias, Akasha and the radio, I still experience that same form of freedom. That same spirit that makes Ibiza unique. It’s still here. The rest is often just noise amplified by social media.
What allows certain places to endure, in my opinion, is coherence. Spaces that understand who they are and adapt without losing their core, survive. Not because they resist change, but because they evolve with intention.
What’s interesting now is the rise of mindfulness, self-care and spiritual awareness. Years ago, that demand wasn’t as visible or as strong. Today, it’s very present. And that’s not a weakness, it’s a reflection of what people are looking for in this moment of history.
The “wow effect” is still the same. I see it in new generations discovering Ibiza for the first time, and I feel it myself when I’m reminded of the small treasures the island still offers. Different era. Same intensity.
Amnesia:
Nothing is immutable; everything is destined to change. However, Ibiza’s cultural shifts have not been disruptive, they have followed a natural evolution. That is the key to the continued relevance of its essence today. This culture has been passed down from generation to generation to the present day: a culture rooted in a love for music, for shared experiences, and for enjoyment as both a balm and an escape from everyday life.
At Amnesia, we strongly hold on to that identity, sharing with all who visit us our philosophy of community, offering them our experience and the values that have guided us for the past 50 years.
Chinois:
The culture is a reflection of society. Our industry has always found a home here. Several factors, including but not limited to location, infrastructure, politics, have allowed for Ibiza to flourish, but what keeps Ibiza in the conversation is peoples’ desire to experience the island.
Nothing in Ibiza is immutable — everything evolves, from the people to the places and the experiences they create. What stands out is not resistance to change, but the ability to absorb it; continuity here is not about staying the same, but about knowing what not to lose.
If continuity in Ibiza is defined by the ability to evolve without losing its core, the next question is how that evolution is unfolding now — and what kind of future it is shaping.
Reinvention: The New Era — Without Erasing The Past
As Ibiza continues to evolve, a new era is taking shape — defined by hyper-production, shifting audiences and increasingly hybrid cultural spaces, from the transformation of KU into Privilege and now [UNVRS], to multi-layered venues like Las Dalias, which integrates Akasha while staying true to its hippie roots. At the same time, new concepts are emerging that combine hospitality with clubbing — such as Chinois and the upcoming boutique nightclub Nocturna, set to open in summer 2026. The voices we spoke to don’t describe a break from the past, but a shift in scale, intention and responsibility. As the island’s influence expands globally, the question becomes: what does a future Ibiza look like that still feels true to its original spirit?
Sven Väth:
Ibiza has always reinvented itself. That is part of its DNA. From the hippie era of the 60s and 70s, to the Balearic explosion of the 80s, the club revolution of the 90s and the global electronic scene that followed.
But the next reinvention will require awareness.
The island must be careful not to lose its cultural depth in the pursuit of luxury and scale. Ibiza was never meant to be only a premium nightlife product — it was always a cultural ecosystem where music, art, freedom and nature existed together.
A future Ibiza that still feels true to its spirit would be one where innovation continues, but where space is preserved for creativity and experimentation. Where young artists can still emerge, where smaller venues can exist alongside the big institutions, and where the dancefloor remains a place of collective experience rather than social separation.
Ibiza’s greatest power has always been transformation. People arrive on the island and something shifts within them — through music, through nature, through connection.
If the island protects that transformative energy, then Ibiza will continue to evolve without losing the magic that made it extraordinary in the first place.
Igor Marijuan:
A future Ibiza that still feels true to its spirit needs something very simple and very difficult at the same time: strategy.
What I see today is not a lack of passion, not a lack of talent, and not even a lack of opportunity. What I see is a lack of long-term vision. The music industry here is powerful and sometimes voracious. It generates huge impact — economic, social, cultural — but it’s rarely guided by a coherent and emphatic plan.
At the same time, the political leadership lives under enormous pressure, and yet they take wrong decisions based on obsolete regulations. The result is tension. Noise. Polarisation. And that’s unhealthy for everyone.
Ibiza doesn’t need to stop dancing. It needs to learn how to make leisure sustainable environmentally, economically and socially. Rest, sustainability and nightlife can absolutely coexist. But that requires courage and responsibility from both the industry and the institutions.
What excites me is the possibility of a reaction. A real project where celebration is not seen almost as a social crime, but as something positive when done responsibly. Dancing can be conscious. It can be healthy. It can be part of the solution, not the problem.
Ibiza has reinvented itself many times. The next reinvention should be less about volume and more about balance.
Amnesia:
For the myth of Ibiza to endure, and for its unique spirit to remain alive, it is essential that the values of peace, solidarity, brotherhood, respect for difference, inclusion, and diversity continue to be upheld. If so, Ibiza will remain that “rara avis”, that haven for artists, nonconformists, and dreamers that it has always been.
Chinois:
The Ibiza spirit is in constant evolution. Holding on to the past is futile. We need to shape a future that allows for freedom of expression, equality and where the sense of community and connection are a collective priority.
Ibiza has never stood still — it has always evolved with the people who shape it. The question is not whether the island will change, but who and what will define the direction of that change — and how much of its original spirit can be carried forward in the process.
Prepare Your Trip: Ibiza Through Local Artists
If you’re heading to IMS Ibiza, the real experience of the island goes far beyond the conference itself.
For the Ibiza T[rave]l Guide, local artists share their personal map of the island — from favourite restaurants and hidden beaches to intimate parties and everyday hangout spots. Featuring voices from Anna Tur, Anstascia, Bloem, DJ Alfredo, DJ Pippi, Igor Marijuan, Mambo Brothers and Valentin Huedo, the guide offers a deeper, more personal way to experience Ibiza.
8 artists — 140 handpicked tips.
