When talking about the state of London’s clubland, the one thing everyone (except the promoters) is agreed on is the fact that the scene is too big and much too samey. The one real exception is the House Hippy scene of clubs like the Shoom and Future. This scene is, unique in its music policy, dress sense and attitude and blatantly sneers at the West End trendys.

When you walk into the Shoom, maybe it’s the 18 year old girls with their heads stuck down the bass speakers that tells you it’s different, or maybe that Eric B has been fucked off by the Woodentops. The dress code of Ponchos, Converse and pony-tails is certainly one that would get you a ‘not your night, boys’ at most W.1. clubs: here, your attitude and the ultimate dance trance is all important.

With the Shoom and Future, you will either love them or hate ’em; either way, it’s better than being bored to death, surrounded by mincers in the West End. D.J. Paul Oakenfold traces the roots of the scene, not from Chicago but the Amnesia club in Ibiza to London’s S.E.1. in cold February.

Just as a coin has two sides, so does Ibiza. On the head side is the Club 18/30, booze, sun, exotic leeches, romantic moonlight and a nightlife of endless, old-style all-dayers. These beer-swilling lobsters fill up at clubs such as STAR, PLAYBOY, IDEA and ES PARADISE with loud music, cheap booze and single women. Their days are spent roasting red hot on the beach and rolling up the hours in a numerous amount of beach bars and cafes. For most, their nights end at 2-3a.m.

You flip the coin over and show the other side and watch how the nights come alive. Their day starts at about 2.00p.m.,when most of them get up and go down to the Cafe Del Mar in Sa.n Antoine,where they try and blag some hash and sip tall glasses of coffee. Later in the season though! they don’t seem to get up until about 7.30p.m.,when they might go down to the Cafe Del Mar to watch the sun set. Early in the season, people would go into Ibiza town and meet up at Lolas or Marisol. Lolas was the bar where the more fashion-conscious people would go. They buy their clothes from shops like END ,TRIP, MAGIC and VICTOR. These shops sold mainly Spanish designer clothes from Barcelona and also some Italian. The trendy side was very Spanish orientated last season. There were a number of fashion shows at Lolas and clubs like KU, but these were more for the English fashion ideas like BOY etc.

Because Ibiza hasn’t a great phone system in their shops, there is a lot of credit card theft and fraud by workers. This isn’t a new thing, it has happened every summer for years now: it pays for the gear, yes?

As the season goes on, the people sleep longer and stop going out for meals and survive on small snacks etc., just enough so they can survive the night. The evening starts at Lolas at around 12-1.00a.m. where people would meet up. Then it’s off to PASHA, which was probably the most trendy club in Ibiza last season, full of native Ibizans, Spanish and other Europeans, who come over to Ibiza in droves to experience the music and atmosphere of Ibiza clubs. A unique style all of its own. The clientele is overridingly gay, with a splattering of transvestites. It’s for the more dressed up people, very much like the Cafe de Paris in London (stand and pose).

The D.J.’s name is Caesar,who has played in Ibiza for years, previously DJing at KU in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The music has a full range of dance sounds, from House and Eurobeat (though not Hi-Energy) with a splattering of London dance tunes. PASHA is a half-open, half-enclosed club.

Around 4a.m. the hard core moves over to Amnesia, half-way between Ibiza town and San Antoine. Alfredo dee-jays, as he’s been doing for a few years now, establishing a great reputation for himself. Amnesia is more of a street club, in the sense that people don’t dress up; they dress down and come to dance the night through to 6a.m. The club is completely open-air, with music in the style of House, Euro-beat and rock. It’s at Amnesia that you start to see a unique fashion style of baggy clothes and dungarees worn for comfort and ease of movement, when dancing for hours non-stop. On their feet are Converse-style boots of various colours.

At 6a.m.,the crowd moves down to Glorys, which is just opening; the music is a heavier mixture of House and indie rock, probably the most alternative club you will ever experience. The music is now harder than ever because, by now, You need it. The music at both Amnesia and Glorys is purely for dancing and people come from all over the world to experience this scene.

1987 was probably the best year to date for Ecstasy. It’s been around for a long time but this year it happened in a big way in Ibiza. There was, also, Mescalin – a drug produced from the cactus plant – but the main drug was Ecstasy. Bigger than James Brown playing the KU and bigger than Freddie Mercury’s party, where you couldn’t imagine the things that happen. It takes you up and gives you a feeling of freedom. You know what you’re doing, you just feel more confident of love. People tend to take the drug and dance the night away. (You hippie, Oakenfold – Ed.)

As dawn appears, people start to mellow out and head home. It’s now you can flip the coin again and as some are going to bed, the 18/30’s are getting up and going down to the beach with their flip-flops and towels.

This made people almost live for the night-life, especially Amnesia because Alfredo played the music that best suited the mood you were in and seemed to follow your moods all night.

These people are now back in the U.K. and looking for the right club atmosphere again. For those of you looking for this, there is a club in London with the atmosphere of Amnesia but if you really want it,it’s down to you to find it.

BUT THE POLICY IS NO TRENDYS PLEASE.

Since this article was finished, the ‘Shoom’ club has shut due to outsiders with a ruffian attitude, who felt threatened by a club full of people who just wanted to ‘get on one’ and dance.

The following chart was compiled by the ‘Shooms’ Danny ‘Happy’ Rampling, who, by the time you read this, will be kicking up the dance-floor at ‘Shoom 2’(Joy?) and if you’ve got a happy head on, you’ll be there too.

“The Get On One Matey Chart.”

1. Thrashing Doves – Jesus On The Payroll.

2. Bang The Party – Release Your Body.

3. Phuture – Acid Trax.

4. John Lennon – Give Peace A Chance.

5. Jack Frost – Shout.

6. Adonis – Poke.

7. U.2. – With or Without You.

8. Todd Terry Project – Bango.

9. C.C. Rodgers – Someday.

10. Cyndi Lauper – What’s Going On.

There is a real prejudice against this scene by the establishment of the West End. Sure, fashion isn’t important and maybe the dancers do look straight in style but in attitude, no fucking way. Anyway, if you aint hip enough to enjoy the City of Angels on a Friday and then just to stick on your jeans and T-shirt the next night for a real rave, then bollocks, why are you reading Boy’s Own....

© Paul Oakenfold/Boy's Own

Originally published in Boy's Own issue 5, Spring 1988