"Café del Mar" is a song first released in 1993 by the

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

project

Energy 52 Energy 52 was a trance project of German DJ Paul Schmitz-Moormann (DJ Kid Paul). The project was supported by Cosmic Baby ( Harald Blüchel), who produced, co-composed, and remixed tracks. The project is best known for the 1993 track "Café de ...

. It is named after the famous bar located in

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

, Spain. Almost instantly recognisable by its distinct melody, its popularity is reflected in the countless remixes that have since been created as well as its being featured on hundreds of CD compilations. The main melody of "Café del Mar" is based on "

Struggle for Pleasure "Struggle for Pleasure" is a musical piece released in 1983 by Belgian composer Wim Mertens. It is the theme music used by the Belgian phone operator Proximus. It was featured in the Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is ...

" by Belgian composer

Wim Mertens Wim Mertens (; born 14 May 1953) is a Flemish Belgian composer, countertenor vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and musicologist. Life and work Mertens was born in Neerpelt, Belgium. He studied social and political science at the University of Leu ...

. The song has charted two times on the UK Singles Chart, with both releases featuring remixes by Three 'N One. It first made number 24 in March 1997, and a second release ("Café del Mar '98") featuring a Nalin & Kane remix reached number 12 in July 1998. The song was included on the soundtrack to the 1999 film ''

Human Traffic ''Human Traffic'' is a 1999 British independent coming of age comedy-drama film written and directed by Justin Kerrigan. A cult film of the Cool Cymru era of arts in Wales, it stars John Simm, Lorraine Pilkington, Shaun Parkes, Danny Dyer, an ...

''. In 2001, it was voted number one in ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was printe ...

s "100 Best Tunes Ever" list. In 2011, it was voted number one out of fifty nominated tracks in the 'Top 20 Dance Tracks of Last 20 Years' users poll by listeners of

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

. In the latest version released in 2025, Spanish DJ Jonatan Seara makes his “Cafe del Mar” more similar in style to Tech House but keeping the melodies and of course the main synthesizer played with his own instruments.

List of remixes (non-comprehensive)

1993

1997

1998

1999

2000

2002

2003

2006

2007

2008

2011

2012

2014

2015

2016

2018

2020

2021

2022

2024

Source: * Michael Mayer Remix *

Orbital Orbital may refer to: Sciences Chemistry and physics * Atomic orbital * Molecular orbital * Hybrid orbital Astronomy and space flight * Orbit ** Earth orbit Medicine and physiology * Orbit (anatomy), also known as the ''orbital bone'' * Orbitof ...

Remix * REZarin Remix

2025

Certifications

Notes and references

External links

Energy 52 at Discogs.comCafe del Mar on the mega-t album
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cafe del Mar (song) 1993 songs 1993 singles 1997 singles 1998 singles 2002 singles German electronic dance music songs Trance songs UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles