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DJ Mag Top100 Clubs
49
Privilege
7

If there's one thing Ibizan clubs have over the majority of their mainland counterparts it's a sense of both magic and history. And none can claim more of either than Privilege. Instantly recognisable thanks to its iconic space-station dome that lights up San Rafael's hillside like a beacon, it was on Privilege's vast stage that Freddie Mercury performed his most iconic recording of 'Barcelona' with opera singer Monteserrat Caballe back in 1987, whilst tales of Grace Jones dancing in an open-air thunderstorm the same year are still stuff of Ibiza legend.

And, let's face it, legends don't come much bigger than the Queen frontman and New York's eternal ice queen of disco.

As for clubs, they don't come much bigger than Privilege itself - quite literally. Long touted as the biggest club in the world, stepping into Privilege might not be the same since they stuck a roof on it in the '90s but it remains an experience that first-timers are unlikely to forget in a hurry.

A huge aircraft hangar-like structure with a swimming pool in the middle of its 5000-capacity main room, Privilege is so sprawling that they should hand out maps at the door, as areas like the intimate Coco Loco room and countless corridors weave into its labyrinth colossus. In its full hedonistic glory, it remains a sight to behold.

Of course, cynics could argue that the club enjoyed its heyday across the late-'90s and early-noughties when Manumission's legendary run transformed the epic venue into a carnival of the surreal and sexual. But whilst Privilege's name no longer commands the same worldwide resonance that venues like Pacha, Amnesia and Space enjoy, it remains a force to be reckoned with. Not least because it hosts the only Ibiza residency that trance megastar Tiësto cares to indulge in - last season Sir Tijs' hallowed In Search Of Sunrise parties sold out the colossal venue with shocking ease every Monday and were illuminated by the sort of production you would expect at a U2 concert.

But for the anti-fromage brigade, the most reliable bet at Privilege remains Mauro Picotto's Wednesday night Meganite party, where names like Adam Beyer, Slam and Marco Carola supply techno with funk and thump as standard.