Tribute to DJ José Padilla (1955-2020)

José Padilla was a DJ for over four decades and his sunset DJ sets at Café del Mar became legendary and an essential experience in Ibiza during the 90’s.

José was born near Barcelona in 1955. He moved to Ibiza in 1975 where he began DJing at the island’s nightclubs.

After selling bootleg mix-tapes alongside his DJ sets - José began his DJ residency at Café del Mar in 1991, the San Antonio bar that became famous for great chill out music with a beautiful sunset.

In 1994 Jose curated the first Café del Mar compilation album which was released on the React label and selected subsequent tracks for the next five albums as well as the 20th-anniversary commemorative release.

In 1998, José released his debut album ‘Souvenir’ on Mercury Records and in 2001 his album ‘Navigator’ was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the ‘Best Instrumental’ category.

José will be remembered as the spiritual father of “chill-out.”

Select tracks from José Padilla:

• “Walking on Air” - Café del Mar vol.3 (1996)

• "Adios Ayer" - Navigator (2001)