Balearic Beat
As a music genre, `90s Balearic beat`s typified by slow beat (90-110 bpm) that consists of bass hi-hats, which often produced with a Roland TR-909 drum machine. Also Balearic beat it is soul, Latin, African, funk, and dub affectations.
Birth: 1985 Bloom: 1989
Balearic beat was named for its popularity with European nightclubs and beach rave patrons on the Balearic island of Ibiza. Some dance music compilations referred to it as "the sound of Ibiza" even though many other, more aggressive music could be heard on the island.
Britons Paul Oakenfold and Danny Rampling became popular with having "discovered" Balearic beat (as far as the UK was concerned) in 1985 while on holiday in Ibiza. Reportedly, they emerged at Amnesia by DJ Alfredo from Argentina, who had a residency there. Alfredo Fiorito aka DJ Alfredo played mixes whose style encompassed the indie hypno grooves of the Woodentops, the mystic rock of the Waterboys, early house Europop, and oddities from the likes of Peter Gabriel. After visiting other clubs on the island, including Pacha and Ku, Oakenfold and his friend Trevor Fung returned to London, where they tried to establish a nightclub called the Funhouse in the Balearic style. They failed, but didn`t want to give up. After 3 years of trying to propel Balearic beat in England, he finally achieved what he wanted: the style became popular.
Today, the German producer Roger Shah is considered to be the main ideologist and propagandist of Balearic beat on a global scale.
Also read: Chillout
Umbrellate style: Downtempo
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