Dreaming, sleep and the occasional encounter with the strange run through the second Balearic Groove Library mix. Its title comes from JIM’s “My Dreams Are Strange”, but the association extends to Manuela Ocampo’s “Lila Persa”, Jim Page’s “Sleeping On A Car Seat” and Juni Habel’s “Pearl Cloud Song”. Across the selection, those songs sit among instrumental soul, disco, Peruvian electronics and dub, giving the mix a character that is thoughtful in places and playful in others.
There are different kinds of dreams here. Bogotá songwriter Ocampo’s Ocasos y Albas, made with producer Richard Blair, draws on dreams and spiritual experience. Jim Page’s song grew out of seeing someone sleeping on a discarded car seat in Seattle. His account is compassionate and specific, giving sleep a social context as well as a personal one. Both make room for reflection. Ocampo · Jim Page
The relationship between songwriting and dance music is central to Jim Baron’s work. As JIM, he draws on folk and soul, alongside his history with Crazy P and as Ron Basejam. Juni Habel’s music provides another connection: “Pearl Cloud Song” combines acoustic guitar, pedal steel and a drum machine even before Tom Sharkett’s reworking develops the relationship between its acoustic instruments and electronic production. Other remixes extend that approach, allowing the mix to move between songs and club music without treating them as separate worlds. JIM · Juni Habel
Edits and reinterpretations recur throughout. Bedmo Disco’s Sell By Dave contributes a brand-new version of Sky’s “Westway”, while Psychemagik, Richard Norris and HAAi/Juno Mars each bring their own approach to reshaping existing recordings. Jungle Fire’s “La Kossa” offers a particular reference point: guitarist Patty B’s remix was inspired by early 1980s breakdancing films. Alongside Surprise Chef’s instrumental soul, informed by the music of the 1970s, it brings the influence of older funk and dance records into the selection. Jungle Fire · Surprise Chef
Dub is another substantial part of the mix’s character. The Members, Zen Baseballbat and Mogue Pahone give it a strong presence, while James Allison’s treatment of The Fall’s “Blindness” connects dub’s use of space and bass with post-punk. Adwaith’s “MWY” approaches rhythm from a different direction: the Carmarthen band took inspiration from Can for a song about land, community and belonging. These selections give some weight to a mix whose title might otherwise suggest something entirely hazy. Blindness · Adwaith
The geographical range stretches from Jess Sah Bi’s Côte d’Ivoire to Ocampo’s Colombia, taking in Seattle folk, Melbourne soul, Norwegian songwriter Juni Habel and the Welsh-language music of Adwaith. Iceland’s Tónarunur adds electronic boogie and space disco, while Los Angeles band Jungle Fire draws on West African rhythms, Caribbean music and American funk. These influences cross borders within the records themselves, as well as between selections. Peruvian producer Aliener’s “Bendice Pachamama” comes from Descarga Peruana, a compilation documenting contemporary electronic and tropical music in Peru. Alongside the mix’s British folk, soul and post-punk connections, that breadth gives “Balearic” a practical meaning: an openness to music from different places and traditions, with room for songs, dancing and less familiar sounds. Jess Sah Bi · Tónarunur · Jungle Fire · Descarga Peruana