The first in a series of compilations exploring the 21st century’s heirs apparent to chill-out Balearica, and one in which casts its net far and wide incorporating the likes of The XX and Animal Collective

From the people behind the critically acclaimed Future Disco series comes the first installment of Future Balearica. Compiled by production duo FETE, this record seeks to re-examine the Balearica of the 90’s and casts its net far and wide into the territories of indie, dance, disco and folk to discover the sun-soaked and chilled out grooves of the musical landscape of the 21st century. With the inclusion of the likes of The XX and Animal Collective, the urge to diversify and provide an eclectic take on chill out music of the last ten years is obvious, however apart from a few exceptions this mix is largely comprised of tracks which repeat rather than reinvent Balearica.

The record begins with a stalwart of the genre, Coyote’s ‘Electric Sunburst’. Starting out with an ethereal buzz and faint church bells, first beat and then groovy melody kick in, followed shortly by unintelligible vocals. Starting out with a chill out heavyweight such as Coyote sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the mix, and satisfies the premise of the compilation as it is immediately followed by a track that would not immediately be thought of as Balearic or “chill out” in the electronica sense, but which nevertheless fits in seamlessly: ‘VCR’ by The XX. There are a number of The XX’s songs which could have fit the bill; however the choice of ‘VCR’, with its soothing recounting of “You and me, by the sea” which best fits in with the summery sun-soaked ethos of chilling out on the beach. The exploration into other genres that buy into the Balearic ethos then subsides, as the following tracks by Mario Basanov, Smith & Mudd, Project Sandro and FETE themselves are just chilled out electronica that happen to have been made in this century. This is not a failure by any means, as this mix is merely a compilation of artists which represent the past, present and future Balearic sound, however it reduces somewhat the impact of this musical project and leaves the impression that more could have been done to explore and find songs which capture the Balearic spirit while adhering to altogether different sounds and styles.

Nevertheless, the mix is seamless, each track perfectly placed, and it rises and falls in waves, with the likes of DJ Kaos’ ‘Love the Nite Away (Tiedye Remix)’, Dark Captain Light Captain’s ‘Questions (Hatchback Dub)’ and Icasol’s ‘Ongou (Idjut Boys Remix)’ in particular providing much needed rejuvenation amongst the more unremarkable fare. It finishes strongly and once more delves into new musical territories with Iain Archer’s ‘Canal Song’, Lady of the Sunshine’s ‘Lady of the Sunshine’ and Animal Collective’s ‘Loch Raven’ which only serves to whet the appetite and makes you wish that FETE had included more tracks which were Balearic in spirit but not in style.

All in all however this first installment of Future Balearica is a massive slice of Mediterranean sunshine and is varied enough to appeal to a wider audience base than drugged up youths with tired legs. Excellently mixed and as apt a summer soundtrack as you could wish for, the disappointment only lies in the wish that the fundamental idea behind this mix could have been developed so much more.

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Alex Baker