west end girls

Head for the dub version here and Arthur Baker's
dream-like remix of ''west end girls".
Dubby and smacked-out (as per usual)
Just made for 6am plays.

Pet Shop Boys -west end girls (Arthur Baker dub)

dream

summer

This one is from Caro Diario.A really ''balearic'' film that stays in my heart forever.

seaside weekend mix

1.Cottonbelly - Tempest (dub)
2.Balearic Buffin - State of Grace
3.Aswad - Oh jah (dub)
4.Peter Green - Slabo day
5.Level 42 - Dune tune
6.Pointer Sisters - Hypnotized
7.Eddie Henderson - Cyclops
8.Digitano - El kiosco
9.Miro - Emotions of paradise
10.Mudd - Summer in the woods
11.Paul Weller - Thinking of you
12.Dizzy Heights - Would i found love
13.DTR - How many times (warp mix)
14.Happy Mondays -Dennis And Lois
15.Traffic - Walking in the wind
16.Baffo Banfi - Quelle dolce estate sul pianeta venere
17.Eddie Hazel - Physical love
18.Dee Dee Bridgewater- Love from the sun
19.Wham - Ray of sunshine (instrumental)

GOODNIGHT JUNE

Seaside weekend mix
http://www.zshare.net/audio/6197782502f38cdc/

Mediterranean Beat

June is coming to an end and so is our balearic special tribute.That doesn't mean we are not gonna be posting some of our favourite balearic gems within the next months though.We just need to focus on some other stuff that deserve your attention.Sinve we are going through the last days of June and i don't have that much time left i thought it would be cool to make one more mix so i can include all the balearic classics i was meaning to post.This the way music sounds in this part of the world where the mediterranean sea meets the sand and the sun bathes the white houses in a golden glow.This is my piece of heaven on earth and this is it's sound.I wish you all a very balearic summer!

Mediterranea Mix

1.Megabyte-My Father Was A Teacher

2.Unknown Cases-Masimba Bele

3.Ottmar Liebert-Duende Del Amor

4.Jose Padilla-Close To You

5.Gipsy Kings-Inspiration

6.Belen Thomas-Survivor

7.Electra-Autumn Love

8.Kissing the Pink-Big Man Restless

9.La Banderita-Mediterranea

10.Mike Francis-Features Of Love-Apiento Edit

11.Byron-Too Much

12.Mandre-Solar Flight

13.Johnny Chingas-Phone Home-Instrumental

14.Jorge Ben-Oe Oe Faz o Corro De Boi NA Estrada

15.Mandy Smith-Mandy's Theme-Cool And Breezy Mix

16.Baffa-Piano On

17.Sure Beats Workin'-Beats Workin'

18.Simply Red-Something's Got Me Started-Steve Silk Hurley Mix

19.Limos-The Night Goes On-Extended Raya Mix

18.Roach Motel-The Night-Dark Mix

19.Weekender-Sunday Session

20.Loui$-Pink Footpath

21.Between the Sheets-Congo

22.Chris Rea-I Can Hear Your Heartbeat

the sound of someone you love who's going away but it doesnt' matter

This is a rather weird mix or to be honest it's not a mix at all.I was looking forward to putting down a balearic mix for quite some time now but what i came up with after all doesn't sound really balearic after all.Maybe that's a good thing after all.So what you get in this is two hours of roughly mixed music,no beat-matching,some melancholy,some folk,some house,and some classical stuff.Probably this sounds better with hint of a night breeze on an island terrace under billions of stars covering the summer sky.

The Sound Of Someone You Love Who's Walking Away But It Doesn't Matter

1.Michael Nyman-Nadia

2.Vladimir Cosma-Sentimental Walk

3.Seigen Ono-Julia

4.Penguin Cafe Orchestra-The Sound Of Someone Who's Walking Away But It Doesn't Matter

5.Pat Metheny-Sueno Con Mexico

6.Gordon Lightfoot-Beautiful

7.Unknown-Dreams

8.Nick Drake-River Man

9.Marden Hill-Bardot

10.Warp 69-Natural High

11.Terre Thaemlitz-Raw Through Straw

12.Saint Etienne-Stoned To Say The Least

13.Bobby Konders-The Future

14.Larry Heard-The Dance Of Planet X

15.Womack And Womack-Conscious of My Conscience

16.Vincent Floyd-Get Up

17.Smoab-Waiting

18.Brian Eno And Harold Budd-A Stream of Bright Fish

19.Cantoma-The Call-Banzai Republic Mix

20.Propaganda-Dream Within A Dream

21.Steve Winwood-In The Light Of Day

reload

This one's for the after after after Balearic hours.

