Balearic Mike
Although loved and respected within a fifty-mile radius of the record storage depot he calls a home, Balearic Mike is one of the world’s unsung DJ heroes
Also goes by:
Website:
Soundcloud link:
Mixcloud link: https://www.mixcloud.com/balearicmike/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balearicmike/
Booking contact: balearicmike@gmail.com
About Balearic Mike:
His doggedly independent eclecticism, a restless archaeological thirst for lost treasure, and a keen desire to mine new music that suits his broadminded, genre surfing, post-modern, Balearic brief, put him up there with a lonely few - those who are not scared to cross reference, off road and experiment with the crucial narrative that is at the core of any musical journey worth paying attention to. There is an intuitive intelligence in the choosing of the component parts of his sets and an empathetic logic to the way he puts things together. It’s these qualities that make his selections significant and ensure that his sets / mixes / compilations are something more than the usual showing off the humble spectator has come to expect. After teenage forays into the nightlife of Manchester, Liverpool, and Brighton in the late 80s, Mike located to Manchester in the early 90s with nothing more than his already burgeoning record collection. He settled down to work at the Mancunian institution of Vinyl Exchange. It soon became clear to the counter hawks, collectors and local know it alls that here was someone with a musical mind of his own. He secured guest spots at several significant local club nights. In a town where the level of skill and knowledge is such that it is hard to make any kind of musical mark, Mike became known for his individuality and fell in with a gang of fully bearded Balearic buccaneers who encouraged him to explore further. While others have been swayed by fashion and the desire to be popular, Mike has stuck to his principles. Elegant, playful, future-facing and open-minded mixes have been made freely available online. It’s these that secured Mike the international reputation he so rightly deserves. His bank balance, phone bill, email archive and air miles show he leaves no stone unturned in his pursuit of new music. Balearic Mike has played at some of the finest clubs, festivals, and events in the UK and around the world, including The Electric Chair, Horse Meat Disco, Ministry Of Sound (UK), Electric Elephant & Love International (Croatia), Pacha & Space (Ibiza), Chillits (California), The Do-Over (LA), Mareh Music (Brazil), and many others. Mike was given the great honour of kicking off the now highly respected ‘Originals’ series of compilations on Claremont 56, alongside his friend and fellow DJ Richard Moonboots. He was also the founder and director of Fascinating Rhythms, an occasional vinyl only Balearic record label. Balearic Mike is also the co-host of the Down To The Sea & Back series of compilations and parties with DJ and producer Kelvin Andrews. The third edition of which, Volume Tres, is released this spring on Kenneth Bager’s Music For Dreams label. In the last few years Mike has begun writing regularly about some of his favourite music and records from his collection on his social media platforms and the ever-excellent Ban Ban Ton Ton music blog. He has also become a regular contributor to music publications Disco Pogo and Faith Fanzine. For the last two years Balearic Mike has hosted a bi-weekly radio show on local FM radio station 1BTN.
What you can expect from Balearic Mike:
