What is Balearic Sound music and where to listen to it in Ibiza

Hostal La Torre is very familiar with Balearic Sound music because we've been privileged to enjoy sets mixed by two of its iconic figures: DJ Alfredo and Jose Padilla. If you haven’t yet visited our terrace to watch the sunset at the beat of the island’s soundtrack or you would like to know more about this music, read on and join the Balearic Sound fan club.

Before we get down to business, it’s worth saying that talking about Balearic Sound is the same as talking about Ibiza, its sunsets and a very particular way of understanding music: free, eclectic and deeply connected to the island’s setting. This isn’t a set genre or strict label, it’s a musical attitude that naturally combines different styles to create a unique vibe. So when someone asks about Balearic Sound, the most straightforward answer would be a way of mixing music to accompany moments, landscapes and feelings, especially as the sun sets in Ibiza.

Sesión Balearic Sound at Hostal La Torre.

What is Balearic Sound and how and where did it first emerge?

For starters, we could define it as a creative attitude based on the freedom of mixing musical genres without prejudice, shifting from jazz to house, from pop to reggae, from a ballad to an acid house track... It’s a musical narration that seeks to bring hedonistic pleasure to the audience, a way of mixing that became famous thanks to DJ Alfredo, who was born in Argentina but made Ibiza his home until his last days in 2024. It was in the 80s in Amnesia when this famous DJ started to mix in a same set psychedelic rock with europop, Chicago house, italo disco, world sounds... Rare tracks by Peter Gabriel and Chris Rea, Nitzer Ebb and Sade... All this with astonishing smoothness and sensitivity.

Summer 1987 witnessed the arrival to Ibiza of British DJs Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling, Nicky Holloway and Johnny Walker, who were completely transformed by what they heard. And then when they went back to London, they tried to recreate that same magic and came up with a name for what they’d experienced: Balearic Beat. That’s how the label was born even if the sound had been beating on the island for years. As DJ Alfredo told us when we interviewed him in 2019, “it was simply my sound. I would never have thought to give it a name.”

DJ Alfredo at Hostal La Torre in 2019.

And then there’s the club on the seafront. Shortly after, José Padilla refined his more contemplative version at Café del Mar, in Sant Antoni, adding music to the sunsets with a mix of ambient, world and chill-out music that became the best known soundtrack of the non-clubbing Ibiza. At Hostal La Torre, Padilla also brought us unforgettable musical moments awaiting the sunset, like when he played Rosalía’s version of “Me quedo contigo” just as the sun set. About that time, he told us that “people clapped for three whole minutes. It was amazing!”

Hostal La Torre: the place to listen to Balearic Sound music in Ibiza

Music is the big star of many travellers’ favourite plans in Ibiza during the summer. Some of those plans include listening to a Balearic Sound set at sunset. If done well, it turns into a musical and emotional trip that leads the audience to feel that they are exactly where they are meant to be at that very moment. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Hostal La Torre has been infusing the sunset with the best Balearic Sound music for the past 11 years, all 365 days of the year. Ever since, our turntables have not only been mixed by Dj Alfredo and Jose Padilla, but also by other relevant figures who are or have been our resident DJs, like Pete Gooding, Be.Lanuit, Carlos Miranda, Phat Phil Cooper, George Solar, Volte, Fabiano Pax…

Waiting for sunset...

Perfect setting for a Balearic Sound set

The indescribable feeling that comes with a good Balearic Sound set feeds off a special atmosphere where the landscape becomes a leading feature. And Hostal La Torre has the best views: a stunning view of the sea that spans S’Conillera island, the islet of s’Ila des Bosc and cape Nonó, as well as the sunset –beautiful in the summer and even more spectacular in the winter (as we reveal in this post)

And last but not least, a carefully chosen list of cocktails and food to pair nicely with a memorable Balearic Sound set. Sheer rapture. Just what DJ Alfredo loved.

Book now your table for dinner with Balearic Sound DJ set at Hostal La Torre

Coming to one of our DJ sets at sunset is not only a plan to listen to music, it’s grabbing the chance to experience a tradition that is part of Ibiza’s modern identity. A holiday ritual for people from all over the globe gathering to wave the day away and welcome the night with its promise of fun and delights.

Atardecer desde Hostal La Torre.
Check our weekly programming on our Instagram and Facebook accounts and book a table to make sure you don’t miss out, especially if you’re visiting Ibiza between June and September. You can book directly from our website, by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone (+34 971 34 22 71). And if you want to start getting into the mood, check out our playlist with recommendations from our resident DJs, like this one, this one or this one made by Pete Gooding on Spotify.

Come to Hostal La Torre for the best Balearic Sound sets!

Pictures: Nico Fdez. Marí