The UK-based DJ Emma Ryalls started her career during the nineties. I discovered her a few years ago and absolutely loved her "musical vibe". Let's dig deeper into her realm! It's difficult to talk about someone when you're "connected" to that person: sometimes, I stop and wonder. How can it be that without actually Knowing someone, you can receive so much, feel so much happiness, feel so "complete"? The best way would be to use the well-known "It's Music" answer. Of course, this is true as far as Emma is concerned (her ability to take you out of your daily routine is unparalleled, blending tracks you would never have thought could go together...), but, as we shall see, it's also much more than that when you know what the Lady has in store (find out more about her on Mixcloud and on Instagram)... Starting her career in the '90s (an era she's stayed very close to this very day), the classy, soft-spoken DJ played funky house and garage sets in bars and clubs around the South West of the UK from 2003 on, an experience she deeply appreciated but that she had, eventually, to cut short in 2008 to take Care of her then growing Family. Still, when you love doing something, it seems you can't let things go, let alone when Life has a master plan laid out for you... And this is where things get Humanly interesting as Emma explains it in her own words: "I began to teach music in and out of schools. I loved doing this, and it became my main focus for the next few years" (we shall dig deeper into this aspect of Emma's life later during the interview she agreed to give us (a dream come true for me)! Resuming her DJ career for good in 2015 after playing a set at her brother's wedding, DJ_Emma played great venues and renowned festivals (Shindig, We Out Here, Camp Bestival, to mention a few), becoming a respected radio host (her show on 1BTN allowed me to discover her), issuing her own solo tracks - working as a Freelance Producer, being featured in the "Lady Of The House" book, teaching children both in schools and on a 1:1 basis and even joining the Balearic Breakfast Family (her 2022 Balearic Breakfast set is to die for...)! With these few lifeline moments in mind, I asked my beloved "Risky DJ' if she could join the Balearic Breakfast Blog and answer some questions... She gladly did! Hello Emma! Thank you so much for answering these few questions! When we listen to your mixes (« All back to the rave », for instance, and even one of your last, the great « Reflections of Garage & House ’96-’99 ») we can hear that you’re really into the '90s. What does house music have that other musical styles don’t? Is it solely nostalgia that drives you back to these musical horizons? House music for me, and specifically 90’s US House/Garage, holds a very special place in my heart because this was the music I discovered when I was ‘coming of age’ as a very curious, excitable and literally ‘bursting at the seams’ 16/17-year-old. I grew up in a small medieval cathedral city in the South of the UK – had gone to an all-girls grammar school (that was not at all suitable for me and I was always getting into trouble of some sort), and during 6th form – I became friends with an older crowd (much to my parent's horror) who regularly drove all around the UK to experience the best clubs – the main ones that we went too were Ministry Of Sound & Bagleys in London and Lakota in Bristol. I was absolutely mesmerized by this alternative way of life and the music was part of that incredibly exciting time. I had always loved music from a young age and previously had always had an ear for old soul and funk tunes and then acid jazz in the early 90s, but discovering house music was a huge life-affirming moment for me – and those first friends that I experienced that time with are still my best and closest friends today! You’ve played a lot of great places & festivals over the years. How do you prepare your sets? Are you only musically driven, or does the location have an impact on what you’re gonna play? Does it happen that you change your set on the fly following what the partying people bring to your "inner table"? I always make a playlist of the tracks that I’ve been loving in the lead-up to the festival/club night etc. I have way too many playlists now and a very bad memory, so I try to be as organised as I can with my music. I am mainly musically driven but luckily, I love a wide range of music, from house to disco to UK garage to funk, so I feel like I can cater to a wide range of audiences. I play a lot of daytime sets at festivals or early evening, so of course – it’s important to think about the time of day and who is coming on after you. For example – at one festival last summer (Shindig), I was playing the 12-2 p.m. set on a very hot Sunday and Melvo Baptiste and Norman Jaye were on after me. I had to work out if people wanted to chill in the summer sun after a heavy Saturday night or needed picking up and an injection of energy. I also knew that the ‘main act’ of the day were on after me, so I had to take all these things into consideration. I ended up playing a lovely fusion of funk, spacey disco and classic house. That was a very different set to another festival I played over the summer (Camp Bestival) in a huge tent. I knew that it was a festival full of middle-aged parents, young kids and quite a big array of 16-18-year-olds – I also predicted that as the other huge tent had the Stereo MC’s performing (so lots of the ‘older’ gens would be there) and on the main stage – Sam Ryder was performing – again a certain audience would be in attendance – I pretty much guessed my tent would have the teenagers looking for a party…(which turned out to be correct). And so my selections responded to that – lots of UK Garage and party edits that would appeal to that crowd. The tent went from empty to absolutely heaving within 15 minutes, so my prediction was correct. As I said – I love a variety of music and because of that, I am quite a versatile DJ. My favourite festival set of the summer was at an intimate late-night venue, ‘Gay Paris’ at Beatherder Festival in Lancashire– I don’t often have the opportunity to play a late-night set and these are the times I really feel I can express myself fully with my selections that go much deeper and more soulful to a crowd who are really responsive and truly love the music. I am not on a raised stage as the focal point, and everyone is looking up at me – I am on the same level as the crowd, and my job is to create the vibe and atmosphere – not to be a ‘performer’. Of course – I am constantly reading the crowd, observing what is working for a particular audience because there are always events that surprise you or groups of people that you judge to be one way but respond totally differently. But I have literally all my music with me at every set so normally it’s all ok! From an early point in your career, you started teaching music/DJing to the young generation and even today, you keep on doing this, even sharing on your socials how impactful music can be on injured people. Was it a vocation or a necessity for you to share your knowledge? What is one of the strongest memories you experienced with your pupils? I had been teaching music part-time and DJ’ing in local bars in my home town during my 20s, but because of the way life was – I felt I needed to have a ‘proper job’ so when my children started school – I decided to train as a primary school teacher. Teaching in a school environment wasn’t for me in the end – so when I decided to become a self-employed tutor and go back to DJ’ing about 7 years ago – it seemed to make sense to put both my skills together and teach music and DJ’ing to children and teenagers in schools. It was 2 years ago that I was approached by someone I had known from teaching DJ’ing in schools who had set up a business teaching DJ’ing to brain-injured teenagers and young adults. He asked me if I could teach a young woman who had been in a catastrophic accident at the age of 19 that nearly ended her life and had left her with a life-changing brain injury that required round-the-clock care. Although I have had a lot of experience working with children who are neurodiverse – I had never worked with people with severe acquired brain injuries but I thought it would be good to give it a go. Fast forward 2 years, and my pupil has performed at the Standon Calling festival – this so far has been the most inspiring and joyous moment of my teaching career and I now teach a second student who is going to be performing at his first festival next year as well. There’s lots more planned in the pipeline with both of my students – so watch this space! You’re an experienced radio host, and you really have a free and joyful way of blending tracks together (that’s what one calls a Style…) even when they seem to be worlds apart. What drives you when you mix? I have always loved music from many times and genres, and when it comes to radio (which is my number 1 passion!) I feel like I have the freedom to be totally self–indulgent when it comes to my musical selections. I do radio for me primarily, and if anyone else wants to listen and likes my show – then that is a massive bonus. That is where radio differs hugely from my club/festival sets. Even though, of course – I have to love every single track I play when I’m playing sets out and about – I always have my audience in mind so that will guide my choices, whereas with radio – it’s so much more intimate and it’s like I’m inviting anyone who wants to join me into my world for a couple of hours. I also love promoting other new and upcoming artists on my radio shows and playing their music as well as celebrating music from the past that I love – this means that the music will sometimes go from one genre to another completely different style in quick succession but I always put a lot of time and thought into my radio shows because it’s important to me that they are professional, well-structured and hopefully enjoyable to listen to. Being a member of the Balearic Breakfast family, can you tell us more about how you discovered the show? According to you, what does it take to « be Balearic »? I can’t actually remember how I discovered it! It may have actually been through you, Artur! I know I started listening in late 2020, and since I discovered it I have tried to listen most weeks either live or on catch-up. I am a huge fan of Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy – I learn so much from her encyclopedic knowledge of music and I love her voice on the radio and the way she puts together the show each week. It was a great honour to have been asked by Colleen to DJ in the ‘Love Dancin’ tent at the "We Out Here" festival in 2022 to curate a special ‘Balearic Breakfast’ set. I really enjoyed researching and creating a special playlist for festivalgoers to relax and chill in the Love Dancin’ tent on Saturday morning. I also saw her DJ live this past summer at the "We Out Here" festival, and I can safely say – it was the best set I have ever seen. The whole experience was just incredible and the way she selects tracks and puts them together is absolute genius – like ending the night with the 17-minute version of ‘Get Ready’ – Rare Earth, complete with a full power cut halfway through! When the song came back on after about 10 minutes of silence – the ‘Love Dancin’ tent just erupted with joy. For me – to be ‘Balearic’ is to feel calm, at peace and centred. I love listening to the Balearic Breakfast each week and I have discovered so much wonderful music through Colleen and through the listeners of the show who request music for the show. Balearic music is eclectic and can be from many genres, but the feeling it gives reaches into your soul and creates a warm, positive feeling. Thank you so much Emma! My pleasure Artur! DJ_Emma published a brand new track which really is a great musical trip! Have a listen! Click here to read Something More...

