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José Padilla (1955-2020)
Photo: PYMCA / Universal Images Group / Getty Images
José Padilla, the man who played a key role in shaping the image of Ibiza, came to the island in 1975; he was born in Girona, Catalonia, and grew up in Barcelona.
He realized his dream of working as a DJ in various Ibizan clubs in the course of the 1980s - but Padilla only became a figure in the history of electronic music in the Café del Mar.
From 1991 onwards, Padilla played regularly in the café located on the beach promenade of Sant Antoni de Portmany, where guests like to enjoy the view of the sunset.
José Padilla played a relaxed mix of electronic, psychedelic and also classical music there, which soon became the trademark of Café del Mar.
In 1994 the first compilation CD was released, which carried the sound of Café del Mar into the world.
The annually released albums also hit much less homely cafes, bars and boutiques; in the 1990s they became the epitome of the chillout sound.
The first six episodes of the CD series were put together by Padilla, after which his successor took over as resident DJ at Café del Mar.
José Padilla had already placed his own productions on some of the "Café del Mar" compilations;
In 1998 he released a first solo album, the second, "Navigator", was released in 2001 with guest singers such as Seal and N'dea Davenport.
Padilla continued to work regularly as a DJ.
"Frank Sinatra still sang when he was 80," he said in an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE in 2001: "Why shouldn't I be able to put on records when I am 80?"
In July 2020, José Padilla made a colon cancer disease public.
He has now died of the consequences of this disease, as announced on his social media accounts on Monday evening.
He was 64 years old.
The Café del Mar said goodbye to the DJ with a message on Twitter, whom they described as the "godfather of chillout" and "true Ibiza legend".
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