The first episode in a series entitled Ibizabyme, that focuses on the personalities of the island and what Ibiza means to them.
The sound of the Balearic beat, which was born on the island in the early eighties, was crafted by a few select musical pioneers. While names like Jose Padilla and Alfredo spring to mind due to their association with Amnesia and Cafe Del Mar, one that is not so well know outside Ibiza is, Giuseppe Nuzzo, aka DJ Pippi. Ask any Ibicenco however and they will straight away recognise the name and the diminutive Italians importance to the island's musical history.
Born in Ruffano in 1956, DJ Pippi was headhunted by Ricardo Urgell to play at Pacha after he travelled to Germany in search of DJ´s for the iconic cherried club in 1984. Ricardo had heard Pippi play at Glories, when as a tourist, he stood in when the local DJ failed to arrive. Glories was the same club that, Javier Anadon, owner of Cafe Mambo started working at when he first arrived on the island and it gave birth to the Balearic sound of music which later developed at Pacha, Ku (now Privilege) and Es Paradis.
Balearic beat was a sound that grew from a mixture of different styles including Jazz, Lounge, Rock, Disco and Pop. It was very much freestyle and reflected the Mediterranean summer personality of the island it was born on. Ibiza in the early eighties was a creative hub of music, writers, artists and actors ,all feeding into the eclectic vibe that the island nurtured. Its sound lived in the vinyl grooves of the 12” singles and albums it was pressed upon. Pippi was one of the driving forces behind this movement and he went on to produce a number of singles most notably the classic 12” single, I luv You Baby, by The Original.
Today DJ Pippi is looking fit and well. Now in his 60´s, he is still creating music, something that is sadly becoming a lost art on the island after the glory days of Pink Floyd and Enigma. He can still be found with a busy schedule playing his vinyl in a number of select clubs and venues on the island including the Born In Ibiza party at Savannah on the sunset strip in San Antonio. He has just put the finishing touches to his debut album Bocadillos Variados which will have its Worldwide release on Vinyl and CD on July 21.