Did you ever take the time to listen to some of Balearic Breakfast tunes in another context? Let me explain that to you... Get ready for a journey like no other... A Halloween Party. – Surprise, Surprise! You weren't expecting that one here, did you?! But that's alright because this blog is there to surprise its readers; the unexpected is our rule... Have you ever wondered how to have a proper Halloween Party? Well, we're going to teach you a lesson or two, ready? Open the door of our Musical mansion and come on in; the Balearic Breakfast Family has a story to tell... I was thinking about Halloween a few days ago and asked our Captain if having a themed show would be feasible. Colleen published the request line last Saturday, inviting us to post any songs we would like to hear, including "Halloween" themed ones. As always, the Balearic Breakfast Family gladly obliged, and we're all eagerly waiting for this Tuesday's show... Yet, I wanted to celebrate Halloween more than ever this year. Don't ask me why; I swear I don't know... When I saw the great requests being posted on Colleen's Facebook and Instagram, I decided to create a "Halloween" playlist and started adding tracks that were being requested. Then, it came to my mind that Colleen played a lot of strange and somewhat frightening tracks during Balearic Breakfast over the last three years... So I went on and added these too. Then, I started to listen to the playlist... And something very strange happened. I discovered certain songs had a much "darker' soul than I thought, one of the best examples being Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig in the Sky", which presented me with a woman crying, seeing her loved one dead in a haunted house... Other ones just had that strange feeling to them that really fit (Visage's "We Fade to Grey"; DJ Shadow's "Stem/Long Stem - Medley or the stunning Andreas Vollenweider, Walter Keiser, Pedro Haldemann, Jon Otis "Huiziopochtli / Con Chiglia")... When I thought about what I had just experienced, it occurred to me that, depending on the context in which you listen to some music, you might hear (or not...) things that, yet, really are present in the music... Isn't that spooky? Don't be too surprised to find tracks that have nothing to do with the Halloween theme, though (like Visual's "The Music Got Me", Quincy Jones' "Ai No Corrida", and a few others)... It's a "Party" playlist... We're talking about the Intellectual dynamics here... See what I Mean?... The playlist is available on Spotify, Deezer and Qobuz... (though some tracks are missing depending on the platform). I reproduced the whole playlist below and will keep it up to date. 95% of these songs have been played on Balearic Breakfast; the last 5% weren't played yet, but who knows...? We're covering many different genres here and a lot of different artists, but also tracks from our friends like Davide Lovato, Be.Lanuit and even George Koutalieris! Of course, we didn't forget the classics... So be our guest, enter our Halloween dancing hall... Get ready to be surprised and frightened... Because that's the way we like to Party! PS: Did you know that David Mancuso played Michael Jackson's Thriller in 1984 during the last Loft party he held at Prince St.?... THE PLAYLIST Dead Can Dance - Yulunga (Spirit Dance) Peter Godwin - Emotional Disguise - Extended Version Peter Brown - They Only Come Out at Night Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters Visage - Fade To Grey - Extended Version DJ Shadow - Stem / Long Stem - Medley Jah Wobble, Marconi Union - Wealth Michael Jackson - Thriller The Jacksons - This Place Hotel (a.k.a. Heartbreak Hotel) Poco - Ghost Town Lee Oskar - Haunted House Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me Soundwalk Collective, Gael García Bernal - Una Nota Sobre El Peyote Joan Bibiloni, JIM - Badia On​í​rica - JIM Instrumental Version Paco de Lucía - Entre Dos Aguas Cerrone - Supernature John Grant - Day Is Done Be.Lanuit, Amarú - Sol E Dad Audio De Lux - 60 Seconds - Original Mix Dr. John - I Walk on Guilded Splinters Frida, Hans-Peter Lindstrøm - I Know There's Something Going On - Lindstrøm Remix Peter Kruder, Roberto Di Gioia - Bella Arp Depeche Mode - Waiting for the Night Peter Godwin - Emotional disguise (Instrumental) Escape from New York - Fire in My Heart La Bellini, Leo Mas, Fabrice Inferno Lovers - Satan in Love - Leo Mas & Fabrice Inferno Lovers Mix Visual - The Music Got Me Ron Basejam - The Hurt Inside The Dramatics - The Devil Is Dope The Alan Parsons Project - Sirius Funkadelic - Maggot Brain Paolo Nutini, Hudson Mohawke - Iron Sky - Hudson Mohawke Remix The Specials - Ghost Town Maxine - Alien - Disco Mix Madonna, Stereo MC's - Frozen - Stereo MC's Remix Edit Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene, Pt. 1 Sinéad O'Connor - Fire on Babylon The Residents - Kaw-Liga - Prairie Mix Mildlife - Return To Centaurus Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart - This City Never Sleeps - Remastered Version Thelma Houston - I've Got The Devil In Me Massive Attack - Angel Barbie Bertisch, Gene Tellem - After the Storm - Gene Tellem Remix Arushi Jain - My People Have Deep Roots Manika Kaur, Jyotsna Srikanth, Youth - Journey Never Ends (Waheguru - The Journey) - Youth Remix Crosby, Stills & Nash - Dark Star L'Impératrice - La lune Coflo, Lee Wilson - Rainbows - Backside Mix Morgan Geist - Twilight Express Sky - Westway Calm, Jimi Tenor - Time & Space - Calm's Version Doves, Andrew Weatherall - Compulsion - Andrew Weatherall Remix Roberto Rodriguez - Amalfi Drive Massive Attack - Safe From Harm - Perfecto Mix Moby, J.P. Bimeni, Prins Thomas - should sleep (Prins Thomas Diskomix) George Koutalieris - Silent Messages Sade - Soldier of Love Charlotte Gainsbourg, Soulwax - Deadly Valentine (Soulwax Remix) Elements Of Life, Jasper Street Company, Lost Souls Of Saturn, Seth Troxler, Phil Moffa - Stand On The Word - Lost Souls of Saturn Colossians 3:16 Mix David Bowie - Wild Is the Wind - 2016 Remaster Nina Simone, Francois K - Here Comes The Sun - (Francois K. Remix) Confidence Man, Andrew Weatherall - Out The Window - Andrew Weatherall Remix Kelsey Lu - I'm Not In Love Âme - No War The Undisputed Truth - You + Me = Love - 12" Single Version Deodato - Also Sprach Zarathustra Led Zeppelin - No Quarter - Rough Mix with JPJ Keyboard Overdubs - No Vocal Max Berlin - Elle Et Moi Findlay Brown, Stallions - Stallion's Suite David Bowie, Pat Metheny Group - This Is Not America - 2002 Remaster Jean-Luc Ponty - Ethereal Mood Brian Eno, Moebius, Roedelius - The Belldog Mort Garson - Ode to an African Violet Lindstrøm - I Feel Space Vangelis - We Are All Uprooted - Remastered Jhalib - Mysteries Of The East - Original Mix Metro Area - Miura Quintus Project - Night Flight - Psychemagik Remix Enya - Boadicea Sylvester - I Need Somebody To Love Tonight Laurie Anderson - Radar - Live Bombers - Supermax Gary Numan - Music for Chameleons Walls - Hang Four LOVA - Elusive Realities William Shatner - It Hasn't Happened Yet Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) Dead Can Dance - Ullyses José Feliciano - California Dreamin' Andreas Vollenweider, Walter Keiser, Pedro Haldemann, Jon Otis - Huiziopochtli / Con Chiglia Quintus Project - Night Flight - Original Vangelis - Tales of the Future Michael Kiwanuka - Rule The World Be Svendsen, Henri Texier - Le Piroguier - Be Svendsen Remix Coldcut - Autumn Leaves - Irresistible Force Mix Kenny Loggins - Nightwatch Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It - Extended Mix; 2003 Remaster 3io - Les Nuits Chilly - For Your Love Suite 2014 full version - Chilly Remix Andy Bey, The Avener - Celestial Blues - The Avener Rework The Cure - Lullaby - Extended Mix Material, Nona Hendryx - Bustin' Out - Rub'n'Tug Edit Patrick Cowley - Sea Hunt Blue Gas - Shadows From Nowhere - Danilo Braca ReVision Youssou N'Dour, Neneh Cherry - 7 Seconds (feat. Neneh Cherry) Terry Callier - Lazarus Man Kwanzaa Posse - Wicked Funk Pink Floyd - The Great Gig In The Sky - 2011 Remastered Version My Mine - Hypnotic Tango - Original 12" Version Herbie Hancock - Bubbles Siouxsie and the Banshees - Israel Snowboy, Joe Clausell - Casa Forte - Joe Claussell's Spiritual Life Samba Remix The Ballistic Brothers - Uschi's Groove Pat Metheny Group - Are You Going With Me? The KLF, The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu - Baltimore to Fair Play Azari & III, Tensnake - Reckless (With Your Love) - Tensnake Remix Mick Jagger - Lucky In Love Tommy Seebach - Bubble Sex Joutro Mundo - Panthera MARCEL KING - Reach For Love - New York Remix FBN 43 