UNVRS

UNVRS
UNVRS Nightclub
Map
Former namesKu, Privilege (Until 2024)
LocationSan Rafael, Ibiza, Spain
OperatorThe Night League
TypeNightclub, music venue
Genre(s)Electronic dance music, live music, performance art
Capacity10,000
Record attendance10,000
Construction
Opened1978, reopening 2025
Renovated1995 and 2023-2025
Expanded1997 and 2023-2025
Closed2019
Website
Official website

UNVRS previously known as Ku Club (1979–95) and Privilege Ibiza (95-19)[1] is the "world's largest nightclub"[2][3] according to the Guinness Book of Records, also defined as a superclub with a capacity of 10,000 people and encompassing 6,500 m² (69,940 ft²).[4] It is located close to the village of Sant Rafael de Sa Creu on the Spanish island of Ibiza, less than one kilometre (0.6 miles) from the nightclub Amnesia.

The venue has remained closed since 2019 following the COVID-19 pandemic.

However in August 2024, The Night League, the brand behind Ushuaïa and Hï, announced the club will be known as [UNVRS] and will be the world's first "Hyperclub", which is due to reopen in 2025.[5]

History

[edit]

The history of Privilege began in the early 1970s when it started out as a restaurant, then expanded to include a bar and a community swimming pool. It was then known as Club San Rafael.[6] In 1979, the venue was sold to the Real Sociedad footballer José Antonio Santamaría, together with the creative team of Brasilio de Oliviera (founder of La Troya Asesina, one of Ibiza's longest running nights[7]) and Gorri. The venue then changed its name to KU, after the name of a God from Hawaiian mythology (see Kū). The appeal of the club was such that it commissioned a medium-length film showcasing the many wonders of Ibizan landscapes and nightlife in the mid-eighties.[8]

Throughout the 1980s,[9] KU Club earned a reputation initially as Europe's premier polysexual but predominately gay nightspot and was compared to an open-air version of the famous Studio 54 in New York. It staged spectacular parties in the main room, which was organized around a swimming pool and a statue of Ku. The place was also where the video to "Barcelona" by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé was filmed on 30 May 1987.[10] It was the witness to early live performances by groups such as Spandau Ballet and Kid Creole and the Coconuts.[11] The club featured in a Channel 4 documentary called A Short Film about chilling, which labelled KU as "the mirror of Ibiza".[12] A group of fashion designers called Locomía would have shows at KU.[13] After being discovered there, they went on to become a highly successful recording project. The open-air parties came to an end when legislation forced many of the greater clubs in Ibiza to cover their dancefloors in the early 1990s. Nevertheless, the sheer size of the venue gave rise to the claim of it being the size of an aircraft hangar with a 25-metre (82 ft) high roof.

The club continued with the KU Club name until 1995 before becoming known as Privilege, after a change of ownership to Jose Maria Etxaniz.[14] In 1994, it hosted Manumission, one of the island's most famous events. In 1998, La Vaca Asesina moved to Amnesia and was renamed La Troya Asesina. After a dispute between the club owner and Manumission's organizers in 2005, the event ended in 2006. La Troya Asesina moved to Space in 2006.

Venue

[edit]

According to official statistics published in the 2003 edition of Guinness World Records, Privilege is by far the world's largest nightclub covering an area of 69,968 sq ft (6,500 m2) and holding 10,000 clubbers.[15] Designated areas of the club include the Coco Loco bar area, and the La Vaca dance area (now known as the Vista Club).[16]

Resident DJs

[edit]

Resident DJs include:[17]

  • Adam Beyer
  • Ben Klock
  • Carl Cox
  • Marcel Dettmann
  • Jayda G
  • Alex P
  • Deborah De Luca
  • Dennis Cruz
  • Sindey Charles
  • The Blessed Madonna
  • Young Marco
  • Luca Donzelli
  • Jamie Jones
  • Seb Zito
  • Michael Bibi
  • Darren Price

Live performances

[edit]

A number of live performances at the venue have included:[18][19][20][21][22]

Promoters

[edit]

Notable promoters have included:

  • Brasilio de Oliviera.[23]
  • Gorri
  • Faruk Gandji[24]
  • Mike, Claire and Andy Manumission.[25]

Celebrity patrons

[edit]

