"Earlier in the week I was thinking about Jose and what he's meant to me personally over the years realising just what an important figure he has been in my life both directly & in-directly through his incredible compilations and the handful of true ‘Balearic’ sonic experiences he afforded me whilst I sat listening to him with my wife Sarah on the rocks outside The Cafe, actually seeing him draw the sun from behind the clouds just in time to let it slip into the sea on more than one occasion was really something to behold. That first year we had returned from a year in India and really were at a loss as to what to do when Darren Hughes suggested we go to Ibiza and look after his business interests there. Now at the time Ibiza was the last thing on our minds as a viable option, I mean, who the fuck wants to go to such a seemingly cheesy place as Ibiza after the freedom on the beach scene in Goa?!? but then we thought what the hell, we’d always enjoyed the Cafe Del Mar compilations so there was always that to check out. A safe haven from the English rabble…or so we thought!

I don't think that I’ve ever been as underwhelmed before or after as when I first set eyes on the Cafe Del Mar! I had it in my minds eye that it was going to be a wooden hut on a beautiful beach surrounded by chilled beauties. Not a concrete monstrosity surrounded by drug dealing idiots. Feeling a little saddened by the whole experience we decided to get a beer and watch the sunset anyway. We had another beer and started to relax into the place, the sun was still pretty high when Jose arrived. The funky house daytime soundtrack came to an abrupt end, interrupted by music from a film score I no longer remember and the next few hours slipped by in a dreamscape. We were hooked. All of a sudden Ibiza made a certain sense to us and we were able to see through our pre conceptions, relax and enjoy the company of the people we now found ourselves with every night around sunset at The Cafe Del Mar. Over the next two seasons we fell in love with the island and the people we met there (many of whom we had met in Thailand and India during the winters away from the island) and the rest, as they say, is history. We moved to Ibiza made parties for more years than I care to remember, programming the perfect soundtrack for peoples holiday experience. Always with the memory of our first introduction to the Balearic beat at The Cafe Del Mar firmly in our minds.

I am now weekly sunset resident at The Hostel La Torre and have held that residence for the past few years and although I would never consider myself an equal of The Maestro it always put a smile on my face and afforded me a rare feeling of pride when I saw my name next to his on the billing. Imagine.

So I made a little Sunset 4 Jose mix that I think captured my mood yesterday whilst paying a homage to the man himself. Have a listen. I think you’ll like it…it’s slightly melancholic with a light at the end of the tunnel. Non of the tracks featured would have been played by Jose (to my knowledge) as I’m guessing that there will be a shit load of ‘homage’ type mixes coming through in the next couple of weeks. I also know he hated people stealing his style and generally making a fucking pigs ear out of it. Lots of people play his signature tracks. Nobody else sounds like him.

Good night, God bless and thanks for the memories Maestro."

Mark Broadbent