When it's time to admit defeat,reach dig out this

little beaty!Proof,if anyone were needed.,

why Mark Prichard and Tom Middleton are the

revered producers they are today.

A bonifide Balearic classic in any cirles,this fusion

of jazz,ambient and techno will warped you up in

cotton wool and make you realise what a briliantly

eclectic scene it was back in those days.

And if you can't be bothered to get up and change

the record stick the CD of ''76:14 ''on!

WARP 69 - Natural high (Global Communications remix)

mellow

This track is the perfect afterhours antidote
to any preceding episode of whatever we get up to.
Originally released in the mid-1990s on the legendary
Dr Bob Jones' Black On Black label.
This is a bit of a modern soul anthem and is something
that is well worth hunting it down.
Simply turn the volume up,clode you eyes and let the
sublime vocals of Camelle whisk you off to Sausolito...
Bliss!

Camelle Hinds - Sausalito calling

raving 89

From the people that gave you solid reasons to find reading exciting again with books like the Vince Alleti's The Disco Files,comes the second treat in their series of book releases.Raving 89 is a collection of stunning photographs from the "acid year'' as seen through the lens of Gavin Watson.Gavin Watson is a top photographer known mostly for his previous photographic deeds as featured in the books Skins And Skins and Punks focusing on the punk culture.This time he delivers a full picture of the raving days of 1989 through 200 pics plus some great memories from Gavin and his brother.The fashion,the laser lights,the haicuts,the warehouses,the smileys, it's all here.Pre ordering comes pretty soon but till then you can have a sneak preview

here.

recommended

Beaty party tune ,basically.
I think...This is what the word 'Balearic' was invented for.

Fleetwood Mac - Family man (Artur Baker guitar mix)

can you feel it

....

30 something

This is my first post after turning 30.Great feeling even if it sounds hard to believe.Last night was a blast of happiness,coctails,friends,hugs,smiles,white mirrors and above all it was all about William Pitt's City Lights droping on the decks about 4 in the morning and making everything sound and feel magical.Definitely one of my favourite tunes ever it gives the chills every time.And such a great felling sharing this with the ones you love.Anyway enough with birthdays,this is a track from the ''original balearic band'' otherwise known as It's Immaterial.Even the voice in this is the essence of balearic is all about.This is ''Space''.Love is What We Need!

SPACE - IT'S A IMMATERIAL

Mediterranean

In early the 90's italo house was something more of a fashion in the european club scene.Sometimes exotic sometimes a bit cheesier than you might expect sometimes even mightier than America's output it was certainly something different from the more straightforward dance music that was coming either from the states or Albion.Favoured on the late acid scene and embraced by the balearic dj's back in Mallorca anthems like these one are a fine example of what some Mediterranean influences could sound like.The latin influences were more than clear on the Balearic scene especially after the infusion of some flamenco guitars that became more evident after the boom of Elkin And Nelson's epic Jibaro on the Ibiza dancefloors.The song posted is a classic in any way and can put fire in any dancefloor with it's amazing flamenco guitars blazing through some pseudo latin sampled vocals that are just great.

LA BANDERITA - MEDITERRANEA

dancing the night away

David Drake says
"It's there a greater joy in life than total immersion of feeling,
losing yourself completely and pushing aside all cynicism
and self-consciousness?''

It's why you drink, dance, and throw yourself into a vast,
unknowable nightlife despite the uncertainty,
the possibility of failure and of heartbreak;

It's why we love the night away. Tiedye, a duo known for
a nearly flawless string of gorgeous tropical-inflected
tracks on the Italians Do It Better label, have taken on the task
of remixing DJ Kaos' already-excellent "Love the Nite Away,"
and effortlessly re-framed the striking vocals into
a shimmering pop masterpiece.

The bongos are pure Balearic disco,and the gruff, assertive,
and sincere vocals firmly in the tradition of Italo classics.
But the end result is a passionate dancefloor
slow burn of intense beauty, an incomparable summer soundtrack.

Dj Kaos - Love the night away (Tiedye remix)

there's a light that never goes out

It's light and fluffy and it's made to be played
outside on a sunny afternoon.

Mike Francis - City lights (William Pitt cover)

summer '89

Limited Edition for Summer '89
Belen Thomas covering Mike Francis's ''Survivor''
A summery Balearic anthem that can't fail to put
a smile on your face.

