The Electric Disco.
Sueños de Ibiza Vol 1 compiled by S/A/M
DJ Samantha Bagg aka S/A/M, takes us on a trip through the chilled out, balearic back catalogue of M Sol Records
Words by Mark Limb • February 25, 2025
DJ Samantha Bagg, better known as S/A/M, has been going from strength to strength over the last few years, holding down residencies at the Cafe del Mar, Pikes Hotel, Es Xringuito, Nobu and Me Hotel as well as being the resident DJ for Guy Williams Flash party and hosting a weekly radio show for Kenneth Bager's Music For Dreams.
2024 also saw S/A/M heading into the studio to work on her debut single, "Real Man", an uptempo breakbeat track featured on Buckley's After The Bufo EP, which is out now on Upgrade Records... but as well as her own productions, S/A/M has also found time to curate a new compilation for Marga Sol's label, M-Sol Records, showcasing the more tranquil side of Ibiza and the laid back sounds that she can often be heard playing to soundtrack the islands famous sunsets.
S/A/M originally connected with Marga Sol, through her residency at Cafe Del Mar. A subsequent guest appearance on S/A/M’s radio show and a conversation about their shared love of Ibiza and the Balearic spirit led to an invitation for S/A/M to curate an album of highlights from the vast M-Sol Records back catalogue.
Named after S/A/M's show where the two connected, Sueños de Ibiza showcases tracks from Ibiza-based artists like Ken Fan and Ibiza Chilled alongside a host of other international talents including Beamy, Digby Jones, Soul Avenue and many more…
The compilation fittingly starts off with Sail Away, by label owner Marga herself, a trip straight to the heart of chill out, with laidback keys, a mellow sax line, and a shuffling downtempo beat that perfectly sets the vibe for rest of the compilation.
Marie Therese and her track Mar Del Amo, chill things out even further, adding a sprinkling of Balearica, as mellow Spanish guitars and trumpet melodies wash over a backdrop of ambient sea textures. Danish group Circles of Sound, take things in more of a modern folk direction, with acoustic guitars, violins and vocal harmonies lending a smooth, almost Zero 7 type vibe to their track Still Believing
The selections never deviate far from classic chillout territory. The spanish guitars are plentiful, the beats are mellow and the vibes stay firmly chilled, with the tempo only picking up slightly towards the end as S/A/M drops in a few post-sunset gems from artists like Soul Avenue and Pep Llado, who's track Gooli stands out as a personal favourite on the compilation, a deep, percussive house number driven by a rolling bassline, warm Rhodes pads, and a looping flamenco handclap that runs throughout, keeping the albums balearic spirit at the forefront.
Other highlights include the George Benson-esque, jazz guitar of Behind Me by The Fluid Music Labs, Martin Hiska’s Mr Coco, which sounds like a long lost track from one of Stephane Pompougnacs Hôtel Costes compilations of the late 90’s and finally my favourite on the album, Azul Aqua Blancas by Ibiza Chilled. Its mellow breakbeat, strings and marimba rhythms, bringing back hazy memories of nights sat at the Cafe del Mar watching the sun set, and the island slowly come to life.
S/A/M has put together a great selection of tracks here that I’ve had on repeat here for the last few weeks and have proved to be the perfect antidote to the current British climate we're enjoying.
The compilation showcases some fantastic artists that I hadn't heard before and indeed a label that deserves much wider attention.
Sadly for me there isn't a vinyl release as there are certainly a few tracks here that would find a regular place in my record bag, but for the digital DJ's out there it is available to buy over on Traxsource or available to stream on most other platforms.
Follow M Sol Records and S/A/M over on instagram for more information
Listen to and buy the album here
Find out more about M Sol Records here
https://linktr.ee/msolrecordsmusic
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