Bebel Gilberto - Tanto Tempo - Peter Kruder Remix The Art Of Noise - Moments In Love - Beaten David Sylvian - Orpheus Marianne Faithfull - Witches' Song Joakim Karud - Halloween Funk Krzysztof Komeda, Mia Farrow - Lullaby From Rosemary's Baby, Part 1 Giorgio Moroder - Chase John Carpenter - Halloween Theme - Main Title Jestofunk, CeCe Rogers - Can We Live (featuring CeCe Rogers) Lady Blackbird, Cosmodelica - Lost and Looking The Jeremy Spencer Band - Cool Breeze The Art Of Noise - Moments In Love Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence - Hands and Feet Mix The Young Gentlemen’s Adventure Society - Adventure Party T-Connection - At Midnight Dan Hartman - Vertigo/Relight My Fire Prospect Park, JKriv, Dave Lee - The Kinda Love - Jkriv Original Vibe Edit David Vendetta, Akram Sedkaou - Unidos Para La Musica - Cosa Nostra Mix Alexander Robotnick - Problèmes d'Amour - Original Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes - Expansions The Earons - Land of Hunger Quincy Jones, Charles May - Ai No Corrida Jackie Moore - This Time Baby Commodores - Nightshift Marian Herzog, Chris Jones - No Sanctuary Here feat. Chris Jones Le Grand Orchestre du Splendid - La salsa du démon Eighth Wonder - I'm Not Scared - Disco Mix Skatt Bros - Walk The Night - 12" Version Amanda Lear - Blood and Honey The Verve - Gravity Grave - Extended Version / 2016 Remastered Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put a Spell On You Laura Branigan - Self Control - Extended Version John Carpenter - Prologue John Carpenter - Theme from The Fog Dusty Springfield - Spooky Whodini - Haunted House of Rock Whodini - Freaks Come Out at Night MF DOOM - Coffin Nails Nancy Noise - Kaia It's Immaterial - Driving Away From Home - Dead Man's Curve Something for Kate - Killing Moon (T-Rek's Desert Disco Dub Mix) The Eagles - Hotel California (Live 1980) Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon (Live at the Fabulous Forum) Neil Norman - Twilight Zone Rico Toto - Fwa Épi Sajès Living In Ghosts, Woolfy - Stay On Top Aural Exciters - Spooks in Space (Disco mix) Midnight Star - Freak-A-Zoid The Manhattan Transfer - Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone

"Find Our Balearic Spirit" is a DJ collective whose only music rule is "there are no rules". This time, I met our dear Anslow for a nice interview! 1) Hello Anslow; thank you so much for answering these few questions here on the Balearic Breakfast Blog! On a personal level, how did you start DJing? Hey Artur and Balearic Breakfast Family! It's a bit of a cliche but I think I was a DJ long before I bought turntables, I've actively dug for new music and carefully curated playlists for as long as I can remember. Having decks of my own has just enabled me to channel all the amazing music that I've been discovering and showcase it to others. I started pursuing DJing about 3 years ago when one of my oldest friends Diz (@Diz_Jockey), also a super talented DJ and turntable technician here in Newcastle, lent me his copy of How to DJ Properly and gave me the push I needed to buy turntables during COVID. Since then I've grown a decent record collection from 586 Records (@586_Records) - shout out Tony Daly, Beatdown Records (@Beatdownncl), RPM (@RPM_newcastle), online retailers and private sellers on Discogs. And of course teaming up with my Balearic bro Bradley Circles, the other half of Find Our Balearic Spirit, has seen my DJing and music sphere grow from strength to strength. TRACKLIST Part I Andes y Xavi – Is It Balearic? [Original Mix] Ned Dohney – Get It Up For Love Asha Puthli – Space Talk [Maurice Fulton Remix] Fragile – We’ve Got Tonight, Boy 52nd Street – Tell Me (How It Feels) Imagination – So Good, So Right Junei’ – Let’s Ride HF International – I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) feat. KASHIF [KI’s Extended Disco Dub Remixed by Kaoru Inoue] Sade – Paradise [Extended Mix] Part II Brass Construction – Now Is Tomorrow [John Morales Remix] Warren Zevon – Night Time In The Switching Yard The Salsoul Orchestra – Ooh I Love It (Love Break) [Danny Krivit edit] H.P Vince & Dave Leatherman – The Nu Funk Dexter Wansel – Life On Mars Billy Woost – Please Touch Me Jackie Stoudemire – Dancing Dennis Coffey – Wings of Fire First Choice – Double Cross Bent – Always [Ashley Beedle’s Mahavishnu Remix] 2) During the previous interview with Bradley Circles, we spoke about how important it was to be a part of a community. Do you feel this is something of greater value as far as music is concerned? I believe that a packed dancefloor vibrating to the frequencies of a competent DJ is greater than the sum of its parts - and community is a huge part of that. People dance for lots of reasons but if we could achieve the same catharsis on our own we would just do it at home, and I think you can say the same for DJing - it's about community, shared experience and being part of something bigger than ourselves. There's a tight-knit and vibrant scene here in Newcastle full of passionate people who are all supportive of one another. Getting involved in Slacks Radio (@slacksradio) just over a year ago has opened me and Bradley up to a beautiful community of like-minded music lovers and DJs across the North East. It's a testament to the hard work that radio boss Jon Cornbill (@Cornbilljon) has put into the station and the friendliness of people here in the North East. I remember feeling like I'd found my people at the ripe age of 18 when I first started going to World Headquarters (@Worldheadquartersclub), a historic club here in Newcastle celebrating its 30th year in 2023. WHQ is a club with an amazing ethos that has always attracted open-minded clubbers and nurtured the underground community in Newcastle. It feels really fitting that this is where we are hosting Colleen on Friday 3rd November and a nice full-circle moment for me. Online communities like the Balearic Breakfast Family, and LWSTD.FM (@LWSTD.FM) also play a huge part in connecting us not just to our local scene but with like-minded people across the globe. I truly believe it takes a village and without these communities it's difficult to picture where I'd be right now, probably DJing in my bedroom or not at all. 3) Musically speaking, how would you present yourself? Do you have any boundaries as far as music is concerned? First and foremost, I present myself as a music lover. I don't have any boundaries as far as music is concerned but if you look at my record collection and what I play I'd say it's generally a lot of Disco, House, Deep House, Balearic, Broken Beat, Funk, Soul, Trip-Hop, Jazz. I'm not the most technically proficient DJ, but part of that is how I choose to present myself too. Seems silly now but I remember the first DJ mix I recorded for my friends over at Good Custard (@GoodCustard_), I agonised over having every transition perfect and must have re-recorded the set close to 10 times. From seeing DJs like Colleen, going to parties like Cosmic Slop and learning about David Mancuso and the Loft, I've learned to let the music speak for itself. Track selection trumps technical ability every day of the week - that's why good DJs are called 'selectors' and not 'transitioners'. 4) How do you work on the sets you do with Bradley? Do you prepare them before hitting the live show or does it happen that you do your sets "on the fly" with a bunch of records you took with you previously? What are you aiming for when doing your shows? It can vary but I'd say we have the most fun when we're just playing off each other on the fly. Part of that working so well is good communication with your B2B partner. On the radio, I'd say we're aiming to showcase recent discoveries or music that we really love. Whereas, for our parties, we're looking to move people with music for the mind, body and soul. Ultimately I want people to feel good through the shared experience of music and I don't think I can articulate a better aim than that. 5) Colleen shared with us this great sentence "And remember, just be Balearic". Do you ever feel like Music helps you to stay focused or helps you get through the difficulties of life? Isn't being Balearic all about listening to music that wakes us up? For me, being Balearic is about being open to finding things that take you to that special blissful place, whether that be a track by José Padilla or a can of Fanta Lemon. Music definitely has the power to get us through the difficulties in life. In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer - and it's music, community and connectedness that can help us unlock that and Find Our Balearic Spirit.