Belen Thomas - survivor

ave maria

Athens is boiling like Dante's inferno and the only way to cool up things a bit is visiting my blog and writing stuff about music that bring me closer to the summer haze of the islands.Sometimes i think that reality is too dull to bother with it so i prefer living in a parallel world of white painted houses,crickets singing in the afternoon heat,sun tan smell on skin,an old refrigerator humming in the night..This is a song by a British new wave band i love so much that has produced almost any kind of music imaginable.Even music that could be played in an Ibiza bar.

BLANCMANGE - AVE MARIA (extended version)

late night balearic monster

This is Catherine Deneuve in 1962.Quite later in her life she recorded a song about Paris with a guy that was once the manager of the Sex Pistols.This a remix of the song.It's about 17 minutes long so take your time and listen.
MALCOM MACLAREN FT C.DENUEVE - PARIS PARIS REMIX

brazilian dancer

Jorge ben is a true Brazilian hero.One of my favourite artists to come from the land of football,sunshine and perfect hips.This is some heavy Brazilian Disco Funk from his 1981 LP Bem.Vina Amizade.I just love this song.Oe Oe!!
JORGE BEN - OE OE FAZ O CORRO DE BOI NA ESTRADA

shine

Many people argue that this is the side of balearic that should rather be untouched and some go even further on to say that artists like Chris Rea are ideal material for aspiring wedding djs or music to drive by in a new Porsche that you bought during a severe midlife crisis.Since i'm not any of those people i always include a Chris Rea song in my ''b'' selections.Watersign is an album recorded by Chris Rea in 1983 that started out as a demo LP and was released without any any post studio production on the because Rea's record company showed no interest whatsoever in investing any money on this project.What was finally released was a demo with the use of drum machine instead of a drummer and some slight overdubbing over the original recordings.The result was a surprising success as the use of a drum machine and the absence of any lush production gimmicks gave the LP a sound that was resembled electronic synth pop than Rea's overproduced Dire Straits like pseudo bluesy material.So even if by mistake this album with it's wonderful compositions like I Can Hear Your Heartbeat,Shine Shine Shine,Nothing's Happening By The Sea or Love Strange Ways,still remains as the cornerstone of Chris Rea's career.Interesting story huh?Anyway this is Shine Shine Shine which makes you want to walk barefoot on beach holding hands with your girl of choice.

CHRIS REA - SHINE SHINE SHINE

June's ''B'' mix

This mix sums up a summertime parallel universe.
One where the people are smart,where the music
trips off the decks into glasses of cold beer & nights are warm.
A small piece of heaven condensed into a mix the summer
months were made for.
By the time you ''reach the beach''you've already
entered the warm zone,
where stuff just ''feels right''
and everything in the world is,well,okay.


1.Earth Wind & Fire - The drum song (edit)
2.Coyote - Layback (Windsurf remix)
3.The Egg - Venice beach dub
4.V.R.S. - Aqua marine
5.Cantoma - Moonsmith ft The Spanish Choir From Istanbul
6.David A. Steward ft Candy Dulfer - Lily was here ((Space Centre Medical Unit Hum)
7.Bastila - ghosts (Time and space machine summer of love mix)
8.Banda Sonora - Guitara G (Afterlife remix)
9.Dubstar - Elevator song (Biff And Memphis mix)
10.Peter Gabriel - Don't break this rhythm
11. Mike Oldfield Featuring Jon Anderson - In high places
12.Chris Harwood - Wooden ships
13.Minako Yoshida - Tornado
14.Hiroshima - Da Da
15.Yukihiro Takahashi - Drip dry eyes
16.The Fixx - Reach the beach (live version)
17.Richard Schneider Jr - Hello beach-girls
18.Dutch Rhythm Combo - Cartagenera (Ray Mang remix)
19.Fazed Idjuts ft Sally Rogers - Dust of life (Swoop edit)
20.Karen Ramirez - Troubled girl (Spanish version)
21.Happy Mondays - W.F.L. 'Think About The Future' (The Paul Oakenfold Mix)
22.St.Etienne -Only Love Can Break Your Heart (A Mix In Two Halves)

June's ''B'' mix
http://www.zshare.net/audio/61210956860fb2c1/

''THE NEXT ONE" - is it balearic?

Cheekily entitled Le Suivant ("The Next One" in English),
the album sees the duo come together to work their
collaborative magic in the studio yet again, with a few new
people drafted in the help out.Robin Lee even lends his cello skills
to the record, whilst the usual cast of friends and session musicians
have fleshed out he tracks with all sorts of instrumentation.

