Cafe del Mar
One of my proudest career signings that become world famous with over 15 Million sales of the CD's and a project that launched a complete genre of music. Originally released on React as a UK only CD I picked up on the series from number 4 and took it for the World. The timing was ripe. Although it took a lot of arm twisting in Mercury to make them sign the project - a few red faces later who said it would never work - a common theme in my work and something that makes me smile because then I know its going to be a success. Oddly enough, almost as a sign of the future to come, in 1988, whilst working for MCA Records, I compiled and named an album called The Sunset Sound Of LA so I was on the right track years before - as usual. And guess where I live now watching the Sunset? Yes in LA. Life is strange how it twists and turns. My daughter Olivia was brought into the world with a Cafe Del Mar CD playing in the delivery room to help her Mummy relax - it must have worked because she was out within 45mins. Also, whenever Olivia used to cry on a long journey in the car we'd put that Cafe Del Mar CD on, she'd stop crying and start listening to the music.
The Cafe Del Mar project was largely thanks to DJ Jose Padilla the Picasso of his time with his melancholy music orchestrated to the daily Sunset in Ibiza with his free cassettes recorded live from the decks. I still have Cassettes No:1 and No:2 from Jose DJ'ing at the Cafe to the Sunset from 1993. The 15 Million CD sales helped Manifesto Records become the most profited able dance label in the history of the UK music business, quite possibly even the World, because they are still all selling and will probably never be surpassed. Lucian Grange the CEO of Universal Europe congratulated me in 2002 on the signing of Cafe Del Mar saying that it was like signing a mini U2 and saved Mercury Records in the 90's. Liz and I go there to start a dance label and actually end up saving the company !!
However, it wasn't all Jose Padilla and myself, there are a lot of people in the mix who need be acknowledged here including Howard Berman, Liz Walton, Ann Marie Bigby, Bruno Morelli, Jonathan Green, Jo Weinberg, Luke Neville, Clare Woodcock, Gina Spencer and Ramon at the Cafe itself. James Horrocks and Thomas Foley of React thank you too for being complete gentlemen although I know we helped you sell lots more of albums 1, 2 and 3, Un beso.
"Eddie Gordon - the career of a new Millennium, innovative, forward thinking mind that has shaped the way music is presented to millions of people the world over with his visionary attitude to life's changes and the reason why music is so influential in all of our lives from the cradle to the grave."
Gabor Szanto - Budapest