The club has attracted many celebrities over the years, including Boy George, Madonna, David Bowie, Grace Jones, Jean Paul Gaultier, Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Moschino, Tina Turner, and Valentino.[26][27][28]

[edit]

Events staged at Privilege

[edit]

Include:[29][30][31]

  • Resistance (2017)
  • Afterlife (2017)
  • Babylonia
  • Brazil
  • Calcutta
  • Fort Ku
  • La Vaca Asesina (1978-2006)
  • Manumission (1994-2007)
  • Tanga Night
  • The Home of Troy
  • The Killing Cow
  • The Temple of Love
  • White Fool Moon

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Club History". privilegeibiza.com. Privilege Ibiza. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  2. ^ D'Andrea, Anthony (24 January 2007). Global Nomads: Techno and New Age as Transnational Countercultures in Ibiza and Goa. Routledge. ISBN 9781134110490.
  3. ^ Stewart, Iain (2003). Ibiza and Formentera. Rough Guides. p. 271. ISBN 9781843530633.
  4. ^ "Largest nightclub". guinnessworldrecords.com. Guinness World Records. 17 May 2000. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Welcome to UNVRS The World's First Hyperclub". Hï Ibiza. 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  6. ^ Stewart, Iain (2003). Ibiza and Formentera. Rough Guides. p. 271. ISBN 9781843530633.
  7. ^ "La Troya : Historia". 23 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Look De Ibiza". 23 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Spectacular Photos From KU, Ibiza During Its '80s Heyday". Sabotage Times. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  10. ^ "Freddie Mercury:Archive". freddiemercury.com. Mercury Songs Limited. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  11. ^ "A History of KU/Privilege". theibizan.com. The Ibizan. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  12. ^ "A Short Film about Chilling". 23 December 2016.
  13. ^ "History of Loco Mia on YouTube". youtube.com.
  14. ^ "Throwback Thursday: When Ku became Privilege – 1995". myibiza.tv. IBZ.TV. 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  15. ^ Folkard, Claire (2003). Guinness world records 2003. [England]: Guinness World Records Ltd. p. 130. ISBN 9781892051172.
  16. ^ Jessop, Tara (28 August 2016). "Privilege Ibiza: The World's Biggest Nightclub". Culture Trip. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  17. ^ "Privilege - Ibiza | Club Portrait, DJs & History" (in German). 18 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  18. ^ Farrow, Stan (28 August 2015). "A History of KU/Privilege - The Ibizan". The Ibizan. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  19. ^ Warren, Emma (12 August 2007). "The birth of rave". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  20. ^ Freestone, Peter (7 January 2010). Freddie Mercury (Paperback Edition): An Intimate Memoir by the Man who Knew Him Best. Omnibus Press. p. Chapter 1. ISBN 9780857121271.
  21. ^ "Brasilio de Oliveira presents La Troya Ibiza Massimino". Resident Advisor. 26 August 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  22. ^ "An interview with Faruk Gandji about the Ku on Ibiza (part 2)". ibizainside.com. Ibiza Inside Webzine. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  23. ^ "Brasilio de Oliveira presents La Troya Ibiza Massimino". Resident Advisor. 26 August 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  24. ^ "An interview with Faruk Gandji about the Ku on Ibiza (part 2)". ibizainside.com. Ibiza Inside Webzine. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  25. ^ Phillips, Dom (8 July 2000). "The way we live now: Ibiza covered". The Guardian. Guardian News Group. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  26. ^ "Club History". privilegeibiza.com. Privilege Ibiza. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  27. ^ "Dance Music History Ku and Privilege Ibiza". theibizan.com. The Ibizan. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  28. ^ Hunt, Geoffrey; Moloney, Molly; Evans, Kristin (24 January 2007). Youth, Drugs, and Nightlife. Routledge. p. 57. ISBN 9781134189250.
  29. ^ "Historia – La Troya IBIZA". latroyaibiza.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). La Troya Ibiza. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  30. ^ "Feature Dance Music History: Ku / Privilege Ibiza | Ibiza Spotlight". Ibiza Spotlight. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  31. ^ "An interview with Faruk Gandji about the Ku on Ibiza (part 2)". ibizainside.com. Ibiza Inside. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
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38°57′28″N 1°24′29″E / 38.95778°N 1.40806°E / 38.95778; 1.40806

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