Balearic Revisited with Jaime Fiorito: Emotional Recordings

A few of us had the privilege to witness the evolution of the Balearic sound since its 1980s inception in the legendary era of an open-air Amnesia. Pioneered by my father, the Argentine DJ Alfredo, the  cultural imprint of the time is still deeply embedded in today’s electronic club scene. Many of us relate to the Balearic sound through this soundscape and the genres that grew out of it. I spoke with Stuart Leath - aka Chuggy - founder of cult record label Emotional Recordings about what it means to be expanding the paradigms of Balearic beat. 

JF: Where do you live and what is your connection with Ibiza these days?

SL: I live in London, England. It’s been home now for over half my life. I first visited Ibiza in the ‘90s and have been many times. I love the island, the culture and that special spirit in the air. I think anyone involved in or around the post acid-house scene has some – whether direct or indirect - mental connection with Ibiza. The stories of the hippy island before and after the explosion in dance culture are well known to many.  I was a teenager in the 1980s and I also spent time on the GreeK Islands, where my friends and I were definitely having our own ‘Balearic’ moments.

JF.  Your labels cover such diverse musical styles. What was the inspiration for that and how did it happen?  

SL: The different strands of the labels I run are purely unintentional. I simply started with the idea of Emotional Rescue to reissue old forgotten music and for Emotional Response to be more of a home-listening sound, but ended up working with the music I love and collected - aka electronic music - so at times the sound is also club orientated. [Emotional] Especial followed, focusing on dance music, mainly influenced by disco, new wave, plus house and techno. You can find releases from artists like Akio Nagasse from Japan,  Red Axes from Israel or Kim Ann Foxman from New York, who plays on a regular basis in Ibiza. 

JF: Balearic beat is the art of mixing together many different musical styles to create a particular feeling. It started with Alfredo on the dancefloor of Amnesia in the mid 1980s and moved to the chill out cafes on the beach of San Antonio in the 1990s, incorporating the acid house parties in the UK around the same time. Were you part of any of these moments and do you think that there are pockets of Ibiza still retain that energy? 

SL: By the time I got to Ibiza, the island was already concentrating on the big club sound of house music. It felt that the Balearic feel had been diminished. However, my favourite personal moment of that time was hearing Francois K playing a nine-hour set on the Terrace at Space on one of those mythical Sundays. I think a lot of music lovers were perhaps disillusioned with how the music in Ibiza went as the 2000s took hold. The musical ideal and the eclectic sound were somewhat lost to commercialism – but I think we always knew it would return and I think that has been steadily happening in the last decade.

It’s definitely reaching a tipping point now, but the resurrection of the Balearic music ideals didn’t just happen overnight. There has long been a dedicated band of global enthusiasts and collectors, plus a new generation of open minded clubbers, who dug and bought into a more esoteric style. Many labels are now inspired by the old original Ibiza records, or what was played in the 'cosmic' scene in Italy, or what the likes of Andrew Weatherall were playing at the birth of acid house. Indeed, much of it is inspired by what Alfredo played back at Amnesia.

JF: I see many old classic releases from the 1980s being remastered and issued with remixes. How difficult is it to secure the rights? And have you worked on any collaborations that you think elevated the original material? 

SL: In terms of how difficult it is licensing the reissues, I guess for every one release there are ten that failed, either not finding the artist or copyright owner, not securing rights or the project just floundering along the way. At the same time, I’ve enjoyed the chance to work with some of the club orientated releases by doing an edit, remix or reinterpretation that adds or offers something new for DJs today. 

To me the release is primarily about the original, but I hope these new versions can elevate the release.  It has also allowed me to work with some of my favourite producers along the way. The series of releases with Dan Tyler from the Idjut Boys are a standout.  As a music lover and collector first, I have always loved releases with a remix or dub or unreleased version: an homage to the original that brings a certain something extra.   

JF: Are there any other emerging or related music scenes that channel that Balearic spirit?

SL: The vast global festival scene showcases exposes people to  a much more eclectic sound and experience than before. I go to the Beauty and the Beat parties in London every few months. They play a very eclectic sound – sort of joining the dots in music - on an incredible sound system. They describe it as a 'freeform psychedelic dance party' and I think that nails it. The eclectic music scene is a thrilling place to be right now and I’m so grateful to be a part of it. 

Emotional Response releases music from contemporary artists that shake today's minds and dancefloors.

Emotional Rescue reissues gems  from the 1980s and 1990s Balearic era, such as Wild its Broken, Carl & Carol Jacobs’ Robot Jam or Rare Silk’s Storm- you can find their entire catalogue on their Bandcamp page.