“Never Mind The Balearics, Here’s DJ Harvey’s Mercury Rising volume II!” To celebrate DJ Harvey’s 5th season at Pikes Ibiza with Mercury Rising, the DJ released a follow up compilation and mix to accompany the momentous occasion and pay special tribute to founder Tony Pike, who died earlier this year. The English DJ’s reputation precedes him wherever he goes, and at Pikes he has found a residency that is able to accommodate his extensive musical universe, which this compilation distills down into a pool-side mood at the infamous hotel.
Between drum machines, synthesisers, guitars and hints of exotic influences, DJ Harvey samples the musical bastions of what would inform the term balearic in the late nineteen eighties through a selection of modern and original interpretations of the style of music. From the Tuareg-themed psychedelia of Khidja’s “Tatooine Moon” to Rune Lindbæk and Chris Coco’s spacey “Weekend Billionaires,” DJ Harvey samples tracks constructed from a rich melange of sounds that honour the balearic traditions first established by DJs like Jose Padilla.
Harvey transports the listener to Pikes Ibiza, providing the perfect escape from the doldrums of an approaching winter with a compilation that glistens in the light. Breezy keys and light-footed percussive sounds perpetuate an idyllic atmosphere like dipping into cool waters on blistering summer’s day. DJ Harvey latches on to this feeling from the first song and through the vast cornucopia of sounds that emerge from his selections, he maintains an evocative sense of mystery, luring the listener on a journey towards Ibiza and on toward a Mercurian dawn.
DJ Harvey has never been known to play in the obvious with record collections and experiences that extend way beyond the average DJ and so rarities like Marta Acuna’s “Dance, Dance, Dance” is to be expected, but sitting beside a much newer track like Midlife’s “Magnificent Moon” this compilation is not some supercilious adventure through a very expensive record bag (even thought some of these tracks are very likely to go up in value after discogs gets through with it) but a very masterful and comprehensive assemblage that specifically reflects a night at Pikes and not just DJ Harvey’s legendary prowess at the decks.
My bags are packed… next stop… Pikes Ibiza.