“I still love Ibiza. There is a magic in the name. I’ve always said it’s in the Z! It makes the word stand out, and it still gives me butterflies.”

I first visited Ibiza in the summer of 1992. I had only been on holiday to Tenerife, Gran Canaria previously where only two clubs played any acceptable music (Bobbys in Tenerife; Twilights in Gran Canaria). But I fell in love with hot sun, hot girls and hot music! It was irresistible. But those places were not for me. I was a music head. I was in love with progressive music and one night in 1991 I managed to catch a TV show on C4 called A Short Film About Chilling.

It changed my life. I could not believe there was an entire island dedicated to the Balearic music I was enjoying. The show had music from Boy’s Own and Heavenly artists like Saint Etienne, Bocca Juniors, and My Bloody Valentine. I started to read about Ibiza in Boy’s Own magazine and The Face, and in the latter, there was a phone number for a woman called Sue Bennission advertising all-in-one clubbing holidays.

I was a journalist by now, aged 17, at Melody Maker and so I arrived with my best friend from Oxford, met Sue at Café Del Mar, and she introduced me to Jose Padilla. That was it. Via him I met the likes of Darren Emerson from Underworld and was introduced to all the major players of the time.

I fell in love again. Two weeks of pure musical hedonism. I sat at Café del Mar every night for 14 nights and took in Manumission, Pacha and Space. My friend was ruined after seven nights and tried to go home. Me? I don’t think I’ve really been home properly since! I was completely obsessed. I loved the landscape, the elements, the sunsets. I adored the music at Café del Mar by Phil Mison, Sergio and Jose Padilla. Honestly, my heart would melt at sundown listening to 51 Days, Mechanical Soul Saloon and Balearic beauties.

It was the Balearic music that will always dig deep into my heart with Ibiza. However, at that time, the main clubs were not good. I really didn’t get Manumission back then (I think I was too uptight and obsessed with Detroit techno), and really only Space played the music that I felt was trailblazing the genre forward. It’s no shock then that at this time Richie Hawtin and The Chemical Brothers had miserable experiences in Ibiza.

Now look at Richie in Ibiza! So it was a strange time. It really took Sven Vath to unlock truly groundbreaking dance music on Ibiza. I was at Cocoon year one in the main room as Sven handed down bottles of champagne to the dance floor. This underground sound was my heart and my god did Sven change things. DC10, Underground, Richie, Loco Dice, Luciano… None of these would be as big as they are on the island of Ibiza without the spirit of Sven.

And somehow I turned my holiday romance into a business! It’s something I need to stop doing as it means I’m up working when most people are embracing the entertainment and elements. In 2011, my company still produces the influential Pacha Magazine (nine years now), and I’m a partner in a music conference with Pete Tong and others (International Music Summit). Aside from that, you’ll find me rolling around venues enjoying the music, meeting new people and connecting the dots. I still love Ibiza. There is a magic in the name. I’ve always said it’s in the Z! It makes the word stand out, and it still gives me butterflies. The first time I had ever heard of Ibiza was actually in the sleeve notes of New Order’s Technique album. It made me curious as the name looked so sensual on paper! It’s no coincidence that this album is one of my favourites of all time. The entire album was made after nights out at Amnesia in 1989. Say no more…