Balearic Breakfast is a Family affair. Jonathan became a friend a few months ago when he told me how much he liked the blog. Let's meet the Rural Goose! Photo Credit: https://www.kenbrowne.ie/ Dear Jonathan, thank you so much for answering these five very Balearic questions (laughs)! First things first, what were the first records you listened to when growing up? My pleasure, Artur; I'm honoured to be asked! My first memory of enjoying and taking an interest in music was listening to my dad's cassettes in his car; I particularly remember a great Best of Roxy Music, along with Jean-Michel Jarre and Jan Hammer compilations. Actually, the first record I ever bought was a 7" of Phil Collins - Easy Lover. I bought it whilst on a French trip with the school. When I got back to the bus, I looked at it and to my horror, I saw that it had a really big hole in the centre. Luckily, one of my ever-helpful fellow pupils said he had an adapter I could buy to solve the problem; he could sell it to me for £30.00, a bargain!! Fortunately, I got home, and my dad already had one! I then remember getting particularly good value out of 'Now That's What I Call Music 7', along with the necessary Sony Walkman! The first band I became a big fan of was INXS, but that was probably because other friends were too. I personally also really liked the sound of the early Pet Shop Boys. I could relate to Chris Lowe, and I liked their stylish minimalism; it seemed more grown up than other pop music. The cover art and videos also were quite arty, I thought. I remember hearing S-Express on the radio and thinking, this sounds different. I think it was my first encounter with dance music! Your eclectic musical tastes and excellent musical knowledge lead me to this second question. How do you listen to music? Are you the “analytical” type of listener, or do you simply enjoy the music? By the way, do you see yourself as an audiophile? I generally try to listen to music in a room where all the records, CDs and HiFi are situated, as it is well set up for it. Living in the country with no neighbours in earshot can allow the volume knob to creep up as the night goes on and the wine goes down (laughs!). I don't think I am an analytical listener; I often fall asleep ;-). I think I use it mainly to relax with a drink at the end of the day. There was a time when I was listening to the kit more than the music because the HiFi wasn't right, which is some people's definition of an audiophile, I guess. However, now, I have a more transparent system that doesn't really get in the way of the music; I find myself listening more and investing in the music rather than the HiFi system, which I actually get far more pleasure from. I still tinker, though; squash balls under the CD player worked quite well the other day! As chief Uber driver to my teenage kids who hate living in the country and need to be in constant company with their townie friends in different towns, I also listen a lot in the car! You also shared with me your passion for djing. When preparing for a set, how do you choose the songs you’re going to play? Do you take some extras “just in case" or stick to a prepared set tailored for the venue? The DJ sets I do are generally two 40-minute sets. I do them with a few other friends, and we play for 4 hours. I prepare and have a predetermined set to play. However, I always take a good few extra records to allow me to try and follow the mood of the place where required. Ideas can come from anywhere, for example, the weather, what is happening in the world or perhaps a new record I have picked up and can build an arrangement around it, for example, if the weather is good, maybe Balearic; if wintery, perhaps some deep jazz for a while. For this coming month, I picked up the Frida track played on the Balearic Breakfast 3rd anniversary show and plan to build some Abba-esque bits around that! We met thanks to “Balearic Breakfast”, and you told me that you are presently working on a nice project on Discogs (which influenced me about presenting the related posts differently, laughs!). Can you tell us more about this ?! Yes, with great pleasure. You know, Balearic Breakfast has been quite an eye-opener for me. I thought I had a relatively broad range of music tastes. Still, the show has really enlightened me about less mainstream material from an era before I started listening, i.e., the late seventies and early eighties. I think the production on many of these records is top-drawer, too, which makes them even more enjoyable. Plus, I have discovered a lot of later material that has been off my radar for one reason or another; it's hard to get to everything. Balearic Breakfast has struck a chord with me, as I enjoy and admire 95% of what is played. So I started to make a central list of everything played on the shows, and I thought Discogs would be a great place to do this as it can be shared with others who might also take an interest in collecting the records / CDs played on the show, too. In my opinion, there is still nothing like owning physical media, as it's your own and cannot be taken away. Tracks on streaming services go AWOL all the time (laughs!). I decided to list the albums on which the tracks appear rather than the single version. The album is generally more valuable as they are the same purchase price as the single. That is unless the 12" is played and offers any real significance over the album version. The Balearic Breakfast Discogs list link is visible from the Discogs release page, so it also advertises the show (https://www.discogs.com/lists/Balearic-Breakfast/1337331). The hope is that other diggers can also discover the show through the list and join the family! I also added the tracks to a Spotify playlist, although I see others have done this too (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Exgt3H5en9Izu9mVpZmfj). So, it's a long-term project. I am only at show 16, but I expect it will gain momentum as I try to while away some dark, colder winter nights over the coming months. That's so cool. Really! I will try to help you the best I can, as I'm still catching up on older shows and publishing posts about them! As we can feel it, music is all around you, really. But you’re into sports too, you love cycling! Do you believe that “being Balearic” is also about caring for oneself through sports? Does music accompany you when you’re riding? Well, I am not sporty in the competitive sense, but I do enjoy cycling, more for the challenge or adventure than anything else, in fact! I particularly like long-distance cycling, where you go out for the day or more and cover a pre-determined route and distance. It's called Audax cycling or Randonneuring in continental Europe. This form of cycling gives me great freedom, which could be considered Balearic, I suppose. Oh, of course, It isn't too Balearic when the rain is coming down and the wind is blowing the wrong way (in your face), though (laughs!). On some of the longer rides, I might put on a 4-hour Gilles Peterson show and dip in and out of it as the mood takes me. Depends on road and traffic conditions, though. In Ireland, where you may have wide-open, quiet roads, it's relatively safe to listen at lower volumes compared to busy cities, which wouldn't really work for me anyway (also, those Bluetooth JBL speakers fit rather well in a bottle cage, but you do look pretty mad to the onlookers as I have found)! Thank you so much, dear Jonathan; I'll see you soon! My pleasure, Artur!

With a brand new vinyl out today on 20/20 Vision recordings, ASHRR is undoubtedly a band that knows how to rock your boat. I met them for an exclusive interview! 1) Hello to you guys, and thank you so much for accepting this interview with me here on the Balearic Breakfast Blog! When listening to your music, one can hear that open, balanced, realistic (and quite big, too, laughs!) approach to sound. As a band, did you think about the sound you wanted to achieve right from the start, like having your own sound signature, or has it evolved through time? How much are dynamics important to you? ASHRR has a unique sound as an indie dance in part because of the way we do vocals. Steven has this classic crooner ala Bowie / Roxy Music timbre to his voice and we also do a bunch of the background vocals and constantly try to push the envelope with vocal textures etc.. We also have such diverse backgrounds that come through in our music. Dynamics are everything in music… If you’re constantly at 10 people’s ears will get tired. Dynamics help to shape up things. For the new album, we’ve explored a lot more of our soul / r&b / funk background too. 2) On the 143rd Balearic Breakfast show, Colleen played Fernando's deep mix of 'Talking In Your Sleep' (a cover of the Romantic's 1983 hit single). While keeping the band's sound DNA intact, Fernando added a beautiful Balearic touch to it that enhanced the "running effect" of the song (which made me think of Pink Floyd's "On the Run"). What is your approach when working on a remix? Do you believe a remix allows the original track to find its true nature? A remix should be nothing like the original version in our opinion. It should reflect the remixer’s taste and sensibility and we give carte blanche to anyone who is doing remixes for our band. A remix is really a tool to help see the song in a different light and approach. When we're doing our sound system remixes, we have the original sessions and pick and choose elements we might want to incorporate into the remix but essentially it’s a brand new built from the ground up approach with no rules other than it has to make you dance! 3) Would you say that you approach your DJ act just the same as you do when composing? According to you, what is the perfect way of sharing music with people on a dancefloor? Is it only a rhythm thing, or is there something much more important to it? Performing live as a band and being able to communicate the joy and feeling to the audience is just the same as doing a DJ set. Ultimately, we want to move our crowd and take them on a journey with the music. 4) We had a laugh on Instagram when talking about this interview, and you told me that ASHHR was "Post-Balearic". You may have noticed that I try hard, very hard (laughs!) to understand what being Balearic is all about; I believe it's a way of living, of behaving. So, what's behind the rainbow (at least on a musical level)?! What does Balearic even mean? We honestly have no clue because it seems like anything can be Balearic so we’re saying we’re Post-Balearic (laughs!). All I can say is that in our music we try to achieve greatness and set the bar extremely high on everything we do. It’s taken a few years to make this album which will start rolling out singles in January and we couldn’t be more excited as a band first and foremost to get out there and start performing. We also will be doing a bunch of DJ sets too! 5) This interview comes to an end, but there is one last question I was dying to ask you. You had the absolute privilege of working with the Scientist on your track, 'Fizzy' (soundwise, this one is pure craziness to me...). If you had to share one moment you experienced in the studio with him while working on the remixes, which one would it be? Hopeton is brilliant and one thing I can say is that working with him in the studio the sheer volume that cranks from his speakers is enough to deafen you in about 10 minutes! He’s got his way of doing things and it’s absolute magic to watch him work the faders... ASHRR's new vinyl is out today ! Grab a copy on Juno Records now :-)