As with their previous work, Le Suivant sees the duo venture
away from their more dancefloor-oriented material
to create a lush summer soundtrack, mixing influences from folk,
jazz, disco and even Indian music.

As with most of the vinyl releases on Mudd's Claremont 56 imprint,
the LP version of Smith & Mudd will be limited to just 500 copies,
so wax addicts should act quickly if they fancy a slice of sunkissed
melodicism to sup their cocktails to over the summer months.

Claremont 56's released Le Suivant on June 1st, 2009.

Smith & Mudd - Genoa

It's heaven..

This one is beyond magic.
Watch the skies ..keep looking..


Ashra Temple - Mistral

au lait

Most of the times this blog is not intended into impressing you our music discoveries but sharing a feeling or a vibe.Either way you want to call it it's the same.Think of it like a day journal of thoughts that uses music as the media.This post is about a song so classic that shouldn't be a stranger to most of you.It is probably one of the best pieces of music ever written.It starts like this:mysterious,spooky,hazy,foggy and then it gets sunny,sad,liberating,quiet,melancholic,subtle.The piano breaking in at 2.25 is a reason enough to make me fall in love with this song again again and again.I can imagine holding her hand under the pale summer sun and Lyle Mays playing that piano riff only for us.No talking please.This is the soundtrack of my summer.

PAT METHENY GROUP - AU LAIT

damascus

The jury's out on this one.Peak time balearic classic
or ''LET'S LYNCH THE DJ'' ?

Richard Strange & The Engine Room- Damascus

plein soleil

Alain Delon is beyond the shadow of a doubt one of the living proofs that beauty is a godlike feature and one of my all time heroes alongside the likes of Maurice Ronet.As a young kid i remember my father literally forcing me to watch Rene Clemen's classic masterpiece Plein Soleil,which still remains my favourite interpretation of Patricia Highsmith's novel describing the deeds of the young and talented Mr Ripley.I can still remember the magic of watching Alain on the screen for the first time.It's a picture that still follows me to this day.This is a song by Alain Delon which fits the mood of our blog for the month we are going through.Delon was not quite much of a singer but the song is beautiful in a way that is almost haunting.As you can see i tried hard not to use the ''B'' word and as it seems i tried hard enough.Till the next time..

ALAIN DELON - COMME AU CINEMA

red hot mix

This is a new mix i put together.Strictly House music for sweaty summer nights.The heat is on.

pic by Bruce Weber

 Red Hot Mix

1.Lil' Louis-Do U Love Me

2.Robert Owens-Visions

3.Ron Hardy-Sensation-Dub Mix

4.Sheena Easton-101-Def Mix

5.T.P.O.-Hiroshi's Dub-Milo's Garage Mix

6.Sueno Latino-Luxuria

7.Nami Shimada-Sunshower

8.Jump Street Man-B Cause

9.Pepe Bradock-Life

10.Mood 2 Swing feat.Loni Clark-Love's Got Me-Dub Mix

11.Mood 2 Swing featLoni Clark-Love's Got  Me-Vocal

12.Willie Ninja-Hot-Danny Tegnalia Mix

13.Chayell-Beach

14.Ethereal Beat-Underboard-Remix

15.Q Base-Rain

16.Subculture-Voyage-Deep Mix

17.Kim English-Learn 2 Love

mar de tranqulidad

This song is absolutely stunning.Coming from synth pop Spaniards Azul Y Negro this is a great piece of guitar driven cosmic flavoured balearic pop.I swear i will try not to use the word balearic so much in the next posts..Or maybe i won't..I'm not much in the mood for writing today so just enjoy this superb tune.

Azul Y Negro - mar de tranquilidad

yes darling but is it balearic?

