The legend of this place began long before UNVRS, in an era when Ibiza was even more wild and anarchic. Before it became a futuristic hyperclub, the gigantic steel skeleton was home to KU (1979–1995), an open-air temple that embodied the excesses and freedom of that era. It was a place where nights felt like scenes from a movie: In 1987, Freddie Mercury sang with Montserrat Caballé, and stars and free spirits danced under the open sky, surrounded by water basins, sculptures, palm trees and a stage that resembled a Bond film set.
In 1984, British photographer Derek Ridgers, previously known for his portraits of London punks and skinheads, captured this world – an Ibiza that was raw, playful and glamorous all at once. In his photo book KU, Ibiza, 1984, he immortalised the Adlib fashion, hippie energy, New Romantics and untamed hedonism that hung over San Rafael. KU inspired not only artists, but also the young band Locomía, who found their origins here. Theme nights such as ‘White Night’ and Brazilian extravaganzas shaped the image of a club that was larger than life itself.
But every golden age must come to an end. At the end of the 1980s, protests by local residents resulted in stricter noise protection regulations being introduced. The KU had to rebuild, insulate and invest until it was finally handed over to creditors. The iconic open-air venue then became Privilege (1995–2019), which the Guinness Book of World Records recognised as the ‘largest club in the world’ with a capacity of 10,000 people. Once again, standards were raised, but in 2020, the machine came to a standstill. A pandemic, court rulings and decay caused Privilege to close its doors and fall into disrepair, leaving only the huge white dome as a reminder of its former glory.
This dome, visible from afar like a relic of a bygone era, now forms the heart of the new beginning. Grupo Empresas Matutes, the operator of Ushuaïa, Hï and the Hard Rock Hotel, gutted the building down to its steel frame and, in 2025, created something completely new: UNVRS: a hyperclub that has been reinvented, not renovated. Its dimensions will be galactic, its vision futuristic and its ambition global. The first marketing images, reinforced by the presence of Will Smith, suggest that a venue is emerging that will not only continue the history of KU and Privilege, but also transform it.
UNVRS thus finds itself at a rare juncture, balancing memory and future, myth and digital present. Where people once danced under the starry sky, a new universe of sound is now emerging that honours this past while transporting it into a new era of electronic music.