I met Douglas Noble, Live Music Now's Strategic Director and Balearic Breakfast Family member, for a chat! Let's find out how much Music is important in people's lives! 1) Dear Douglas, thank you so much for joining us here on the Balearic Breakfast blog! During the 147th show, Colleen and Matthew Halsall exchanged a few words about the healing force of music. You then shared your experience on the Discord channel, explaining that you work with musicians in health and care settings to support people's health and well-being. Can you tell us more about your musical journey and how it impacts the people you meet? Thank you so much for inviting me into this interesting conversation, Artur! I work with Live Music Now, a social impact charity across the UK. With professional musicians, we harness the power of music to bring about positive change for people facing challenges. We reach older people living lonely or isolated, people struggling with mental health challenges, people in hospitals, Disabled young people facing barriers to expressing themselves, developing and being creative, and people with Dementia needing to feel safe, connected and to express themselves. At the heart of this is that we are all musicians with our own musical identities. Music connects, builds resilience, reflects, processes and contains emotions, supports us to feel better at the moment and gives us tools to move on, progress and develop. 2) What brought you to this? I have a life-long love of and relationship with music. I started buying 7-inch singles aged 8 with my pocket money at jumble sales in the small seaside town of Dawlish in Devon. I was already attached to vinyl from my parent’s record collection (Marley, Floyd, Dury, Dylan, Cat Stevens, etc.) and was soon spending my weekly 50p pocket money on post-punk, New Wave 45’s in Woolworths (Clash, Lene Lovich, Members, X-ray Spex, Skids etc.). In Autumn ‘79, Two Tone exploded into my life through the Thursday night TV window of Top of the Pops. I knew reggae through Marley, but Ska was something else, mixing the excitement and energy of Punk with protest, conscious messaging and upbeat Caribbean and R&B rhythms. I bought the clothes and danced the dances but also took in the embedded message about music's role in bringing about a better, fairer, more equal society. This came through the lyrics and, crucially, the make-up of the bands, Black and White people making music together, in itself, intrinsically anti-racist. In the ’90s, I worked in London as an Asylum, Immigration and Human rights lawyer, still picking up vinyl, moving through Synth, and Electro to Indie, Dance to House, Hip Hop & more & DJing at house parties (starting in the late '80s with carefully curated C90 mixtapes!). I was a regular at the Mambo Inn night at the Loughborough Hotel, Brixton; Max and Rita DJing a genre-hopping blend of West African, Samba, Zouk, Latin, Hammond Grooves, etc. This uplifted me. A euphoric Friday night dancefloor refuge from the frontline of my desk. It inspired me in my charity shop and second-hand vinyl shopping, going into my sets, including at the Disco Biscuit nights I hosted with long-time DJ-pal Georgie Brendon at the Windmill on Brixton Hill. Buena Vista Social Club took me to Cuba in 2000, bumping into Eliades Ochoa, sipping a Cristal in the Plaza Vieja, Santiago. I picked up a fistful of somewhat mouldy Egrem records and Son, along with Boogaloo, Salsa, Cumbia, Bossa, MPB, Samba & Nueva Yorkian sounds, bringing the Latin vibe to the collection. I moved to the Whitstable in 2002, leaving Law to have some time at Art College, and I set up the High Life Nights with Alvin Kirby-Brown, who bought a heavy dose of Afrobeat, Rhumba and Jazz, and we mixed live Latin and West African percussion (thanks Jorge Santo and Lucky Moyo!). This ended when Alvin emigrated to Australia. With Imogen Noble and Anne Day, we set up Samba Pelo Mar, Whitstable’s’ Samba Band. In around 2015, my DJing picked up again through the Feet To The Floor (FTTF) grown-up disco nights with co-DJ Bear Richards; get the babysitter in, £5 on the door, bring your own booze and dance your ass off (laughs)! Music For Change was my first job in music and social change in the early 00s. A project supporting newly arrived asylum seekers and the local host community working with an amazing group of International UK-based musicians, into Hear Me Out (music with people in Immigration detention) and then Drake Music (music technology and Disability Equality). I joined Live Music Now in 2013 when my mother was sadly dying prematurely from cancer. Some of her last moments were spent with music that she and my Father loved together (both committed amateur Folkies - him an accordion player and her a singer). I’m the Strategic Director of Adult Social Care and Health, working with a committed team of colleagues and musicians across England, Wales & Northern Ireland. My job includes finding the money, building partnerships, designing programs, capturing and understanding our impact & sharing what we learn, as well as advocating for progress alongside the growing Creative Health movement (not replacing medical and clinical treatments but as part of a whole-person integrated approach to health and care). Right now, we are recruiting musicians in London (deadline 16th October), so if you know anyone, please pass this on as we grow to reflect better the rich and diverse musical and identity landscape of the UK! I’m now back living in Devon, just outside Totnes, with FTTF events at Things Happen Here, regular shows on Soul Roots Radio and Sound Art Radio, South Devon Sound with Radio High Life and a Feet to the Floor show (the latter back with Georgie). I play what I like to call international good grooves, where Latin, Brazilian, West African and Caribbean grooves meet Funk, Soul, Disco, Dance and Jazz. Content comes from digging into my collection and constantly discovering gorgeous new music. You can hear my shows on Mixcloud and SoundCloud, where there are a few edits, too! 3) It is believed that some frequencies, when applied to the body, can heal (I am thinking about the singing bowls) or at least help in the relaxation process. Did you experience such treatments or talk to people who tried them? Do you believe this "pure frequency" approach is still valid when listening to music since several frequencies are blended? Interesting thought, Artur, but I can’t respond directly to that idea as I do not know. However, the science behind it matters in my work, as does evidencing and understanding the difference it makes. Music is a powerful ‘healer’, as I said, but it’s not magic. There are good reasons for this, and our understanding and evidence on these matters is growing. In my work, there is something extraordinary about people experiencing live music in one place, in a sharing experience. As a DJ, I see that happening through the recorded music and the unity and connectedness we feel on the dancefloor, too! We know that music is a social bonding tool that human apes have used in our evolutionary journey, pre-dating spoken word, as a means of strengthening bonds, communicating ideas, keeping us collaborating, and reaffirming our identities (all essential to our survival and success in social groups). This plays no small part in why music makes us feel safe and seen, helping us to communicate when spoken language may not be possible because of cognitive or physical impairment or decline. Thanks to Dr Teppo Särkämo, we also know where and how music works across the brain, with his work mapping how various elements of listening to and playing music connect with different parts of the brain. So, for example, the part linked to emotion, pleasure and reward, or the part that connects playing, singing and moving to the beat and motor function, or keeping track of music and our episodic memory. These and other stimulation points are located right across the brain. Hence, we experience music as a whole-brain, multi-faceted, neurologically active experience. This helps us understand why music seems to ‘wake up’ people with Dementia and the emerging evidence that it can support mobility improvement after Stroke or Parkinson’s and even reduce pain. 4) I love listening to music in the dark, closing my eyes, and drifting away. How do you listen to music? Do you think music can reveal something about our true nature? I touched on this above with my thoughts on musical identity. I am very interested in our musical identities, how they communicate and how they are shaped by our stories, lived experiences and life journeys. They powerfully reflect us as individuals and our cultural contexts and are valuable and important. For me, music is a connector. I do listen to music alone a lot… In the car, when I’m working and sitting relaxing at night too! But I love to share it through radio shows and DJing and value how it brings me closer to others. This was a significant thing for me and my mental health struggles during the Pandemic, when we were separated by necessity, and I couldn’t DJ or socialise around music. I love live gigs, getting up close to the stage, watching musicians in the flow, and immersing myself in that experience of communication and connection. Festivals are great for this, and I am a festival veteran, having started at the age of 8 being taken by my parents to Folk festivals. I love listening to other DJs to discover new music. Like all DJs, I follow threads in Bandcamp, jumping from track to track, searching for the perfect groove. I love this constant potential for discovery and novelty and that rare but very special moment when I get that intense sense of excitement and elation in a new musical discovery, just like I did when I was 10! 5) As a member of the Balearic Breakfast Family, how did you discover Colleen? What attracts you to the show? During the Pandemic, I started listening to WWFM, following the Giles Petersons Brownswood Basement shows, and hunting for new DJs and music. I discovered Coco Maria, Haseeb Iqbal, Charlie Dark, and Colleen. I love her positive energy, excellent selections, and thoughtful, gentle and enthusiastic presentation. She has a deep love for and knowledge of what she plays. She is a connector, not least into her own musical identity right back to a particular and important strand of the emergence, development and growth of Dance music and Dance Cultures, and the role of the DJ in that. Thank you, Colleen! 6) Colleen always ends her shows saying, "And remember, just be Balearic". According to you, what does it take to be "Balearic"? Do you think that questioning how we interact with life/people is something we should always do, helped in this quest by the vibrant forces of Sound, or do you think that letting go and concentrating only on ourselves is the way to go? The word ‘Balearic‘ always takes me back to the first time I heard Grace Jones’ La Vie En Rose, dancing under the stars, in an open-air Disco in Southern Crete, circa1985. I think I have, in some way, already largely shared my position on this question in what I’ve said above. However, it may be summed up like this: “Discover what we share and celebrate what makes us individuals”. Congratulations on all that you do, Douglas! Thank you so much for sharing your passion for music with us! Great to chat, Artur. Thanks again for including me and for your interest in what I do!

