Chris Coco & Jim Breese – Eight Tracks You Never Thought Were Balearic

Music

Chris Coco and Jim Breese have more experience of the Balearic spirit than Katie Price has experience of planning weddings. While Chris has earnt his kudos by playing a role in compiling the Real Ibiza compilations throughout the 1990s, Jim picked up his Balearic stripes through being a resident DJ at the infamous Cafe Mambo Ibiza. The pair have come together to curate a selection of top quality Balearic sounds for a compilation series that comes from a love for the true Balearic spirit. Here, they tell us why they reckon sounds from Barry White, Carly Simon and more are proper Balearic.

Balearic is out on 22nd June, conveniently enough via Balearic.

LISTEN

Nils Frahm - Over There, It's Raining (Live)

A big part of the Balearic experience is going somewhere to watch the sun set into the sea, preferably accompanied by some beautiful music. It’s the only time something as mellow as Nils Frahm’s ‘Over There, It’s Raining’ could be played by a DJ. The pure emotional power of this live version is hard to beat.

Nils Frahm - Over There, It's Raining (Live)

A big part of the Balearic experience is going somewhere to watch the sun set into the sea, preferably accompanied by some beautiful music. It’s the only time something as mellow as Nils Frahm’s ‘Over There, It’s Raining’ could be played by a DJ. The pure emotional power of this live version is hard to beat.
[1991] Don Carlos - Alone (Paradise)

Don Carlos is a seminal Italian DJ. His first single, Alone, released on Irma Records in 1991, is one of the greatest slabs of Italo House ever made. This vibe of cool, uplifting house goes hand in hand with that twilight time after sunset, when the day bruises into darkness and the music builds for a wild night to come.
Strange Kind Of Love By Love And Money (Remastered)

This funky pop tune from 1988 has enough groove and float to make it work in the afternoon on sunset strip in Ibiza, the slightly abstract lyrics and piano line help too. It’s not an obvious choice but that’s what Balearic is all about, making things that shouldn’t really work fit together and make some musical sense in the right environment.
Playing Your Game, Baby

From Salinas to San Antonio, this is a daytime beach bar staple in Ibiza. It’s timeless soul, wonderfully soft & beautifully written. A perfect tempo to simply sway in the sunshine.
Carly Simon - Why (12" Mix) (Slayd5000)

This classic pop moment was produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers from Chic. It was made in 1982 for a flop film called Soup For One, but became an underground classic at late 80s acid house parties thanks to that uplifting hook and the relentless drum machine groove.
Trio Mocotó - Não Adianta

Despite being recorded in 1977, in 2001, Não Adianta became the daily anthem heard all over the Sunset strip. Unearthed to a new generation on an early Brazilian Beats compilation from Mr Bongo, this was literally the go-to after sunset track.
Love On A Real Train (Risky Business) Tangerine Dream 1983

Another tune made as a piece of soundtrack for a dodgy ’80s movie, this time 1983’s Risky Business starring a young Tom Cruise. The film may not have aged particularly well but this piece of electronic soundtrack music sounds as fresh now as it did thirty years ago.
Bruce Hornsby & The Range - The Way It Is

The Way It Is touched the hearts of many. Critically portraying 1980s America, it topped charts worldwide in 1986 but more importantly for us it closed many a climatic ending of the night at the Haçienda in Manchester & the clubs of Ibiza.