Balearic
Mastercuts presents: Classic Balearic Mastercuts (1996) - Various artists [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
1. Josephine (La Version Francaise) - Chris Rea
2. Sueno Latino (The Paradise Version) - Sueno Latino
3. Talking With Myself (Deep Dream Mix) - Electribe 101
4. Snapiness (Original 12' Version) - BBG
5. La Passionara (12' Version) - The Blow Monkeys
6. Primavera (Stop Bajon) (12' Version) - Tullio De Piscopo
7. Wax The Van (Jon's dub) - Lola
8. Spiritual High (State Of Independence) (Featrues The Voice Of Chrissie Hynde) - Moodswings
9. Cascades (Hypnotones Mix) - Sheer Taft
10. Floatation (Subsonic Grid Mix) - The Grid
11. Barefoot In The Head (12' Version) - A Man Called AdamThis release is interesting for "Wax the Van", "Primavera" and "Josephine"
Introduction
In 1988, there was the 'Balearic' business, an eclectic style of DJing which at the time encompassed dance mixes of pop artists like Mandy Smith and quasi-industrial music like Nitzer Ebb's 'Join In The Chant' Championed by Danny Rampling, Nicky Holloway, Paul Oakenfold and Johnny Walker who'd all been to Ibiza in the summer of 1987, Balearic was an integral part of the club scene at the time, but after the gushing media overkill it all became a little farcical as people attempted to make Balearic records. There was, of course no such thing. --Phil Cheeseman for DJ magazine 1995 or 1996
Definition (music)
But house was also developing on Ibiza. A hippy stop-over and a site for the rich in the 1970s by the mid-1980s a distinct Balearic mix of house was discernible. Clubs like Amnesia where DJ Alfredo was playing a mix of rock, pop, disco and house fueled by Ecstasy, began to have an influence on the British scene. By late 1987 DJs like Paul Oakenfold and Danny Rampling were bringing the Ibiza sound to UK clubs like Shoom in Southwark (London), Heaven, Future and Purple Raines Spectrum in Birmingham. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_music#The_British_connection:_late_1980s_-_early_1990s [Nov 2005]
There also exists a genre of trance music named for Ibiza, similarly to the way Goa trance is named for Goa, India. The style tries to reflect the atmosphere of Ibiza, and listeners often say they can see a Mediterranean sunset when they hear its euphoric, uplifting melodies. The atmosphere is brought on with the use of synthesized string instruments, the sound of waves, mandolins and guitars, and wispy vocals. Popular tracks in this genre include:
- Seven Cities by Solar Stone
- Offshore by Chicane
- Beachball by Nalin & Kane
Balearic Beat is a style of electronic dance music that emerged in the late 1980s and was popular into the mid-1990s. The style was named for its popularity among European nightclub and beach rave patrons on the Balearic island of Ibiza, a popular tourist destination. Some dance music compilations referred to the style as "the sound of Ibiza," even though many other, more aggressive and upbeat forms of dance music could be heard on the island. Major artists credited with popularizing Balearic Beat include Soul II Soul and Enigma.
The Balearic Beat sound was initially typified by a distinctive, relatively heavy, slow (90–110 bpm), R&B-influenced beat consisting of bass drum, snare, and hi-hats (often produced with a Roland TR-909 drum machine) programmed in certain laid-back, swing-beat patterns; soul, Latin, African, funk, and dub affectations; and production techniques borrowed from other styles of dance music that were popular at the time. Vocals were sometimes present, but much of the music was instrumental. The sounds of acoustic instruments such as guitar and piano were sometimes incorporated into Balearic Beat.
UK disc jockeys Paul Oakenfold and Danny Rampling are commonly credited with having "discovered" Balearic Beat in 1986 while on holiday in Ibiza. Reportedly, they were introduced to the music at Amnesia, an Ibizan nightclub, by DJ Alfredo from Argentina, who had a residency there.
Having been primarily associated with a particular percussion pattern that eventually fell out of vogue, the style eventually faded from prominence, and its repertoire was subsumed by the more general "chillout" and "downtempo" genres.
Ibiza is still considered by some to have its own 'sound,' however. Compilations such as Global Lounge Sessions: The Balearic Sound of Ibiza, released in 2002, continue to be released. These generally feature house music and certain downtempo selections, not the old style of Balearic Beat, per se. Some prefer to use the term more generally, however, to apply to all of these styles.
A less common synonym for Balearic Beat is Balearic House. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balearic_Beat [Nov 2005]
Café del Mar
Café del Mar is a bar located in San Antonio, Ibiza. Tourists flock there on a daily basis during the summer to view the beautiful sunset. Café del Mar is the original "the sunset bar" in San Antonio opened by Ramón Guiral, Carlos Andrea, and José Les in 1978.
Part of watching the sunset is the music - described as ambient, easy listening instrumental music. The bar originally sold their own tapes of the music but a series of Café del Mar CDs have been sold. Currently (as of 2005) there are 12 volumes plus 2 albums commemorating the 20th and 25th Anniversary. A total of about 9 million albums have been sold worldwide.
The original first six volumes' tracklists were selected by José Padilla (not to be confused with U.S. convict José Padilla), a DJ then commonly found at the Café del Mar. Padilla's web site can be found here.
In the summer of 2005 Café del Mar celebrated their 25th Anniversary with a special album and a festival on a big stage in front of the sea. 4 Café del Mar artists were invited to play live at the festival: D.A.B. (Spain), Tom Oliver (Germany-also on the 25th Anniversary CD), Paco Fernandez (Spain) and La Caina (France). A Dvd of the festival is supposed to come out at the end of 2005. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_del_Mar [Nov 2005]
CDs
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Cafe Del Mar, volumen 1 - Various [Amazon.com]
1. Agua - Padilla, Jose 2. The Story of Light - Orbit, William 3. Smokebelch II [Beatless Mix] - Sabres Of Paradise 4. Music for a Found Harmonium - Penquin Cafe Orches 5. Sundance - Sun Electric 6. Fanfare of Life - Leftfield 7. The Hypnotist - Sisterlove 8. Second Hand - Underworld 9. Crazy Iven - Ver Vlads 10. Estelle - A Man Called Adam 11. On the Rocks - Obiman 12. Sunset at the Cafe del Mar - Rasa, Tabula
Once upon a time, Ibiza was a spiritual and magical place. Every sunset, people gathered at Jose Padilla's ornately-decorated little beach-side bar to be hypnotised by his unique sunset DJ mix, staring dreamily out to sea. The first Café Del Mar album encapsulates this mystical experience, beginning light and airy with Jose's own dolphin-esque "Agua", progressing to darker, bassier sounds like Underworld and Ver Vlads to represent the sun falling behind the horizon. Jose creates a spellbinding atmosphere by placing oddities such as Penguin Cafe Orchestra, alongside dance tracks that take inspiration from world music and New Age (ethereal female vocals; bongo-lead percussion; samples of self-hypnosis tapes, flutes; wave-sounds). Higlights include the resonant piano and strings of Sabres Of Paradise's "Smokebelch" beatless mix. The sky fades to black with the gentle ambience of "Sunset At The Café Del Mar". Café Del Mar was "compiled with love" and thus truly stands the test of time. A great beginning to a classic compilation series. --Sarah Champion