'God Gets a Little Busy Sometimes' is a heartwrenching song from Izo FitzRoy’s LP "A Good Woman". Given the "Cosmodelica" treatment, the song remains a powerful tour de force in this new version... Introduction. – The more I listen to the show, the more I think about it, the more I perceive its message never was one of "being happy at all costs". On the contrary, when you listen to it globally, you clearly understand that its message sounds more like "Embrace life in its entirety without adding unnecessary weight to it". This includes all the sad moments in store, rejoining an Idea I developed a few weeks ago: "Because there ain't nothing more important than the thoughts of a mind lit by darkness"... We will come back to this analysis at a later date on the blog. Still, I felt I needed to introduce this idea here, even incompletely, since Izo Fitroy's song is not your happiest one ever, and since Colleen's take on that song (though its positive impulse) did not totally erase Fitzroy's magistral vision, simply putting it on another level... A few words about Izo Fitzroy. – Of course, I won't propose a full biography about Izo; I wouldn't have the time and other writers on the net have done it better than I ever could. But, I feel it is a good idea to bring out some information to help situate the song in Itzo's Musical Repertoire. First, we must keep in mind Izo's love for gospel music. In an interview with westcoastsoul, Izo can be quoted as saying, "Gospel will always be a huge part of what I do. It resonates deeply with me, mostly because it lifts me out of my suffering, and connects me with something much bigger than myself." Secondly, it is essential to remember Izo's journey on this earth, leading to the writing of this beautiful song. She is no stranger to hard times. As she explained it, "God Can Get a Little Busy Sometimes" was written in a moment of despair. It tells of the insecurities of a woman in her thirties and how she tries to get outside help. The reference to God relates to her Catholic upbringing. The song is a self-determination and assurance to look to her own strength. Lastly, rejoining the idea presented in this post's introduction, we must remember Izo's message as a singer and as a woman, which is one of hope and positivity. Though she battled depression, she started not understanding what was happening to her; then, after accepting her path, she took the needed steps and went to a much happier place. God Gets A Little Bit Busy Sometimes (2022). – As always, let's have a listen to the original song. "God Gets a Little Bit Busy Sometimes" is a heartwrenching song. It is not a song that praises the Lord. It depicts a situation of great despair where words are carefully chosen, and Music does not serve as a "decorum" but as a pedestal, a revolutionary one. Nothing here comes from the heart; nothing is mellow; everything comes from Izo's guts, as we shall see... Izo starts singing after the piano hits its first note, surprising the listener. The tonality of the song, obviously, is not in major... We're immediately surprised by Izo's voice, quite realistic, close to us, recorded at almost the same level as the piano, which presence is a very reassuring and enveloping one. It's a very intimate yet "bare" moment of the song. All of the details enhance this sentiment of intimacy we can hear both in Izo's voice and in the piano's sound (we can hear the pedal's sounds, for instance, and some turning pages too...). Then, suddenly, we're hit by the song's bridge, leaving us breathless, gasping for air. As at the beginning of the song, this eruption comes unexpectedly: though the dynamics are controlled (we wished they would be greater with the instruments being freer, but this choice seems only logical when you think about the spirit of the song...), we can clearly hear the raging realistic drums, the nervous bass and Izo's voice which seems to come further ahead in the mix. Also, though we are in the absolutely desperate part of the song, Izo's voice is not one engaging that despair totally. Izo's voice seems to be searching for the right notes, her voice even "cracking” at one point (search for that moment; you'll understand when you find it...). She takes risks and accepts to sing in an almost vulnerable way, bringing up the listener's tears on and on... The song ending on its beginning calmer musical scene adds that feeling of questioning the higher grounds, trying to understand Why... On a "psychological level", "God Gets a Little Bit Busy Sometimes" is a mean thing: those who doubt sincere people around them will surely understand the song's naked meaning... Cosmodelica Remix (2023). – Now that we have the original song well installed between our ears, let's dive into Colleen's version. Of course, with Colleen taking the con, the song takes another dimension... As she explained it on Instagram when sharing this remix a few days ago, Izo returned to the studio to record her voice on Colleen's instrumental track, truly being a "one-take wonder". It seems evident to me that this new version is not a "remix" but rather a rework. So what are the changes, and how do they impact Izo's song? First, let's quickly concentrate on Colleen's "basics" since we know them well. We have the "dancing cosmos" effect, enhanced here by the bouncing synths and the realistic clapping hands, not to mention the female vocals enveloping the listener, going from left to right in a circular motion... Everything is pretty straightforward (the bass is solid yet light simultaneously, not overwhelming and far more "musical" than in the original version), keeping the song's initial "urgent" spirit. This "urgent" spirit is more "driven" here, with Izo's voice being more open, having no distortion, and the whole track having a clearer frequency response. Every element of the mix can be easily heard; there is no hidden message in there. At first glance, it seems there is a change in the way Izo's message is presented... This gets confirmed if we take the time to listen to the song's rhythm and bridge, which treatments bring up the true soul of this new version. First, the track's rhythm is quicker and has a "running element" to it (enhanced by the synth's repetitive notes ending on a… higher ground!). Then comes the song’s bridge with that "trance touch", and this very part without vocals, without any change in the dynamics, with its constant revolving nature telling the listener's spirit "Don't look back, keep on fighting, keep going straight ahead, keep on running, don't let these sad ideas get you down". Intellectually, we go from a woman hoping that God won't let her down, though she blames him for being busy, to someone knowing that help won't come from on high but still doing her best to protect herself and doing what needs to be done (listen to Candi Staton's "Hallelujah Anyway"). Doesn't that ring a bell in your mind? Well. Stop reading right now. Read that paragraph again. Done? Understood? Ha haaa! Told you... Colleen is a living soul... What was I saying, already? ... ∞ Oh yes, I was saying that if you ever want to mix Collen's version, you'll be able to do a beautiful DROP after Izo's vocal ends (choose the following track nicely ^^) ... Isn't this also a perfect way to enhance Colleen's and Izo's positive message? I dedicate this analysis to Grecamac and Ana Maria...

