Does hippy Ibiza actually still exist?

But “…there’s still some escape from all the billboards!” says We Love… cofounder Sarah Broadbent, who is currently employed by Pikes Hotel. “The hippie vibe still exists outside of the mainstream nightclubs at small places like Pikes and Ibiza Underground and some of the smaller beaches that haven’t been inundated with beach clubs. Places where you can hang out without music being blared at you. And oddly enough, even though they were the first club to do the ridiculous amount of VIP, I think you can still find it at Pacha. The problem with VIP culture, in general, is that it separates people. When we first started We Love… at Space there was no VIP. People who were saving up all of their money for the entire year to come to Ibiza were dancing next to some yacht owning princess. Yet everyone was having the time of their lives. That’s what you don’t get at the big clubs anymore. I don’t think it’s just an Ibiza thing; it’s probably more of a global, cultural thing. My opinion has always been that the party is better if we’re all together.”

“Do hippies still exist in this modern ‘Las Vegas’ Ibiza?” asks Balearic Beat aficionado Mark Barrott. “Yes, thank goodness they absolutely do. You see them walking along the road in the summer, selling stuff at Las Dalias, listening to the original spirit and sound of Ibiza at La Torre and living in the caves around Atlantis. They are woven into the fabric of the island and prove beyond doubt that, as with most things in life, its only when you step off the beaten path and dance like no-one is watching that the really good things happen.”

Island natives the Mambo Brothers, aka Christian and Alan Anadón, are also convinced that hippie Ibiza is still prevalent. “You’re more likely to find original hippies from the ‘60s in the north of the island,” says Alan, “living in an old traditional Ibizan house with no electricity and with their own field to grow their own fruit and vegetables.”

“The northern side of Ibiza is so beautiful and so special that it will find you when you are ready to appreciate it,” adds Christian. “You can still find many other places where this spirit exists, but we suggest you let it find you. Until then, leave hidden Ibiza hidden!”

Cream resident Josh Demello has a different take on the same perspective, believing Ibiza’s power has always been its ability to magnetise people who are on the same wavelength. “You don't just turn up on an island miles away from home for no reason,” Josh says. “We all somehow cross paths on the hunt for something. We co-habitat with each other and form amazing little communities dotted all over the island. These communities ultimately bring us all together, mostly with people we've never met before and we tend to experience the most incredible things together. Some of which are awesome; others we do not like at all. But regardless of anything else, we are all brought together in one way, shape or form by a common interest. So with that in mind, I'd say yes, hippie Ibiza does still exist. In recent years, it’s just had a little remix or become a bootleg, that's all!”

Johnny Lee is Mixmag's Ibiza correspondent

Marc de Groot is a freelance photographer and regular contributor to Mixmag