Page 40 - We Rave You Magazine | September 2022

EDITORIAL > BALEARIC BEAT: THE SOUND OF IBIZA

How did it all start? The hippie culture left Ibiza’s nightlife in the doldrums,
“Balearic was the sound of freedom, of disengagement but a quartet of clubs fought to preserve Ibiza’s clubbing identity in the The Cure - Lullaby (Fiction records, 1989)
70s and 80s. We’re talking about Amnesia, Pacha, Ku and Es Paradis.
and the air that was breathed on the white island.” Alfredo Florita aka DJ Alfredo was a resident at Amnesia at the time and Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Music For A Found
is unanimously regarded as the great pioneer of the Balearic Beat. Not Harmonium (Virgin, 1984)
only did he soak that famed club of this new sound but he also infected
Chris Rea - Josephine (Magnet, 1987)
many artists with the Balearic bug, which was soon spreading to so many
venues and even to the mainland. DJ Alfredo’s sets were something that
Flash And The Pan - Walking In The Rain (Albert
challenged what was known at the time about mixing music. Not putting
Productins, 1978)
aside impeccable technique, the invitation was to mix various genres
emphasising melody and downtempo, as a bridge to reach the crowd’s Gina X Performance - No G.D.M. (Electrola, 1978)
subconscious. A sensorial and creative approach that immediately
Richie Havens - Going Back To My Roots (Elektra,
caught the audience’s attention.
1980)
Rules? Make you dance. Soul, dub, reggae, disco, pop-rock, hip-hop,
Sueño Latino - Sueño Latino (DFC, 1989)
house. Any music was plausible to be included in a Balearic set as long
as it spread a good life, and positivity, and was sung at a calm bpm. Linda Di Franco - TV Scene (WEA, 1985)
Relaxation was the watchword. More than music, Balearic Beat was an
Tullio De Piscopo - Stop Bajon (Bagaria, 1984)
attitude towards life.
Joe Smooth - Promised Land (D.J. International
Formally, Balearic Beat is close to deep house, being strongly character-
records, 1988)
ised by its insistent beats that clocked in between 90 and 110 beats per
minute. There are some iconic Balearic hits with vocals, but most of the A Man Called Adam - Barefoot In The Head (Big
songs were exclusively instrumental. Synthesizers, drums, deep basslines, Life, 1991)
guitar riffs. The instrumentation sounds the same as in so many genres,
Electra - Jibaro (FFRR, 1988)
but what gave it authenticity was the way it was crafted. Jazz, latin funk,
R&B. The rhythmic influences came from many places with the noble
The Residents - Kaw Liga (Torso, 1986)
purpose of creating disruption on the dancefloor. Not too much though,
as its nature is chillout. Donna Summer - State Of Independence (Warner
Bros, 1982)
Balearic Beat was big and no longer fit only within the walls of Amne-
Carly Simon - Why (Mirage, 1982)
sia. Other venues fell in love with this sound and adopted it in their
homes. The legendary DJ José Padilla ended up also being one of the
Jasper Van’t Hof’s Pili Pili - Hoomba Hoomba
primary figures of Balearic eternalising it in the island’s most famous
(Virgin, 1985)
sunset spot, the iconic Café del Mar. The eyes and ears of the island’s
inhabitants were set on Balearic Beat but the fame reached beyond the
sea. Many British artists who spent the summer season on the island
became curious about this music and they too began to proliferate
If one of the main qualities of the Balearic Beat
Balearic. Three of these were Danny Rampling, Trevor Fung and Paul
was its eclecticism, it was also this that dictated
Oakenfold. These last two took Balearic and wanted to implement it in
its decline. As dance music evolved, sounds were
their homeland by creating Project Club, a mix of Balearic Beat but with
regimented, compartmented, and sectioned.
a strong house and hip-hop influences. In the ‘90s this Balearic was
Everything in its proper boxes, leaving little or no
already widely appreciated in London where the club scene was very
space for experimental music on the dancefloor.
strong and also in Manchester, where the rave movement was gaining
The carefree spirit of Balearic faded away from
more and more supporters. Fung and Oakenfold took their Project Club
the white walls of sun-kissed Ibiza to make way
back to Ibiza, where it was welcomed with open arms.
for more formalised styles of music. The hedo-
nistic desire to purely have fun with music has
In addition to Danny Rampling, Trevor Fung and Paul Oakenfold, there
been replaced by the pressure of commercialized
were many agents at the service of Balearic Beat. These included well-
music. However, you can still enjoy Balearic music,
known and contemporary names you’ll recognise immediately such as
now just called chillout, keeping alive the cult that
Chicane, the late Andrew Weatherall, ATB, A Man Called Adam, Roger
brought Ibiza to life.
Shah, Pete Tong, and Aeroplane. Not so contemporary, but worth listing,
are some of the hits of Balearic Beat:

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