Test Pressing talks to the most balearic human being we know Nancy Noise about the first time she went to Amnesia in Ibiza in 1986. Imagine just being there that summer. Nancy not only went but danced under the stars and sun for the months. It begins here...

What were you doing in Ibiza that year?

I had gone to spend the summer in Ibiza with three friends. We wanted to get away and be out there for a few months. That was our dream to be there in the sunshine for those long hot days and nights (sounds cheesy but sooo true) and not just being there on holiday for just a week or 2! It's what the English fantasise about isn't it

Had you been before?

Yes, I had been there on holiday twice before. Once with a big group of girlfriends to San Antonio it was our first holiday away alone (yes it was nuts!!) and another time with my family on the other side of the island (much more tranquilo!).

How did you end up in Amnesia?

A few days before that night, I was at Café Del Mar. It was the first time I had been to the Café. It was during the day and I met Trevor Fung's brother Rudy there. We got chatting... I told him i was out there for the summer, so he invited me out. He was like "Oh what you up to on Thursday night? Do you want to come out with a few of us, all the workers". He told me that the theme of the night was that everyone was going to wear black. He said they would be moving around all night going from place to place. So I thought that sounded good and would be nice to meet some new people. When I got back to the apartment I told my friends about it and we said yeah lets definitely go. So that night we met them all, we went around to a few bars in San Antonio then to Nightlife, Extasis, The Star, Es Paradis then last stop Amnesia!!!!

What had you heard about the club before you got there?

I hadn't heard anything about the club and didn't know that we were going there at all that night.

Who did you go with?


I was with my friends who I'd gone away for the summer with and the crowd of workers we had met up with that night. There was quite a few of us out. Some of the workers were a little older than us. They were cool. I had seen some of them around so it was nice to meet them and be out with them.

What do you remember about the first time that you walked into Amensia?

I can remember it like it was yesterday. We walked through the entrance and I don't think I knew that it was going to be an open air club. You kind of walked down through the entrance way then through these wooden doors. It was then I saw there was no roof. I remember we were all standing just where you first walk into the club for a little while. From there I was looking around and taking it all in, then walked over to the steps to look a little closer to the dance floor.

I thought the people in there looked cool – interesting, flamboyant, fun & beautiful. Then it was really funny as I was looking around in Amnesia I spotted these guys we had been kind of saying hi to a few times on the street near the Star Club & Es Paradis. They were cool boys from Manchester. We hadn't really gotten to know them yet but had just been having a bit of a laugh with them. Anyway when I spotted a couple of them in there, i went straight over and said "thanks for telling us about this place!!!!"

They started laughing (I mean we didn't really know each other at that at that point but I couldn't believe that they hadn't mentioned it to us!! haha). We all became part of the same crew and hung out loads together. We got really close and partied together, looked out for each other like a family... A tribe.

What were the rest of the crowd like?

A real mix... Lots of beautiful people and colourful characters, very cosmopolitan. Wonderful dressers and some pretty out there outfits too.

I remember the next summer when we got in there for the opening night I was so happy. Over the moon actually, and relieved that it was the same people playing the music...

Were you nervous about what to expect? That feeling of like 'this is it...'...

I don't remember feeling nervous. We had no idea where we were going that night. I think once we got there and as we were waiting to go in there was undoubtably anticipation. I know that once I was in there I did think 'Wow .... this is more like it!!!!'

We had arrived in Ibiza on the 1st May that summer and had been living and hanging out in San Antonio for probably about six weeks. We had been having a lot of fun... But getting to Amnesia it was like "yesssssss!!"

How did you find your spot and space in the club?

The first night I just remember standing by the entrance for a bit, then looking around, then sitting on the steps. Once we started going there regularly we danced about all over the place, especially if it was early there was more space to do that. Later I danced a lot in front of the speaker, the one that faced the DJ booth, either on the steps or on the dance floor in front of it.

What were you drinking that night?

I may have got a drink that night and if i did it would have probably been vodka lemon or a coke or aqua!, but it was very expensive and exclusive in there at the time. Even back then it was a 1000 pesetas for a small bottle of water and that was in 1986! So I never used to drink in there really, as we were just young ones out there all summer & didn't have a lot of money.

I do have memories of going up there knowing that i wouldn't be able to buy a drink thinking right i'm going to be in here for a long time, so I'd have a big bottle of water with me just before going in I'd drink as much as possible and leave it by the wall outside. Ha the things you do eh!! Drink or no drink the most important thing was to be in Amnesia! Hook or by crook!

Did you know the DJ's at that time? Did you care?

We never knew who the DJ's were. I don't remember thinking much about it at first, then once we started going regularly I could see that it was the same people playing the music every night. Obviously I started to love the music and was really impressed with what I was hearing and blown away by the atmosphere they created.

I don't even remember when or how we found out their names (it's all a bit of a blur!!). The DJs were Alfredo and Leo Mas. I do remember going over to the DJ booth to see what they had been playing, I think I used to try and see the sleeve or ask to see it as they took the record off. I remember the next summer when we got in there for the opening night I was so happy. Over the moon actually, and relieved that it was the same people playing the music. Although i didn't think it would be any different as the summer previously the music had been so incredible!

What about the music? Had you heard any of those records before?

Some things we had heard before in clubs or even pop stuff... Those sounded so good it was different hearing them in there. A lot of the records no I hadn't ever heard them before. Sounds & genres I had never experienced. It was really varied. Hearing things like Yello or Los Ninos Del Parque for the first time ever in there... Mind blown! That summer I watched the dance floor go mad to the 12" version of "Underground" by David Bowie. That was such an uplifting beautiful thing to see and unforgettable.

The special thing I think was hearing the same music all summer. The soundtrack of that year and getting to love the tracks, the repetition of hearing them over and over again. The different styles of music and the way it was put together and played was totally unique!

Do you remember any of the music from that night especially?

The first night we got there it was pretty late so we didn't get to hear so much music... What I did hear sounded so good. To be honest all I can remember was being blown away by the place. The track that I remembered from the first night, was the last track played that was Henry Mancini the Pink Panther. I remember that coming on and watching these compelling, alluring, fascinating people moving & swaying to it.

What time did you leave?

We left when the night was over, I do remember sitting on the steps for a while at the end of the night, people watching, hearing everyone speak all the different languages. Soaking it all in. Heaven.