Many people would easily argue that the whole balearic movement was a nothing but a bunch of djs that after the haziness of the acid era decided to change their drug of use and choose some rather cheesy songs from their record bag to spin tho the ''chilled'' ravers of Ibiza.It's true that many records that wouldn't been even touched in other circumstances found their way onto the decks of any aspiring balearic dj.From the teutonic ecstasy of the Hacienda fueled by the use of acid and the the heavy motoric rhythms of early house anthems like Nude Photo,the transition to the beaches of the white island and the blue eyed pseudo soul of Chris Rea, was quite a violent one.The diversity of the newly born genre was so wide that in many occasion the results were quite hilarious.As in every musical movement it's hard to tell apart the trash from the real gems.At some point almost everything could fit under the balearic tag as long as it was received with a warm embrace by the Ibiza crowd.British House legends like Terry Farley and Danny Rampling found themselves playing records by Phil Collins and the Gyspy Kings while being applauded by bunch of sweaty club goers bathing under the Mallorca sun.Of course what sounded cool under the Mediterranean sun could be disastrous back in the UK Going through a Guardian article on the Balearic resurrection that has been sweeping around Europe i couln't keep from laughing when i found out that Terry Farley was almost mobbed after playing Phil Collin's Two Hearts at a Brighton club.The heavy contrast between ''hardcore'' Balearic anthems like Nitzer Ebb's Join The Chant and the cheesiness of tracks like Chris Rea's Josephine living under the same flag is proof enough that Balearic was a movement that broke even the most solid boundaries of music in a way that was never achieved before.Maybe the white painted houses,the sun and the cool breeze of the Mediterranean and maybe the fact that you could DJ wearing only your shorts were reasons enough to make the Balearic Beat grow up on these shores.The story behind the Balearic beat is a long and adventurous story that has been covered in many ways on this blog.The bottom thing is Balearic is sheer fun.It can be eclectic,cheesy,House,Indie,AOR,60's,Folk.Disco,Italo, or whatever you want it to be.Balearic is you alibi to mix almost anything you want in mix as long as it is Balearic.What is really Balearic though is still a mystery to me and maybe that the best part of it.Today's post is by the Greek semi god Vangelis with a song that i decided that sounds really Balearic to my ears and even if you still argue forever about that it's really ok with me.

Vangelis - intergalactic radio station

Driving instructor to the white island

Back in the days the party manifesto was
"If it feels good ,play it''
This open music policy and a certain amount
of ''credible'' dance remixes of rock.pop,indie
and some otherwise extremely mediocre AOR
artist gave the Balearic vinyl a wider range of appeal
and collectability than any other area of dance music.

BUT,because Balearic was a vibe rather than a specific
style of music,it's very easy for some tunes to be passed off
to gullible punters as classics of the genre.

BEFORE you part with cash,make sure that obscure
Curiosity Killed The Cat instrumental b-side was
played somewhere a bit more fashionable than the
Dog & Trumpet in Croydon.
One man's Balearic is another man's Bon Jovi.
The following Balearic tunes from that era
is from The Grid.

THE GRID - Driving instructor


THE GRID - Face the sun

this night

Keeping the same vibe with the previous post this is song recommended to me by my best mate George who lives in Leeds UK.Again this is a mid 80's italo cut that is laidback enough to qualify for a spot in our balearic month special."This night'' is a cool summery tune by Peter Jacques band,a project mostly known for it's disco material in the early 80's.

Pete Jacques band - this night

anglo italian

This is a song i 've been meaning to post on the block ages ago but somehow always escaped my intention.Not your usual balearic cut but after all it's quite a bummer deciding on what is balearic and not.This is result of a british hammond legend trying his luck on the 80's Italo scene wit ha track produced and made in Italy.Brian Auger needs no introduction i guess.One of the most gifted keyboard players to have walked this earth he is an iconic figure in modern music.Brian had flirted with Italy in his younger days as a mod with tracks like Gatto Nerro which was an italian version of his big hit Black Cat.Night Train To Nowhere is nothing less than what you would expect from such a charismatic music figure.Probably one of the best Italo singles ever even though produced by an English man.Check You Tube for a ''live'' version of the track recorded probably for Italian TV where Brian is trying too hard to look cool while some girls are lip singing behind him.Great!!

Brian Auger - night train to nowhere

summer lovers ice cream lovers

Mike Francis, aka Francesko, born Francesco Puccioni,
has a glorious artistic past: he was one of the protagonists
of the '80s music in Italy and internationally,
climbing the European and American charts with pieces
like "Survivor" and "Friends", impossible to forget.
Lovely summer tune.

Mike Francis - Features of love

it's never too hot

Today summer is officially here and like we did last year it's first month is dedicated to balearic.So June is once again balearic month here on Plaidmusic.Starting off this summer special i decided to post an unusual balearic nugget.Released as a part of the Belgian new beat scene Chayell's It's Never Too Hot is a double sided downtempo killer featuring the tracks Beach and Tropic.Basically the latter is like an instrumental dub version of Beach.Can't really say much about the music.I guess ''Beach'' is a song so dark and sensual it brings the word sweat in my mind.''Do you want to go to shower?'.It's never too hot!''

CHAYELL - BEACH