Balearic Brunch | Episode 7 | Balearic Destinies...

NTS Radio broadcast the 7th episode of Balearic Brunch on June 01st 2024.

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About this show. – Life is a succession of events. Sometimes they're good. Sometimes they're bad. They can bring you down, but, ultimately, they should always... bring you up. That's something I learnt while listening to Colleen and to other DJs I discovered thanks to her. This last episode of "Balearic Brunch" is all about these quite philosophical thoughts as we shall see in the listening experience section of that post. A lot of the songs, if not all of them in fact, and the show itself, for many reasons, depict that choice you have to make in life, that destiny you must accept while somehow refusing it, thus moving forward... And, sometimes, even if that may seem quite contradictory, deciding not to make a move is still a rebelious way to act upon events... Somehow, staying on a protective side may alllow you to move forward on a safer path, at a later moment...

The Balearic crew joined Colleen on her last Balearic Brunch show which was aired on June 1st 2024 on NTS. We really had a ball with a "Gif Party" including dancing pigeons and kitties, not forgetting crazy rabbits and other cheerfull pictures that brought a dose of well-needed hapiness to our dear Captain (btw, Colleen, if you are reading these lines, this one is a gift from Rick!)...

On her socials, Colleen shared the following presentation with her followers: "My last Balearic Brunch on @nts_radio is now reposted on my Mixcloud and thanks to all who joined in on the Discord and to all who tuned in live. It has been a pleasure to host a 6 month residency on NTS and thank you to all of the staff who have supported me and the show. I appreciate you! This show features the first play of my Cosmodelica remix of @bryonyjarmanpinto Moving Forward which is coming out on @tru_thoughts in July. Its a beautiful, positive song and I was delighted to bring out the strings in the arrangement. I hope you like it! (...)" Let's dive deeper into this beautiful last Balearic Brunch episode!

Listen back to the 7th episode of Balearic Brunch:

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PLAYLIST

(1992) La Fábula – Acuarela Crepuscular

(2024) Don Glori – All Seeds

(1986) Tri Atma – Yummy Moon (Long Version)

(NOL) Bryony Jarman Pinto – Moving Forward (Cosmodelica Remix)

(1977) True Transfusion – No Communication (Part 1)

(1977) Gary Bartz (ft. Syreeta Wright) – Funked Up

(2023) Bosq & Kaleta – Meji Meji

(2024) Nicola Conte – Umoja (Joaquin’s Sacred Rhythm Dub)

(2013) Zero 7 – On My Own

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THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE

Starting the show with the somewhat sad, and slightly worried, yet hopeful, "Acuarela Crepuscular", Colleen introduces us to La Fábula (the band consisting of musician, improviser and sound experimenter from Mexico City Rogelio Nobara Tamura, and Hector Zavala and being part of the El Chopo Flea Market artistic community, still active to this very day!) letting us reflect upon life's ups and downs. Such a beautiful and reflective musical moment. Keeping the interrogative feeling alive and well, Colleen then plays "All Seeds", Don Gori's track from the 2024 studio album 'Don't Forget to Have Fun', infusing a Jazzy vibe to the musical journey she proposes here for this last edition of Balearic Brunch, this jazzy trip being beautifully followed by the more Bossa-Nova like number that is Tri Atma's "Yummy Moon", which, as it keeps a worried soul, seems to be more combative in its approach! (Listen, and read, Colleen's interview with Balearic Mike & Kelvin Andrews here).

Even if it is being said that "Moving Forward" celebrates the deep sense of security and steadfastness Bryony cherishes with her partner while navigating parenthood together (read more about these changing times for Bryony here), this uplifting song has a broader meaning perfectly fitting today's show! It is beautifully followed by True Transfusion's "No Communication", enhancing the need for change when something goes wrong. Adressing things is a proof of love indeed! This Jazz-Fusion moment is followed by the frontal and very direct number that is "Funked up" by Gary Bartz (ft. Syreeta Wright), allowing us to enter the second half of today's show on a good foot.

By now, you must have noticed something quite important in these Balearic Brunch shows, which shines here: NTS's sound! Yes, that radio station has a Sound of its own. Listen carefully to how precise the sound is, it is quite organic too, somehow I would say there's a vintage approach here! Also, take the time to listen to Colleen's voice, did you notice that she uses it slightly differently during Balearic Brunch? Her tone is more profound if I can put it in that way, while keeping her gentleness, her sound is less "open". Also, take the time to listen to the other episodes, you'll see how much every Balearic Brunch episode has its own sonic and intellectual soul. Again, these shows seem to be more "organic" and more "soulful" I would say, while retaining Colleen's visuals intact. Yes, Colleen really tried to craft something here... Well done, dear Captain!

Keeping the positive flow afloat, Colleen then plays the very Balearic "Meji Meji" (loosely meaning something like “two heads are better than one” in Yoruba, taking a positive stance, with Kaleta singing about unity over division on a heavy Disco Funk groove with blistering horns and heavy percussion), followed by another Jazzy number, the tremendously motivating "Umoja" (expressing unity, oneness and harmony in Swahili), here presented in its Joaquin’s Sacred Rhythm Dub version! What a ball we had on the NTS chat while Colleen was playing these energetic musical trips, we laughed like crazy and Colleen enjoyed our GIFs to the maximum! Ending the show with the electronic, very oceanic, yet worried song that is "On My Own" by Zero 7 (a two-track EP that was released after a four year break from their last studio album Yeah Ghost, and with the up-beat disco-funk vibe and catchy vocals by Aussie Danny Pratt), Colleen leaves us with a strong message: it does not matter how much you'll want to protect yourself, one day life will make you Dance... against your will...