- by Neil Condron
- Wednesday, July 05, 2006
As sure as the autumn announces its coming with the first golden leaf cracking underfoot, or as spring calls ahead with birdsong, so can the arrival of summer be sensed with the first arrival in the Gigwise office of an Ibiza mix CD. Strange then, that instead of being warmed by the imminent glow of a Balearic sunrise, we tend to feel a cold shudder when we take that collection of ‘exclusive mixes’ from the packaging.
However, this one is different from the bog-standard trance and funky house compilations that usually flood the market at this time of year, plastered with the word ‘Ibiza’ in the knowledge that they’ll be the soundtrack to many a Red Bull and vodka-drenched Club 18-30 fortnight. Fortunately we’re in safe hands this time: Simon Dunmore and the Defected label rarely fuck these things up, and with ‘Eivissa 2006’, they’ve delivered the goods once again.
To mark the beginning of their Tuesday night residency at the seminal Pacha club, Defected have compiled a double-disc set that is infused with eclectic spirit yet is as progressive as it is celebratory. Dunmore’s mix is typically deep and soulful, swinging from the neo jazz funk of Ingram and Hippsoul to vocal cuts courtesy of Tiefschwartz and Moloko. We get jacking house (Three Kings, Mr V) and disco (Willie Bobo’s instrumental take on ‘Always There’ and Kathy Brown); legendary tracks (Billy Ray Martin’s ‘Your Loving Arms’, Gat Décor’s ‘Passion’, Black Box’s ‘Fantasy’ to name but three) as well as future classics (Bob Sinclar’s ‘World Hold On’ and Furry Phreaks’ beautiful closer ‘All Over The World’). And as if to conclusively prove the honour in Defected’s intentions, they pass the headphones to Pacha stalwart and co-resident this summer DJ Pippi for disc 3, where he pulls together some of his own favourite Balearic moments.
In days when the name Ibiza has come to be as associated with wacky pisshead holiday reps as it once was with the second Summer of Love, it’s to be admired that some people still hold the musical ideals of the island’s club scene so close to their hearts. For the first time in a long time, here’s an Ibiza mix worthy of the label.
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