Guide to Balearic Beat: A Brief History of Balearic Beat

Balearic beat, also known as Balearic music or Ibiza house, refers to an adventurous mix of dance music played at clubs on the island of Ibiza, part of Spain’s Balearic islands, in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Balearic beat also refers to a particular style of electronic dance music (EDM) inspired by the Ibizan club sound, which influenced both the acid house and chill-out musical genres that followed in its wake.

In its truest sense, the genre focuses less on any particular style of music and more on the song choices made by a small group of individuals to keep partygoers on dance floors at clubs like Amnesia. DJ sets by pioneering figures, like Alfredo Florito and Danny Rampling, were anchored around relaxed, upbeat songs with a slow but solid beat from all genres, from pop and rock to soul, American and European disco, and electronic music.

The breezy aesthetic of the Balearic sound—made all the more enjoyable by the sunny locations and sense of freedom they afforded—proved irresistible for vacationers and fellow DJs alike, many of whom returned to England to infuse the native club scene with the joyful Balearic style. Balearic music was primarily encompassed by the house music and chillout scenes that arose in its wake. However, it remains a nostalgic descriptor for many dance music compilations that wish to evoke a carefree international feel with their selections.

The history of Balearic beat begins in the 1980s on the island of Ibiza, also known as the White Island or White Isle, a popular tourist destination for decades.

• Beginnings. An influx of hippie culture in the 1960s lent a sense of abandon to Ibiza’s nightlife, which a quartet of nightclubs—Amnesia, Pacha, Ku, and Es Paradis—sought to preserve in the 1970s and 1980s. Alfredo Florita, also known as DJ Alfredo, helped to set the tone for Balearic music for his DJ sets at Amnesia, which eschewed traditional dance music sounds in favor of a stream-of-consciousness approach to setlists that emphasized downtempo beats and polished production.
• Defining the sound. Soul, dub, and reggae mixed freely with extended mixes of dance hits, Italo disco, and pop-rock. Singer-songwriters Carly Simon and Chris Rea flowed with almost natural ease into “Lullaby” by The Cure, indie acts like the Woodentops, and UK electronic music forerunners like A Man Called Adam. Any style of music could be a Balearic record as long as it had a relaxed beat and a positive vibe.
• Project Club. Balearic beat soon caught on at other Ibizan locations, most notably with DJ José Padilla at Café del Mar, a popular bar at the Ibizan coastal town of St. Antoni de Portmany. It also drew the attention of aspiring British DJs and producers who vacationed on the island, like Danny Rampling, Trevor Fung, and Paul Oakenfold. Upon returning to the UK from a 1987 trip to Ibiza, Oakenfold and Fung attempted to incite a Balearic scene at the Project Club in South London. The pair brought the Project Club sound—a mix of Balearic beat, hip-hop, and house music—back to Ibiza, where it attracted more devotees. By the early 1990s, Balearic beat was a staple of the London club scene and the growing rave movement in Manchester.
• Decline. Eventually, the quality that made Balearic beat so memorable—its eclectic musical direction—became its undoing. As EDM splintered into various factions, it became regimented in terms of its sound; following a deep house or electro track with Italian disco was seen as potentially off-putting for dance floors, not experimental. In the UK and on the island, the Balearic scene was swallowed up by the movements that followed, including chillout, which drew inspiration on the sun-kissed style of Balearic beat.

Several characteristics define the eclectic sound of Balearic beat:

1. 1. Cool, insistent beats: The songs attributed to Balearic beat skew close to the sound of deep house or Italo house, with a solid swinging rhythm and a cool but insistent beat that clocked in between 90 and 110 beats per minute (BPM). Both drum machines and drum kits could produce the desired Balearic beat pace.
2. 2. Instrumentation: Balearic beat songs tended to follow a traditional R&B or pop instrumentation lineup of guitar, deep basslines, drums, and keyboards (usually synthesizers). Most songs were instrumental, but many well-loved Balearic beat songs, like Chris Rea’s bluesy “Josephine” or Tullio De Piscopo’s propulsive Italian jazz track “Stop Bajon (Primavera),” are vocal tracks.
3. 3. Sources: Balearic beat drew from a diverse array of genres for its cruise-control swing. A Balearic beat playlist could veer from post-punk by Talking Heads to soul jazz, then transition to Herb Alpert and Latin funk without causing the slightest disruption on the dance floor.

There are many notable Balearic beat artists. Among them are:

1. 1. Chris Rea: The gravel-toned English rocker Chris Rea’s songs were frequently anchored by a precise, R&B quality rhythm section that lent immeasurable swing to his songs. Tracks like “On the Beach,” “The Road to Hell'' and “Josephine” were Balearic favorites; Rea even recorded a club version of the latter that Paul Oakenfold popularized.
2. 2. Mark Barrott: Producer/DJ Mark Barrott’s gentle loops and beats, issued through his own label, International Feel Records, hover between the mellowest club songs and funky new age music. A resident of Ibiza since 2009, Barrott has produced numerous Balearic tracks, including collaborations with the legendary UK DJ Harvey.
3. 3. Penguin Café Orchestra: The experimental classical-pop band Penguin Café Orchestra came to the attention of Balearic devotees through the inclusion of their most famous single, “Music on a Found Harmonium,” on José Padilla’s first compilation of Balearic tracks under the Café del Mar rubric. Additional tracks, like the gently percolating “Air à Danser,” have found their way into Balearic playlists.
4. 4. Wally Badarou: Wally Badarou was a member of the ’80s jazz-rock band Level 42, who collaborated with Herbie Hancock and Robert Palmer on various recordings. Tropical vibes and sinuous basslines mark his outputs as a solo musician. His 1984 album Echoes, featuring the classic track “Chief Inspector,” remains a touchstone for Balearic fans.

There are many notable Balearic beat tracks drawn from a host of diverse sources. Among them are:

1. 1. “City Lights,” William Pitt. The 1987 single “City Lights” by William Pitt embodies the glossy international feel of Balearic beats in its precise rhythm section and Spanish-influenced guitar. Pitt’s voice, alternately soaring and sonorous, oozes Continental class, even if he hails from the United States. It’s available in an array of remixes.
2. 2. “Hoomba Hoomba,” Jasper Van’t Hof. A hit for Dutch pianist Jasper Van’t Hof and his band Pili Pili—which featured Angélique Kidjo—this epic track merges crisp jazz piano with traditional Afrobeat sounds. A 1990 cover by Voices of Africa brought it back to dance floors worldwide.
3. 3. “Keep On Movin’” Soul II Soul. The second single from British R&B act Soul II Soul’s 1989 debut album, “Keep On Movin’” was a Number One hit in their native UK and a Top 20 single in the United States. Its effortless, gliding strings and the shimmering vocals of Caron Wheeler made it a Balearic beat track with mainstream appeal.
4. 4. “Sueño Latino,” Sueño Latino. One of the first tracks to earn the Balearic beat label, this eponymous and undeniably funky debut single by Sueño Latino—who hailed from Italy—is built around a sample from Ash Ra Tempel musician Manuel Göttsching’s live, album-length single “E2-E4.” Göttsching later added guitar to the “Winter’s Version” remix.

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