Book of the Month – The Motel: High Times in 90s Ibiza

The Motel: High Times in 90s Ibiza by Claire Manumission is a vivid, first-hand chronicle of Ibiza’s explosive club scene during the 1990s, seen through the eyes of one of its key protagonists. Claire’s incredible, unique story takes place at the intersection of art and hedonism and at a time in the late 20th century when seismic changes in dance music and clubbing were about to change mainstream youth culture forever. Claire was there at the epicentre – curator, performer, muse and twisted ringmaster.

The Motel is a raucous, jaw-dropping adrenaline hit that captures a unique moment in time, place and culture. For the first time, Claire opens the door on the wild, scandalous early Manumission years — raw, radiant, and utterly unfiltered.

‘Wild as True Romance. Immersive as Berghain at 4 a.m. Beautiful as Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet. Forged in the legendary world of Ibiza’s Manumission.’ In 1994, nineteen-year-old Claire books a one-way ticket to Ibiza. Here she meets Mike, the young artist and architect behind Manumission, and they begin a passionate affair. But this is not your average love story. ‘The Motel’ is a transgressive modern-day counterculture classic.

“The Motel was a cavern of chaos where the fun just never stopped. You literally did not know what sort of a day you were going to wake up into. Or if you were going to wake up. Or even go to bed at all, ever again. All you could be assured of is that you’d be talking about it for years to come.” Irvine Welsh

“Everything in the world was going on in that little Motel.” Kym Mazelle

“Mike and Claire Manumission have had more to do with sculpting the Ibiza we see today than anyone else.” BBC Radio 1

“Mike and Claire were the main instigators for much of the major mayhem on the island of Ibiza.” Fatboy Slim

“We went to Manumission…People might have been half naked but they all looked so bloody happy. I was so ratted that I was wrapped ’round this lap dancing pole, desperate to get up on stage myself. Norman kept grabbing me, saying, ‘Remember who you are’.” Zoe Ball

“It’s hard to put into words just how great Manumission was.” Carl Cox

“It was the club night that transformed Ibiza into a giant clubbing holiday centre. It brought theatre and fun into clubbing. More than any other 1990s superclub, it brought a louche, bohemian sexual decadence. More importantly, Manumission is credited with putting Ibiza back on page one of the hedonist’s handbook as the only destination for the E generation.” The Independent

“I went with my brother to Manumission; I remember just watching people and thinking, ‘Wow, in this moment these people could take over the world.” Jonathan Anderson (Creative Director, DIOR)

Available from here

by Damion Pell

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