London publisher IDEA has released a picture book by photojournalist Dave Swindell. Titled Ibiza ’89, it captures the decadence of the White Isle’s acid house era in over 100 images.
Swindells was sent to photograph Ibiza nightlife on behalf of 20/20 Magazine in 1989 despite “just earning enough to pay the rent and buy camera equipment and film.” The resulting images were taken at iconic Ibiza clubs like Café del Mar, Pacha, Ku and Amnesia. Also included in the book is an introduction by Terry Farley as well as an essay by Alix Sharkey, who made the trip alongside Swindells.
In conversation with AnOther Magazine, Swindells touched on the eclectic crowds present at the White Isle destinations he captured over 30 years ago. He recounted “very smart, suavely-dressed people around the bars in Amnesia” in addition to “grandmas at Pacha, and middle-aged characters who could have been princes or CEOs dancing alongside kids in rubber fetish-wear or queens in furry shorts.”
Swindells continued: “It was easy to believe that almost anything was possible in Ibiza in 1989, that many of the big clubs put MDMA powder into their cocktails, that the music could jump across genres … that it didn’t really matter about your age, sexual preference or how much money you had.”
The first press of Ibiza ’89 is sold out, but readers can sign up to receive emails with information on a “probable 2021 reprint” on the IDEA website.
