Cream to Leave Amnesia: End of an Era

It hasn’t been officially confirmed yet but news has leaked out that Cream is set to leave Thursdays at Amnesia after a massive 22 years at the Ibiza super club.

The Cream in Ibiza story started in 1994, the year that saw 2 giants – Cream on Thursdays and Manumission on Mondays – start their residencies at Privilege, the worlds biggest nightclub which had just reopened and rebranded after being previously known as ‘Ku’.

After just 1 summer at Privilege, Cream switched across the road to Amnesia in 1995 where it stayed for 23 fun filled and action packed summers. As other promoters came and went, Cream became stronger even when their spiritual home in Liverpool closed down. It was a phenomenon in Ibiza and world clubbing terms as they always stayed ahead of the game (even featuring heavily in the ‘Kevin and Perry Go Large’ movie in 2000).

Cream Ibiza were the first to focus on DJ’s rather than brand names, until then it was all about the night rather than the name. In many ways it was Cream who invented the superstar Ibiza DJ as they focused on the headshot and personality rather than the whole nights package.

Behind the scenes it was the late great Mo Chaudry who was largely responsible for getting Cream Ibiza into its lofty position in the clubbing world using his dry Scouse wit and relentless personality. He stamped himself all over the brand and made it into a world class success before handing over to Nick Ferguson who brought youth, enthusiasm and guile to the night and took it to whole different level.

Paul van Dyk, FatBoy Slim, Paul Oakenfold, Calvin Harris, Above and Beyond, Armin Van Buuren, Tall Paul, Seb Fontaine, Tiesto, Deadmau5, Eric Prydz, Laidback Luke, Ferry Corsten, Sasha, Jason Bye, Sander Van Doorn, Eddie Halliwell and many many other Ibiza legends owe a debt of gratitude to Cream as they were able to showcase their talents to huge crowds on the Amnesia terrace on a weekly basis, many then went on to host their own nights on the White Isle.

Cream’s August Radio 1 parties will go down in history as a ‘I was there moment’ as the brand went from strength to strength however all good things come to an end and Ibiza’s shift to daytime pursuits plus serious competition from other clubs with deep pockets saw summer 2017 turn into a bit of a struggle.

When you look at Ibiza’s recent clubbing history Cream was there right at the beginning and even though it’s rumoured to be heading to Hï on Sundays it’s the end of an era in many ways.

Cream was the last of the big 90’s mega-nights that started it all, along with the previously mentioned Manumission at Privilege, We Love Sunday’s at Space, Judgement at Eden, Miss Moneypenny’s at El Divino, Clockwork Orange at Es Paradis and Ministry of Sound at Pacha, these were the club nights that created the Ibiza brand around the globe and made it into the clubbing capital of the world that it is today.

Note: on 09 March it was announced that Cream would be at Hï Ibiza on Sunday nights

Author: Martin Makepeace

Englishman living and working in Ibiza since 1991. Entrepreneur with a passion for villas, boats, sunsets and San Antonio. Read my blogs, listen to my podcasts and get involved in the debate. View all posts by Martin Makepeace