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Mike & Claire Manumission
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They're probably the most famous couple on the Island. Mike and Claire Manumission
have had more to do with sculpting the Ibiza we see today than anyone else.
Almost everyone who visits Ibiza goes to a Manumission party, and along with
Mike's brother Andy, these are the people who created them. However not content
with doing it just once a week, Mike and Claire have now opened motel and are
planning other ventures, where they can continue to enjoy the Manumission ethos
of 'Escape from Slavery'.
For those people who don't know can you tell us what Manumission is ?
It's a big party in Ibiza. It's held in Privilege, the biggest club on the
island, but there's also a lot of things branching out from it, there's
Manumission The Movie and now we have the motel.
When did Manumission start ?
Manumission started in January 1994 in Manchester. We brought it over to
Ibiza in July/August of that year and this is the fifth year we've been going.
It's just seems to be getting stronger and better, evolving and changing
every year. Now the parties are the best that they've ever been.
What made you come to Ibiza in the first place ?
A cheap package holiday. We didn't have much cash at the time, as we'd just
finished in Manchester, so we got a cheap flight here and blagged it into all
the clubs by saying that we wanted to start a night here. When we saw the
clubs, they were so amazing, so purpose built, we just thought that we could
do amazing things here. So we stayed.
It sounds so easy, but was it difficult to set up something like this ?
It's an absolutely huge amount of work. There's just no time when we're
not working. However we're having a great time, it's excellent work, but we
have had to put everything into it to make it successful.
You've been here for five years now, have you seen a change in the scene
at all ?
A lot of the people we know have been coming here for years and so that
doesn't really change, but it's definitely getting busier and busier. Last
year was packed and so was the year before, but this year, it's been
absolutely mad. There's a real incredible mix of people from all over the
world, we've got people from Tahiti, Berlin, South Africa, South America,
Argentina, New York, Ireland, and Spain, and there all really good nice
people. People who like to party.
Manumission is a lifestyle, the word Manumission means 'release from slavery',
and in the party you are free to do whatever you want to do, that's the idea.
The Manumission Motel is an extension of the same kind of thing. You get so
many hotels where you get disturbed at 8 o'clock in the morning or so, they
just don't cater for the lifestyle that we're living. Our hotel's a complete
nocturnal hotel, nobody sleeps before six, the music's booming through it,
and we're just expanding that life style thing.
