Every year a the same period we would see the release of a whole bunch of compilations claming to embody the (true) spirit of Ibiza. This said, if anyone worldwide knows about the question, it's most definitely José Padilla. A man that arrived on the White Island some 30 years ago, celebrating the beauty of the spot the best way one ever could aurally speaking. Giving birth to the Cafe del Mar series back in 1995, he soon would become the Ambassador of contemplative chill-out vibes, way before the arrival of the so called lounge music and its cohort of pale imitators…

I'll never forget that first time I met José. He came to my place for an interview dinner with some French reprezentative of his. Needless to say how I felt excited meeting this guy who litteraly put my heart upside down with the music that he'd managed to gather so far on the three volumes of his Cafe del Mar series. He would give me the feeling of some dreaming Hidalgo, living both at the same time on earth and on some imaginary world of his where absolute and spriitual beauty would be the undisputed king and queen. Although the man was opened to many subjects of conversation, it was instantly clear in my mind that he was not to make the smallest compromize…

Say about a man living with 7 cats and a dog that he oughtta be generous is nothing but a the evidence and God knows how Jose may be so, from the heights of his terrasse, having a view on the valley leading from Ibiza Ciudad to San Antonio. José would have found the ideal place to let his inner mind flow on this typical hispanic country house, aside from the usual agitation that takes his island by storm each summer. Yes folks, the place of a character unlike many others. A man that would welcome his guests in the great tradition of the Mediterranean people in front of what had to be an uncomparable café or nothing, as elsewhere brilliantly demonstrated by his legendary… 'Cafe Del Mar' series. For José who I've come to see a few times at his place, life was to be a question or yes or no. Should you be his friend, he would devote himself the very best he could with the sole purpose of pleasing you. Such a situation having its inevitable counterpart as the man couldn't stand anything that would hurt his extreme sensibility including evntual misunderstandings. More about him thereafter from a conversation we managed to have back from a French festival where we'd spinned together, prior to the release of his solo debut album ('Souvenir')…

Looks like you've gone for an autobiographical title if not at least very much personal…

I first came with the idea of 'If I Had A Camera', then 'Camera' but my record company wasn't really into this.

Would this French word have anything to do with this (old) period of your life that you've spent in France ?

I guess so. I arrived in the South of France with my family at the age of 2.

What have uou got as a reminder of this period ?

I've come to live like a French kid as long as I was there (7 years). I haven't had that many contacts with my parents. My mom was very much carrying about the decoration of the house and my dad who was working as a trader in the fruit and wine industry was often away.

Have you suffered from such a situation ?

Sure ! We were living by the countryside and I've learnt to deal with a lot of things by my own. I had 2 to 3 friends around but, most of all, was happy to be surrounded by animals.

This being the reason of such a presence of them.

Always had cats around me. I've grown up with hens, dogs, pigs…

Would you tend to think that we end up being less disappointed by animals than humans ?

(discret smile). Sometimes. At least, you always know where you're at with animals. I can't stand finding myself in situations where I don't know how to react in front of someone. With the woman I love, my friends. I hate doubt.

Would you tend to always be on some defensive attitude ?

I've learnt to live with this throughout the years. This said, I guess that we're all going through this situation when in front of some impportant decisions.

One may then imagine that all these inner sufferings + this feeling of insecurity have been for much in the nature of your DJ sets and compositions…

(somehow disturbed) It's true, but… Probably, possibly.

I would think that you've got pictures in your mind while giving birth to your blends…

Sometimes… Eurgh, naaaa ! These are not really images. Well, may be yes finally. Projections, i would say. But if I'm in the middle of a love break thing, it would seemto me even more cruel to go back to it with complains, even though they may be abstract. I sometimes feel so deeply sad that I am in the incapacity to play.

Let's go back to your childhood. After France, Barcelona right ?

Yes. I'd been leaving there until the age of 15. Then I've left my parents to go here and there. And my father died, something like 3 years later.

Do you miss him ?

This album is dedicated to him.

D'you still have your mom ?

No.

You said to me last year that you was neither in touch with any other member of the family…

I have had to deal with this. It's like some parentheses that I have to create in my life. I've done as if most of them never existed. I've suffered so much because of them. I still love love though, but…

What have you had to suffer from ?

This isolation in which they've left me. I've often tryed to reach them but never got an answer. They've pushed me aside coz' I haven't reacted they way they expected. They would have liked me to be different. I just hope this album will help them to have another view. To make them think that I wasn't that fool. To make them realize that I'd been able to do something out of my fingers. At least, I'll send a copy of the album to each of them…

How many brothers and sisters do you have ?

One brother and three sisters.

But they know what you're doing, right ? I mean the 'Cafe del Mar' series…

Course they know. Some nephews and nieces came to see me last time I had a gig in Barcelona. They would eventually give me a ring from times to times. But I guess that this kind of situation is quite frequent when your family spends its life going from a place to another without having any time to fin dits roots, any time to make relations… You go from the Soouth of Spain to Zaragossa. Then from Zaragossa to Gijone, then Peprpignan and Barcelona… How could you manage to have kids having trust in what they're doing living like that ? Having such a life is synonymous of potential breaks inside the family as time goes. I guess we would have ended up reuniting should my parents still be there but now it's different. Everyone has his own life and children. I find it sad and sometimes feel jealous. I may have to pursue my efforts, but I'd done so many so far…

So your cats are your family…

Exactly. I'll make all my possible to have another dog asap.

