New Islands’ Dino Soccio & Patrick Billard share five “unknowingly” balearic LA favorites in celebration of their reissue of Kim Yaffa.

In the early ’80s, Hollywood indie label Macola Record Co. played a crucial role in the emerging sound of Los Angeles. Run by a 50-something Canadian named Don Macmillan, Macola would launch the careers of some of the biggest names in ’80s West Coast dance, electro, and hip-hop including Egyptian Lover, Ice-T, Too Short, MC Hammer, and Dr. Dre. Amongst those legendary artists signed to the label was a young singer named Kim Yaffa, who, after recording a few singles that didn’t quite catch on, self-released a timeless balearic dance single with producer Rick Delano. Released in 1989 on a limited run of 7-inches, the single would be buried in record bins for decades until it was recently found by record collecting circles…

Pleasure of Love’s reissue imprint, New Islands, launches in 2024 with a 12″ vinyl pressing of Yaffa’s lost gem “Once Bitten.” The track is an elegant pop tune featuring Roland 707 drum machine, late-night flute, and nylon string guitar with hints of ’80s blue-eyed soul and Sade-inspired sounds that lend itself perfectly to the late ’80s and ’90s balearic beat. The 12″ is rounded out by new mixes from Michael David (Classixx) and Nick the Record & Dan Tyler (Record Mission, Idjut Boys).

Says Kim about the release, “In the Late ’80s Los Angeles had so much going on musically. After singing on a couple of records on Macola Records and backgrounds for other artists, I was searching for my sound, trying to find my footing as a songwriter and performer. I connected with a producer who seemed to get what I was going for and we hired Richard Elliot from Tower of Power at the time for that sexy horn sound, and we recorded Once Bitten and Lights of LA at Larrabee Sound. I think I was really into what Sade and Taylor Dayne were doing at the time, that jazzy vibe! We pressed the songs to a 45 and soon after were kind of forgotten about.”

New Islands will focus on forgotten cross genre and cross cultural music of the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s. Based in Los Angeles, label founders Dino Soccio and Patrick Billard look to connect these gems from the past with the future, restoring and reissuing records while carefully curating new mixes from today’s most well respected producers in disco, house, new age, ambient and beyond. Below, Dino and Patrick share five more ’80s and ’90s LA favorites that seemed to also align with the global balearic sound, whether they intended to or not!

From Dino and Patrick: “Something we wanted to try and keep in mind – from what Bill Brewster (in his book), Terry Farley, and others like Alfredo and Padilla have said, the term ‘balearic beats’ did surface as a music descriptor as early as 1988/89 in press outlets but that mainly started circulated amongst UK/EU crowds. I’d venture to think that even if artists in LA knew of a sound that was being described as “balearic,” it most likely wouldn’t have been until 90/91 at the earliest and by then may have morphed into the more popular house sound that Ibiza was more known for in the 90s.  And if you look at this list, most of these artists probably never heard of Ibiza let alone knew of a sound that emanated from there (maybe Lindsay Buckingham tho!)”

Craig T. Cooper – Nude Walkin’

When I first moved to Los Angeles in 2016 after over 15 years in Brooklyn, I was excited to see what kinds of records I would find in the local bins. While NYC is awash in great house, disco and reggae, I was expecting to find interesting balearic, new age, AOR/soft-rock and LA boogie like I imaged was played by Dam-Funk at his legendary Funkmosphere parties. I quickly picked up this Craig T. Cooper album “Love Dues” at CD Trader in the valley and it seemed to check all the boxes. The cover looks straight out of Ibiza, the label is “Valley Vue” and the entire record is blissful, jazz funk with elements of modern soul and new jack swing. “Nude Walkin’” works on so many levels, from the intro sounds of running water, birds chirping and a subtle Tarzan yell (!), to the drum fills introducing a devastating groove balancing the jazz funk synths and vocoders, to the title evoking a return-to-nature ethos found on new age records, or is it just some inappropriate sexual sleaze?

Andrew Gordon – Walking The Lonely Streets

No article about LA and records would be complete with mentioning Amoeba Records in Hollywood. My first home here was a little bungalow in East Hollywood, my son was 1 to 2 years old at the time, and I have many fond memories of walking him in a stroller to Amoeba, the lovely staff there giving him toys, and me feverishly trying to find some gems while he napped. I found this in the new arrival bins for $20 or so, a steal today, and was drawn in the by the mysterious cover art and the Amoeba hand written description “Very 80’s electronic dance/pop”. Released on a tiny label out of Hermosa Beach specializing in folk music, the album is composed entirely on Oberheim OB-8 synthesizer and DMX drum machine and a Yamaha DX-7. “Walking The Lonely Streets” is perfectly named slice of forlorn, wistful melancholia bolstered by killer drum programming and arpeggiated synths that apparently was featured on the show “General Hospital” in 80’s according the Andrew’s YouTube comments.

Babylon Warriors – L.A. Girls (Dub)

From what little bit of information I’ve picked up from records and working with Haile Maskel of Light of Saba fame who moved here from Jamaica in the late 70s / early 80’s, the reggae in scene in Los Angeles was a vibrant and diverse melting pot of roots reggae and ska-revival mixed with post-punk, funk and new wave elements. I’ve found countless records of varying quality in this realm and I can only imagine what the bar scene was like all along the California coast in the 80s with reggae acts making a living playing to drunk and stoned crowds, but I digress. Babylon Warriors were a local reggae act that released only one album in 1983 that is straight ahead roots reggae but in 1987 they released their sole 12” single where things get interesting. “L.A. Girls” is a killer electro groove with almost rapping vocals and the dub version takes things to the stratosphere with studio trickery. Like Jim Morrison before them, they attempt to unravel the mystery of LA women but succeed mainly in creating a reggae disco crossover masterpiece.

Jean-Luc Ponty – Computer Incantations for World Peace

Jean-Luc Ponty is French jazz violin virtuoso who collaborated with Frank Zappa in 1969 and moved to Los Angeles in the 1970’s at Zappa’s behest. He went on to achieve massive success and fame, touring the world and selling boatloads of records which litter the dollar bins in record store. In the mid-80s he produced this true balearic classic, “Computer Incantations for World Peace” which I love to death and hope to have played at my funeral. It’s been sampled endless, turned into a house classic by the Basement Boys as “Love, Love, Love” and yet it always works and never ceases to amaze. One of those instrumentals that is so catchy you can hum it all to yourself, this is the tune I often mention when asked what’s my favorite song, to which the questioners cock their head in confusion upon finding out there’s no vocals. The song just oozes Los Angeles 80s cocaine studio perfection and was indeed recorded in Hollywood. Is there a more noble cause than seeking world peace through computer incantations

Fleetwood Mac – Ricky

The Mac were no doubt a global group yet based in LA and recorded all their most popular records here.  in 1986/87, Lindsey Buckingham produced and recorded Tango in the Night in Los Angeles at his own studio and at since-closed Rumbo Recorders.  While the record is full of “balearic” moments, nothing quite fully captures the sound as the outtake “Ricky” – penned by the late Christine McVie.  The gated percussion, the prickly melodic lead lines, sand-dusted acoustic guitar, and mystic vocal weave its way through a linear, trippy composition that the band rarely displayed by this stage.  Fleetwood Mac probably didn’t know what to do with a song like this and left it off the record- but if they had released it, Padilla and Alfredo would have most definitely been playing it.