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Fifty years ago, a story began on Ibiza that continues to shape club culture to this day. While the island has reinvented itself time and again over the decades, one venue has remained true to its own identity: Amnesia. Under the slogan „Ibiza Changed. We Didn’t.“, the legendary club kicked off its landmark anniversary this year with a season full of special events, anniversary parties, and a clear commitment to staying true to its roots. But what is it that makes Amnesia so special? Why do people from all over the world still make the pilgrimage to the club today? And how do artists experience what is arguably Ibiza’s most iconic dancefloor?
To find the answers, we spoke to two people who know Amnesia from completely different perspectives: Berlin-based techno DJ and producer Clara Cuvé, who is performing at the club several times during its anniversary season, and Fellipe Wagner, a 43-year-old raver and audio engineer from Koblenz, Germany, who has been a regular visitor to Amnesia for many years.
Anyone involved in electronic music will inevitably come across the name Amnesia sooner or later. For Clara Cuvé, the club had therefore become a legendary name long before she played her first set there. „Amnesia always had something mythical about it for me. It’s one of those clubs you hear about right at the beginning when you first dive into the world of electronic music,“ she explains. While Ibiza today often projects a highly polished image, Amnesia, to her, has always been the place that has „managed to preserve something raw and authentic.“
When she finally performed there herself, however, the myth quickly faded into the background. Instead, what struck her most was the club’s immediate intensity. „The space, the sound system, the crowd – everything feels incredibly intense in a very direct way. In the end, it’s less about the myth and more about what actually happens inside that room.“
Fellipe Wagner also vividly remembers his first encounter with Amnesia – albeit from a completely different perspective. Friends had returned from Ibiza, he recalls, „as if they had experienced something they could barely put into words.“ Naturally, he arrived on the island with high expectations himself. „Then you get there and at first it’s just a building somewhere along a road in the middle of nowhere. No beach, nothing around it. But the moment you walk inside, it’s over – that place completely takes hold of you.“
One memory, in particular, has stayed with Wagner ever since: his very first Cocoon night. „It was a Monday. Sven Väth was playing, and it was already past six in the morning. The sun had just started shining through the roof of the Terrace, and he was still going. I remember thinking: This man is never going to stop. And no one in that room wanted him to stop.“ For Wagner, that moment perfectly explains the club’s remarkable longevity. „When you look back on 50 years filled with nights like that, you understand why this club still exists today.“
Clara Cuvé also feels that Amnesia’s unique atmosphere extends far beyond its architecture. „You immediately sense that people come there to let go. The crowd isn’t passive. They’re fully engaged, they react intensely, and that pushes you even further as a DJ.“ It is precisely this direct connection between artist and audience, she says, that sets Amnesia apart from many other clubs. „There’s far less distance between the DJ and the crowd. It feels like a constant exchange of energy.“ Fellipe Wagner describes the very same dynamic from the perspective of a raver. The legendary Cocoon nights, in particular, were defined by people who came for one reason only: the music.
„Back then, of course, there were no smartphones. But that wasn’t even the important part. People simply danced for hours without a second thought. You stood next to complete strangers and shared the entire journey together without exchanging a single word.“ Even though Ibiza has changed, Wagner believes that feeling still exists today. „On the right nights, you can still find it at Amnesia. The space itself somehow brings it out in people.“
Clara and Fellipe share one observation: Amnesia doesn’t feel like a club trying to recreate its own past. „Even without having experienced its early years, you immediately sense that Amnesia carries its history within it,“ says the Berlin techno producer. „It doesn’t feel like a new club trying to imitate something old. Instead, it feels like a place that has evolved naturally over many years. That’s exactly what gives it an atmosphere you simply can’t manufacture.“ Fellipe Wagner sees this as one of the key differences between Amnesia and many modern clubs. „Everything around it has become louder – the marketing, the prices, the whole Ibiza machine. That’s just part of it today. But Amnesia has something that most clubs don’t after all these years: a space whose walls hold real history. The Terrace at sunrise, music that simply won’t let you leave – those are things you can’t fake. I think this place knows exactly what it is. And that’s rare.“
At a time when digital platforms and social media are constantly competing for people’s attention, both believe that clubs like Amnesia remain more essential than ever. For Clara Cuvé, the club’s greatest strength lies precisely in its analogue nature. „Places like Amnesia offer something that simply can’t be replicated digitally. It’s about shared energy, about letting go of control to some extent and becoming part of a collective experience. Especially today, when so much is curated and controlled, spaces like these are becoming even more important.“ For Fellipe Wagner, Amnesia has always meant far more than just partying. „For me, it proved that something can be completely serious and completely free at the same time. I was 22 years old back then and had saved up for a long time to make that trip. Those nights became a reference point that I still carry with me today – for music, for people, and for what a night can truly be.“
His conclusion, fittingly in the club’s anniversary year, is unequivocal: „The fact that, 50 years later, people are still making exactly the same journey says everything.“ During this milestone season, Clara Cuvé is herself among the artists continuing to write the club’s story. After several performances throughout the summer, she no longer sees her role simply as that of a DJ, but as part of something much bigger. „For me, it’s about bringing intensity and honesty into that space. I want people to become completely immersed in the music – to not just hear it, but experience it physically.“ Every performance, she says, is far more than just another DJ set.
„Over the course of the summer, you build a relationship with that space. It’s not simply about playing music; it’s about creating moments that stay with people – unpredictable, raw, yet at the same time crafted with great intention.“
Perhaps that captures the essence of what still defines Amnesia after five decades. Ibiza has changed. The club scene has changed. Yet this is a place where both artists and clubbers continue to speak of a truly unique energy – a venue that seems to have remained faithful to its own identity, perfectly reflecting its anniversary slogan: „Ibiza Changed. We Didn’t.“
After shows with Sven Väth, Deborah de Luca, Indira Paganotto and Nikolina there will be three more gigs for Clara Cuvé for which you can buy tickets HERE.
August 11th: Joseph Capriati presents Metamorfosi
Terraza
Joseph Capriati
WhoMadeWho (hybrid)
Luuk van Dijk
Kidoo
Club Room
Fatima Hajji
Clara Cuvé
Daria Kolosova
Luxi Villar
August 23rd: Pyramid
Terraza
Ricardo Villalobos
Fumiya Tanaka
Laidlaw B2B Kepler
Germano Ventura
Main Room
Sara Landry
Clara Cuvé
Aida Arko
Juliet Fox
Oktober 8th: Teletech
Terraza
Bella Claxton
Benwal
Kyle Starkey B2B Paige Tomlinson
Morgan Seatree
Salute B2B Faster Horses
Sim0ne B2B Spfdj
Main Room
blk. B2B Winson
Clara Cuvé
Emilija
Onlynumbers
Vieze Asbak
Text & translation: scharsigo
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