Colleen ’Cosmo’ Murphy broadcast the 148th episode of Balearic Breakfast on her Mixcloud and Twitch TV socials on September 19th 2023. About this show. – In a recent interview Matthew Halsall gave to 'Big Issue', talking about the composition of his new album, he explained: “Throughout the creative process I wanted to free myself from any rules and formulas and just have fun. I took a lot of inspiration from one of my favourite Picasso quotes: ‘Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up’, so I got all my musical toys out and just followed my instincts.” Hearing tracks like 'Water Street’, ‘Tracing Nature’ or ‘Triangles in the Sky’ (taken from his brand new LP 'An Ever Changing View') immediately, and gently, took the whole Balearic Breakfast Family to a calm and ethereal place, close to intangible musical heavens... Also, hearing Matthew's approach to music was a very special moment indeed allowing the Family to ease out and enjoy one of the most soothing shows of the series ever (also talking about Music's healing force on the chat)! Listen back to the 147th episode of Balearic Breakfast: Events. – Colleen will take part in these events (click here to find all the forthcoming dates). The Wow Effect. – Today's show was very special as we got to hear not only Matthew's interview with Colleen but also the music he loves, including some tracks played by our Captain on previous Balearic Breakfast shows (Caoilfhionn Rose's "Paths" being, for instance, included on the 'Balearic Breakfast Vol. 1' compilation), which demonstrates that yes, indeed, there is a 'Balearic' musical genre! It was also one of these shows that we all love because Colleen had the time to join the chat and talk with us; feeling her presence is always a great moment! PLAYLIST Matthew Halsall – Water Street Matthew Halsall – Tracing Nature Matthew Halsall – Triangles in the Sky Matthew Halsall – Calder Shapes Matthew Halsall – Mountains, Trees and Seas Matthew Halsall – An Ever Changing View Matthew Halsall – Field of Vision Portico Quartet – Time Hania Rani ft Duncan Bellamy – Dont Break My Heart Phi Psonics – We Walk in the Garden of Our Ancestors Phi Psonics – Space Walk Caoiifhionn Rose – Truly Caoilfhionn Rose – Paths Alice Coltrane ft Pharoah Sanders – Journey In Satchidananda Cinematic Orchestra – All That You Give Makaya McCraven – Dream Another

Colleen ’Cosmo’ Murphy broadcast the 147th episode of Balearic Breakfast on her Mixcloud and Twitch TV socials on September 12th 2023. Introduction. – To a friend who was telling me how much she refused people taking her for a fool at work, I answered, asking, "How much resilience does it take to silently refuse things that impact us without ever telling a word about it and letting things be without going into a fight?" She didn't answer, and I was taken aback by the pertinence of that question, thinking, in the same moment, of course, about our dear Captain... Yes, what does it take to be Balearic? Where do you draw the line between what needs to be said or done and what can be left as it is? I am still searching for an answer... What I know for sure is that there comes a time in life when you don't hold on anymore to certain things, to certain people, to certain situations and there's no hate in there; there is just an ocean of peace and contentment, an everlasting sentiment of "calm ecstasy". This happened to me two years ago... I realized there was no sense in giving a fight or being true when people around you aren't on the same level of communication; when two realities directly collide there is no room for fighting. And the realisation of this just cleansed me... I became more "Balearic" and Colleen's sentence then hit me... This is also more relevant when you think about what life really is, how short and how unpredictable it is..., and how much you need to focus on things that bring you happiness and how much you need to love the people that are close to you, like your family for instance or your close friends... I really hope each one of you can experience that state of mind one day... About this show. – When I heard the first song, I had a feeling of "gently falling"; it was an absolutely soothing experience. Suddenly, I think we were into the fourth track, one of the Balearic Breakfast Family members (hello @popdiscorules ^^) wrote: "I'm ready for my weekly soul cleanse", and I said to myself: "Voilà, there you go, that's exactly what is happening right now". The rest of the songs played during that 146th episode confirmed that beautiful feeling of renewing oneself through music, even in the saddest events that may hit us... (you are in our thoughts, Lee Zee...) I always wanted to share these three books here on the blog but never found the right spot for them; today is another day though. David Mancuso cherished these books and often made copies of them for his friends. If you have the time, read them (click on the images to find out more)! Listen back to the 146th episode of Balearic Breakfast: New Records. – Today's show allowed us to discover these new records: Mildlife – Return to Centaurus (Bandcamp) Mimis Nikolopoulos – Amazonia (Bandcamp) Mudd – Katanaboy (Bandcamp) Mike Salta & Mortale – Yaeyama (Bandcamp) Jackie Moore – Holding Back (Moplen Remix) (Juno Records) Saucy Lady – Why (Bandcamp) The Shapeshifters – Tell Me It's Not Over (Cosmodelica Remix) Gratts – Polaroids (Glenn Davis Remix) (Bandcamp) Events. – Colleen will take part in the forthcoming events (click here to access all the dates). The Wow Effect. – Very often, but not always, the first part of the show is more on the "reflective" side, while the second one is more "danceable". Today's show did follow that two-part side of the story, with the first tracks absolutely blowing us away (hearing my beloved Elkie Brooks on the show was such a heart-warming moment). The musical unity Colleen proposed here is just marvellous, the music flows and allows you to get "cleansed"! PLAYLIST Mildlife – Return to Centaurus Ragz Nordset – You Started It All (Ron Basejam Rework) Eurythmics – This City Never Sleeps Mimis Nikolopoulos – Amazonia Mudd – Katanaboy Mike Salta & Mortale – Yaeyama Masayoshi Yamazaki – An Englishman in New York Elkie Brooks – Fool (If You Think It's Over) (Pete Blaker Edit NYR) Yuji Toriyama – Night Together Jackie Moore – Holding Back (Moplen Remix) Saucy Lady – Why The Shapeshifters – Tell Me It's Not Over (Cosmodelica Remix NYR) Fusion's Funk – Michelle's Dream Gratts – Polaroids (Glenn Davis Remix) Soulstice – Lovely (Gabriel Rene Mix) Deodato – The Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun Dionne Warwick – Where Love Is

Bert François and Susan Chan, Balearic Brakfast's Family members, are the kind of people you want to get closer to when you look at their many (and excellent) requests. And that's precisely what I did! 1) Hello Bert! It’s so lovely to have you here on the blog! You make so many great requests that I always wanted to talk with you! So tell me, how did you get into music? Hi Artur, great work on the blog! I have many influences from different genres of music. My family, mainly my father and uncle, were into soul music in the 1970s, and when I came back from the islands where I was brought up, it was the beginning of the disco era, which was played nonstop back then. After that, my uncle got me into jazz fusion music. Then, when I attended my multi-ethic high school, I was exposed to rock, new wave, hip hop, and R&B, house music coming a little later. 2) You’re one of the « die-hard » fans of the show; tell us, how did you discover Colleen? It was the early 1990s. After coming from the gym in Midwood, Brooklyn, I went to a record shop and met a guy browsing vinyl who asked me about my musical taste; we had much in common. I believe we both had Caribbean heritages. At the time, I was an avid listener of DJ Disciple, who had a house music radio show broadcasted from Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. He told me I should check out this radio show called "Club 89" with "DJ Cosmo", broadcast from the New York University radio station (which I did): it came on at 10:30 pm at night on Tuesdays, and it was really good! I’m an early bird type of guy, so I did tape the show using a timer from 10:30 pm to about 1 am, and from the time I heard that 1st show, I was hooked! It was almost like I was transported to another listening world, a musical escapade with no commercials and the track IDs being announced! Some tracks, like white labels and import tracks, would be hard to find. 3) How do you choose the songs you’re going to request for Balearic Breakfast? Since there is a variety of musical genres to choose from, I first try to vibe with Cosmo’s theme or style in her request posts on Saturday mornings: it may be an artist tribute or perhaps tracks reflecting a change in season; I may feel in a jazzy mood and come up with some jazz requests or request what I call a "Club89" Classic track. I also try to mix my requests, whether old or new, each time because not everyone is into a particular tempo or style of music. So, I try and vibe with the Balearic Breakfast family’s taste as well to help make it a great show! 4) What do you love the most about Balearic Breakfast? Balearic Breakfast is like a university to me! I learn so much about different types of music genres and artists each week that I can’t afford to miss an episode! 5) What does the sentence « and remember just be Balearic » Evoque to you? To me, “Just Be Balearic” equals “Just Be Uniquely Authentic”... 6) Hello Susan! I am so happy to have you here too as you’re also a great requester of the Balearic Breakfast show :-) What are your musical Backgrounds (memories from your childhood, songs that impacted you as a child/teenager)? Thank you! When I was younger (pre-teen), Teresa Teng was being played in our home almost 24/7. She's a Taiwanese pop singer who died at a young age. When I became a teenager, my musical taste was heavily influenced by my uncle, who played Little River Band, Dr Buzzard Original Savannah Band, Bob Marley, The Bee Gees, and Aswad. Not to say that I did not adore New Kids on the Block. I was also into pop music back then. My musical taste buds awakened when my husband took me to Deep Space (Francois Kevorkian's party that ran every Monday at Cielo - NYC). 7) How did you find out about “Balearic Breakfast”? Were you already following Colleen before the show started? I found out about Colleen when she played at Francois K's Deep Space party many moons ago. I found out about Balearic Breakfast during the pandemic. Honestly, I initially thought she was a bit chatty (laughs!), but that was me not being an active listener and not appreciating the knowledge that she was imparting and the music that she was sharing! One day, it just clicked, and I have been hooked ever since and tried to see her when she had gigs in NYC! 8) What aspect of “Balearic Breakfast” attracts you the most? The sense of community and people sharing the same love/interest in music. 9) Do you feel the show conveys more than just music ? How has it impacted you personally? The show is definitely more than just music. Balearic Breakfast has helped me to get through the pandemic. I looked forward to its musical goodness every Tuesday! Music has the power to put me in a better mood! 10) If you had to choose (this one is hard, I know, laughs!) one DJ you discovered thanks to the show and that had a significant impact on you, which one would it be and why? I cannot choose one, but I can choose 2! I choose Colleen"Cosmo" Murphy and Francois Kevorkian because I feel like they play from their heart and they are not about blending/mixing two songs perfectly but about the song that they're playing. Most of all, they are humble and modest; I never felt that I could not ask them for a track ID. They're always willing to share their stories, knowledge, and thoughts! Thank you so much to both of you for answering my questions! Thanks for reaching out! Have a wonderful weekend = )