Time to talk about this album. How have you managed to record it, being no technician nor musician ?

You don't have to know how to play an instrument or know about the technology to achieve this. I guess I've acted more like a producer, trying to get all these things that I had in my mind and transmit them to the people I'd been working with.

Right, but what about the melodies ?
I've given directions in terms of sounds, structures, construction, etc…
 
Can we expect some video clip(s) ?
It will depend on the success of the first single, "How Do You Love?", awaited with remixes from Fila Brazillia and Chicane.
 
Clip(s) where we'll get the chance to see you.
Naaa, not really, unless in a very discret way. Having my face at the center stage has never been my thing although I'm very much aware of the power of images…
 
This being the reason of the concept of your album sleeve made of collages of various pics…
Yes. Even though the front cover is a pic of myself, you couldn't recognize me. I mean, it's me but it could be someone else. I don't want to give a more precise image of me for the moment, let's say as long as I won't feel better in my shoes. Course, I'm aware of how a good photographer could do, but I'm not into that kind of Hollywoody pictures. I'd rather go for natural things. Not to mention the fact that I feel like I have to protect my intimacy.
 
Isn't that a mistake to release almost simultaneously your solo album and the 5th volume of 'Cafe del Mar' ?
It well could ben but releasing my album has taken me so much time. I guess that the ones who're already into my compilations won't hesitate to get a copy of my album by the same time.

Has it been so hard to do this album ?
Well, I would also say because of internal reasons inside the label. Eddie Gordon who has signed me on Manifesto has left since meanwhile I have been able to get my hands back on some previous material which I' recorded earlier for another project.
 
What happened ?
I'd been working with Phil Mison (he of the 'Real Ibiza' series on React) and Steffen Anderson who'd been one amongst the very first to issue a record dedicated to Cafe del Mar and we were supposed to call ourselves M.A.P. (for Mison, Anderson and Padilla) but the producer had taken our work with no explanations. I've got to fight for almost three years to get it right back.
 
Isn't that a bit of ironical to see you keep on doing this 'Cafe del Mar' series when spinning at another place at the same time ?
Guess I don't want to play at a place where I don't feel that good nowadays. I'm keeping on this series as I still have to do the volume 6 then a best of should come. This said, Cafe del Mar has always had a particular signification to me.
 
Would you be the owner of the name ?
No at all.
 
Do you pay royalties ?
Neither. Why would I have to ? I mean, they're making money with these comps et they bring them a worldwide notoriety. On top of it, we're not in the middle of a fight. The thing is that I don't feel anymore in adequation with the crowd which comes there…
 
There was some noise about some common venture with Pacha resident DJ (DJ Pippi) and yourself regarding the launch of a new spot…
We'd been talking about this for years, but it's mainly a matter of respective schedules.
 
What kind of place would you like to invest in ?
A location where I naturally could express myself during the sunsets with a welcome capacity of 800 to 1,000 people…
 
In Ibiza ?
Most preferably. A quality spot with a good sound system, good light, decoration, staff and music that goes along with. But no names behind the decks. Simply people who would come for the pleasure of spinning appropriate music.
 
Do you see the music that you're playing – mostly contemplative – has its niche inside the global dance concept ?
Everything depends on the place and subsequently the quality of the crowd it attracts. And when I talk about quality, I mean in regards to their expectations…
 
Do you always bring that impressive amount of records with you ?
Hmm ! A true nightmare I would say…  But that's the way I'm doing. I like to improvise.
 
Would you see yourself as a DJ or more as a conceptor of atrmospheres ?
That also depends of the place I'm going and the reactions of the crowd. I could mix in the rhythm but I'm definitely not a Jeff Mills of the genre.
 
You then more react as a sound scenarist doing collages…
Yes, depending once again on the receptivity of the crowd. I'm deeply in need of feedaback. This is why I've loved so much spinning at Cafe del Mar all these past years. Had the feeling to be directly connected emotionally speaking.
 
Which is why you've left Cafe del Mar…
Exactly.
 
Is this due to the fact that San Antonio had become a sort of British colonny throughout the years ?
Yes and no… It's more a question of expectations which has seen many people going to Cafe del Mar with the hope of hearing some extra bang, bang, bang kind of stuff. Don't get me wrong, I've never hated listening to a good techno DJ and I couldn't stand it for say 6 hours. I've really loved what Paul (Paul Daley from Leftfield) has done yesterday at the Saint-Brieuc Arts Rock Festival.
 
And you may also have a listen to hard techno or trance…
Definitely not at home. But I may go out to feel the energy. On top of that, Trance is not necessarily a question of BPM.
 
The spanish scene…
It's booming. Just have a look at how Sonar festival does. I'd come there for its second edition but it has become too hype for me and when it's too hype, you get the risk of loosing the essence…
 
Could it be that Spain and Ibiza had become places where you're not any more able to spin ?
No. I've still got the opportunity to play at Space or Terrasse and i could do even more but it's not my thing. And don't forget that I've got this job at Cabo des Falco now…
 
A space which you feel more connected with…
Yes. The owner has welcomed me with great enthusiasm. It's quite an isoled and wild spot by a long beach at Las Salinas. You wouldn't get the same panorama as when at Cafe del Mar but it's as magical…
 
Excerpts from an interview released in July 98

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