BELLLA MUSICA 3
by JOSE PADILLA…Timeless songs for music lovers
feat. Balanescu Quartet, Nina Simone, Chris Montez, Rodney Hunter, Jill Scott, Ocho, Flamingo Star, Falete, etc. RELEASE DATE JULY 2008
Each summer, a new flock of dance compilations stake claim to be ‘the real Ibiza’. But, if any one deserves that accolade, it is the celebrated Café del Mar series compiled by José Padilla. José first arrived on the White Island in 1975 and has been DJing there ever since. With the ‘Café Del Mar’ series he is the spiritual father of chill-out, a title that’ll be reaffirmed with the soon-to-be released The Best of Café del Mar.
José Padilla’s ‘Café del Mar’ compilation series introduced eccentric English pastoral groups like Penguin Café Orchestra, and maverick singer-songwriters like John Martyn, mixing in flamenco and bossa nova styles into a seamless sonic canvas of more modern ambient, dub and breaks. Notably, Madonna revealed to Billboard magazine that any of the Café del Mar volumes mixed by José Padilla would be the perfect soundtrack to take to a desert island.
José took those twilight chill-out tones a stage further with his debut artist album ‘Souvenir’ and solo tracks like ‘One Day In Paradise’ and ‘Agua’. He has gone from a poor neighbourhood of Spain, to a jet-set DJ lifestyle; guesting in London, Paris, Montecarlo, Amsterdam, Miami, Italy, Moscow, Australia and serving as an ambassador for Ibiza.
His second artist album ‘Navigator’ represented a new creative peak that gained global notoriety. On Madonna’s request it was released in the American market through Maverick and was launched at an exclusive party during the Miami Winter Music Conference 2002.
“Music has to have a message in it, something that I really feel, something emotional,†says José. “When you see a painting, if it’s a good painting, it sends you a message, it doesn’t have to be a Picasso. My music is the same.†The expression of what he feels through his music, earnt José Padilla a Latin Grammy nomination last year in the ‘Best Instrumental’ category. Billboard wrote "Spanish José Padilla...has become a legend across much of the world as a maestro of chill-out/ ambient music."
José headed for Barcelona harbour and took the first boat out. It happened to be sailing to Ibiza. “I was escaping from many things,†he says now. “I think I was running away from myself.†Over the next 25 years José established himself on the island, starting as a waiter, culminating in the high-profile position he holds today. He DJed in a tourist hotel; in clubs like Es Paradis, Playboy 2, Privilege (then called Ku), Pacha and Space. “The crowd was fantastic. People would dance to anything,†he says, “they were inspired by the music without relying on drugs. It was more wild, more spiritual, and people communicated better.†He built a bar called Museum in Cala Vadella, and developed his unique DJing style in its lush garden.
He then started up a stall in Ibiza’s famous hippie market to sell his idiosyncratic mix tapes. It was in 1991 however, when Café del Mar realised how well the mix tapes were going down with their clientele, that they brought José in to DJ – and the rest, as they say, is history. “Everything kicked off. It was the right moment, the right place, the right music,†recalls José.
José DJed to the sunset. “That came naturally. You’ve got this amazing sight in front of you. I paced my set around the sunset. It was great to experience different music and play according to the colours. If it was grey I’d play one way, if it was very bright I’d play up-beat. I’d work with the mood.â€
Those sunsets have become legendary – an essential part of the Ibiza experience, climaxing in warm applause as the sun finally sinks beneath the waves.