The "Balearic Ultras" aren't your typical 'DJ duo'. I was awed when I heard them on Colleen's show in 2022. Here's a nice chin-wag I had with Mike Bradbury about their musical journey! Hello Mike! Thank you so much for joining me here on the Balearic Breakfast blog! How did the “Balearic Ultras” adventure start? It all started in 2015 with a weekly radio show for non-league football club ‘FC United of Manchester’ when I had a desire to DJ again after a long layoff. I stopped DJing after I left Manchester to move to Brighton in 1999. I settled down with the love of my life, had kids and knocked weekend raving on the head. I’d always make an annual pilgrimage to Ibiza and Glastonbury and to see Weatherall. I continued to buy records and generally dug the dance music scene, but I had an itching to get back to playing out again. My beloved FC United were starting a 24-hour community radio station, so I began recording a weekly 60-minute mix and sticking them up on Mixcloud. It grew from there. The name ‘Balearic Ultras’ was a bit of a piss-take because the show was going out on a football radio station, but I’m stuck with it now. I met the other Ultra, R’Duncan, through sharing an office. He had a show on 1BTN called Dreamlust with our good friend Joe. When Joe left Brighton in 2017 (to Manchester, no less), Dunc became an Ultra, and we’ve been pushing new music to anyone who will listen ever since. Whether it’s on 1BTN, Music For Dreams Radio or live in a club. If we’re together, we’ll always DJ back to back, one tune on, one tune off, and we absolutely love it! How do you see your musical mission as label owners (Higher Love recordings)? We basically push new music from our favourite artists and labels that play the Sunset to Sunrise electronic tunes we love. Sometimes it’s Balearic, sometimes it’s chuffing having it, and it’s always tremendous. By the way, I like what Dr. Rob of the ironic Ban Ban Ton Ton blog wrote about us: “Digital dealers for discerning dance floors and sophisticated sundowns. In 2020, the Brighton-based duo launched Higher Love Recordings with the intention of releasing the sunset-to-sunrise electronic music they love. In the 21st Century, as well as it should be, this Balearic beat business is a global affair. The music released thus far has travelled from Poland, Mexico City, Santa Fe, Daytona Beach, LA, Rome, Stockholm, Oslo, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, Brighton and, of course Ibiza. Producers featured include dance music royalty Ron Basejam, Justin Robertson, Sean Johnston, and Rolo McGinty, as well as rising stars Jazxing, Joe Morris, Gold Suite, James Bright, and Residents Balearicos.” Yuksek - Pura Onda (feat. Nu Azeite) [Partyfine] Secret Soul Society - Tatoo You [Hell Yeah Recordings] Hiatt dB - When The Night Is Right [Razor-N-Tape] JIM - Oxygen [Vicious Charm Recordings] Verdo - I Want it [Hell Yeah Recordings] Ian Upfold - Get The Best [Bandcamp] Rheinzand - Kills And Kisses (Scorpio Twins Remix) [Music For Dreams] Lovebirds Ft. Uri Gincel - Fly Away [Teardrop Recordings] Jazxing - W Uścisku (Polotronic remix) [Higher Love Recordings] Redsole - Napoli - Pete Herbert Dub [Music For Swimming Pools] Izo FitzRoy - God Gets a Little Busy Sometimes (Cosmodelica Remix ODJ Re-edit) [Jalapeno Records] Glass Coffee - Rising Love (Vocal Mix) [Higher Love Recordings] You also worked on great remixes; some played during Balearic Breakfast! How do you work? We have limited studio experience, so we work on every remix with a "tape editing" mentality. Endless hours of chopping up the stems usually end up with me losing my mind (laughs!), but a tune we’d play out always seems to appear in the end. We’ll then ask pals who have far more talent than us if they can stick some bass or guitar over it. Everything gets then polished up in a proper studio with our uber-talented pal Ian Upfold (more about Ian here). Mike had a chat with Colleen in 2022, and you can listen to the interview right here : PLAYLIST OF THE TRACKS PLAYED BY THE "BALEARIC ULTRAS" Jazxing – Artifacts [Higher Love Recordings] Debbie Gibson – Losin' Myself (12" Masters At Work Version) [Atlantic] Eddie C Presents L.J. Simon feat. Idriss – I Wonna Know (Eddie C's 7 inch Disco Mixx) [Soul Clap Records] Talking Drums – Pretend A Stranger (Balearic Ultras edit) [London Records] A Man Called Adam – Righteous Life [Big Life] Maks – North [Citizens of Vice] Happy Mondays – Loose Fit [Factory Records] Peshay – Pacific [Blue] Attraktors – Heavy Water (Ron Basejam Remix) [Higher Love Recordings] The Cure – Fascination Street (Extended) [Elektra] Confidence Man – Out The Window (Andrew Weatherall remix) [Heavenly Recordings] Stex – Still Feel the Rain [Some Bizzare] Spencer Davis Group – Gimme Some Lovin (Johnson Somerset remix) [Unreleased] You were the first act interviewed by Colleen during Balearic Breakfast! According to you, what does it take to “be Balearic” in our modern times? VIBES’N’FEELINGS innit. Be nice, be happy and listen to Colleen’s shows because she is by far the greatest broadcaster in all the land. What are your plans for the near future? The immediate future is to release the Jazxing remix album at the end of October and then a new 10.40 EP before Christmas. We'll be doing more remixes in 2024, continuing with the Music For Dreams and Higher Love radio shows and generally keep on keeping on. Check’um https://linktr.ee/higherloverec Thanks so much, Mike, for the music and this lovely interview! Thanks for your support, Artur!

The latest "Faith" fanzine edition features an interview with Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy. Let's discover its highlights in this post! On August 17th, Colleen shared the following message on her socials: "Huge and heartfelt thanks to @faithfanzine and writer @nickgb_music.ita for the wonderful piece in the latest issue of Faith. The fanzine published an article on me when I moved over to London from New York City in 1999 for which I was hugely grateful as it helped me relaunch in a brand new country and continent - I’ll never forget that. Also in the latest issue a feature on another friend and mentor @francoisknyc and a much needed article on women DJs [p. 42. ed.]. Sure it’s getting a bit better for us but you wouldn’t believe the amount of both conscious and unconscious bias many of us still quietly experience even from the most unlikely sources and in circles that claim otherwise. We are still judged differently and more harshly than our male counterparts. And there are still some boys clubs that not only refuse to credit women artists and DJs on their achievements but gaslight us. It happens more than you think. So until sexism in all its insidious forms is eradicated both inside and outside the dj booth, I’m afraid we will need to keep talking about it. But great leaps have been made and let’s not forget that either. Upwards and onwards…" I took the opportunity and bought the issue to discover a fanzine I had never heard of! Though I can't share the interview per se (you can support the fanzine and order your copy here), I still can propose some of its highlights; let's dive in! The three-page interview (with a beautiful layout, should I add, making us think about some album covers from the late '60s) takes us on a new journey down memory lane with Colleen (the new biography on her website by Disco Pogo's editor Jim Butler is worth checking out too). The hard-working and well-organised DJ (she admits she doesn't sleep as much as other people, sometimes even overscheduling herself) has had music running through her veins since her youngest age (she hosted her first radio show at age 14), working in record shops after school, knowing radio was what she wanted to do. The interview is very cleverly conducted because we have both the story of these younger years and an insight into the Bostonian cultural scene (Colleen grew up in the suburbs of Boston in the "tiny town" of Holliston). We get to learn more about Colleen's whereabouts back then when she talks about her moving to New York City (a cultural decision allowing her to meet her to become Musical Mentor David Mancuso but also fellow friends like François Kevorkian - see this issue of Faith fanzine p. 36) and then establishing herself "back" in London. Listen to a very young Cosmo interviewing Ceybil Jefferies on Club 89: There is one thing that shines through this interview is how passionate Colleen was all the time and how much she knew what she wanted. For instance, when talking about "Classic Album Sundays", she says: "I remember when I started Classic Album Sundays, people saying 'Oh I always thought of doing that', I was like, but you didn't, so shut up. We all have these great ideas - you have to execute it" Another great quote (with a very Balearic touch) from this interview goes like this: "If you stay true to your ideals you will always at least be happy with yourself and that is always the first person you have to answer to" Talking about her work as a DJ, she feels that there are two separate species (but I'm not going to tell you all about that part, you have to read something, right? Laughs!). This excellent interview ends with a few words about our beloved show, "Balearic Breakfast": "I started it in the pandemic (as Summer Staycation) because I wanted it to be like a musical conversation. One thing I love about BB is the community aspect, the BB Family are so knowledgeable, they all have their different things going on, most of them aren't DJs. It's about community building, which is something I learned from David, the community aspect is number one." Overall, it's a beautiful interview, very well conducted, with a nice rhythm, lovely depth and a few "punchlines" tending to show that being Balearic is also about fighting for your dreams to make them come true!