The story
Balearic was never a sound so much as an attitude: whatever feels right at sunset, mixed without a hint of genre snobbery.
It was born on Ibiza's open-air terraces, where DJs like José Padilla would follow a flamenco record with dub, then ambient pop, then a film theme, anything that fit the light.
Whatever feels right at sunset, mixed without a hint of snobbery.
The chillout room formalised it: a space, off the main floor, for music that asked nothing of you but to lie back.
At its best it's generous and unpretentious, the most welcoming corner of downtempo, and the one most likely to surprise you.