FEELING FINE IN ‘89

SEMINAL BALEARIC CLUB SCENE

CAPTURED BY REPORTAGE OF VETERAN DISCO-SNAPPER IN NEW BOOK

As short, dark days draw 2020 to a bleak close, one sub-cultural highlight lit up its penultimate month. Dave Swindells new book, Ibiza ‘89, was just published by IDEA books (click) and rightly sold out in a heart beat. It constitutes a collection of such rare, cult footage precious to a certain subsect, its no wonder. Enthusiasm for what went down here is wide spread; most intensely held by actual attendees.

WHO’S THAT BOY?

GEORGE BLISSING OUT

WAISTCOAT CULTURE CLUB THING

Alfredo and other almost mythical DJ names played House Music from Chicago to Italy, also New Beat, fused with all kinds of other dance and punctuated by odd & obscure Euro-vibes which made up the soundtracks. These carried the varied collections of Balearic shufflers drawn from club cultures all over Europe and beyond to party in Ibiza’s unique, scintillating dance scene. Swindells told me he was super keen to get in there that year as clubs like Ku & Amnesia had to put roofs on after that- this was last chance to witness this level of dance abandon in then open air. I wasn’t there in 1989, but this tome is still compelling to those that weren’t. Glimpses of definitive moments which radiated out from the White Island are captured by Swindells, where even the Ibizan colour spectrum at sun up/down is exceptional, warm, pinky, faded and vivid all at once in high contrast.

THINK BIG SMILES

AND SMALL WATCHES

Venues were ambitious, camp, comparatively chaotic and no-longer to be found looking like they do in Dave’s shots. He explains how it was possible to sneak in to some gaffs then randomly find yourself in amongst unexpected groups of bods; in one case a slice of partying European royalty. Its an interesting moment of what London DJ Danny Rambling calls the ‘Days of freedom’ alive with anti-establishment spirit were actually going off in midst of the massive clubs. effectively the first super clubs, before super clubs existed. Let alone the VIP obsessed hierarchy class system which prevailed across clubland in the future decade.

PYRAMID SCHEME

INTREPID CLUBBER SHIMMERS INTO AMNESIA AS MONO-LEGGINGS PROVIDE DISTRACTION

Dave’s testimony is key to understand this, and so much of the content is really about the people and the mood of the moment. Not just the exuberance and optimistic, innocent new wave of hedonism and revelry. Not simply the unfettered dancing in loads of space to a new mental mix of possible sounds, hugs and “smiles” and all the perceived coming together. We need to note there’s about as many photos taken in all of 1989 in clubs as snapped every single night out in recent days, further ratcheting the fable-quotient.

CONVENTION FORGOTTEN

ENRICO PULLS A FAST ONE* AT AMNESIA

*A LEOPARD, SI?

For me these pictures amount to an explicit document of the style of that moment. Aside from the all that late Eighties hair (the curly, mushroom male bobs particularly) washed out, baggy-ish and ripped denim is particularly definitive. Mainly battered Levis 501s worn quite high on the waist (as was the Vogue) but also jeans like very faded C-17s, or Classic Nouveau on the Euro-boppers, and Junior Gaultier on trendies. Brits were going baggier than the rest, see Dungaress too, also 80’s faded, and jeans with print insert panels. But its the Western belts that are hitting me strong. Gonna look into those guys in readiness for spring 2021, to deploy jeans at pivotal hip-altitude. Can you feel it?

PACHA HIT LIST

GILLET. COWBOY BOOTS. BLISS. CHECK

Also surprised to clock the cute little watches, like neat Roley Date Justs and the like, all on braclets, which appear on wrists of the many well heeled Italian and Spanish, in polite and stark comparison the macho alpha-kettles prevailing today. Maybe should pitch Balearic kettle vibes piece to one of my old publications? Used to be a kettle hack a few years back, you know. Best not. Far more exciting in fact are the gypsy minstrel-like waistcoat romance moves, also waistcoats worn in hippy, sloppy casual styles. These were double big thing, as confirmed by seasoned vest toting mover, Tim Soar.

KILLER MOVES (CLICK)

ADAMSKI DROPS A COUPLE AT KU

“He wears beads. Beads I tell ya!”

Wondering how might these cheeky gillet-vest guys might function for coming unlockdown Spring casual? Feels like could be a thing again, or is that my Covid fever kicking off cos its late? I had a Joseph Tricot knitted linen-silk gillet in bout ‘93, influenced by these, but well late. Critically, Swindells remains clear people were dressing up and down across the board, “It really was heterogeneous with no dress codes, as ball-gowns mixed in with dungarees with everyone partying together” he explains.

PACHA FAN CLUB

“It was blended across the ages and club cultures too”. Unlike many club dance cultures it just wasn’t age focused back then, nor closed to people into fetish or other niche style strains. Bloody hell- now that really does seem appealing when viewing it all from back here in 2020 at 50. While I am looking back fondly, I did have a wicked Armand Basi top from ‘87 which sorely regret selling now. Other trendy brands about to become part of this, aside from Basi & Junior Gaultier, was Michiko Koshino, all working as bit of antidote to raver identikit overkill- bit early for this moment though.

CAN YOU FEEL THE BASI?

AM STILL DIGGIN THE ARMAND BASI ‘89 COLLECTION

On a tee shirt tip, there was zero smilies out here right then. Plenty of Shoom tees, and all the Brits all did long sleeves, while the Euros were keeping it short. Swindells shots include downtime ravers loafing on the beach in denim and club-casual. Also atmosphere shots of what was going down elsewhere on the island with both holiday makers and locals. He was also very keen to capture sundown and sunrise from a partying perspective, especially in light of the the dying spectacle of the open air club. Nice one Dave, you managed it. Did ya get a heroes welcome from your editor back in The Metropolis? Doubt it, as really good stuff like this never done. I forgot to ask. Don’t matter either way, as this is in no doubt a wicked book- get involved in it when it comes out again in Spring 2021.

SMOCK TO THE BEAT

SMOCK TO THE BEAT (CLICK)

Its taken me all week to finish this. Dont care. Publishing it now anyway, locked in my flat with high temperature and a massive bag of frozen croissants big enough to last 10 days of iso’.

There’s a really good forward by Terry Farley off of Boys Own.

REALLY GOT TO-GA NOW

STUBBS OUT