Cosmic energy: Kim Booth
I first met Kim Booth in 2003. She was working for Darren Emerson, representing his record label Underwater. Back then, representing meant putting up posters, making sure there were flyers in and around all the bars in Ibiza, and generally causing mischief around the San Antonio sunset strip, and she was managing a small PR team of like-minded souls looking to extend their working holiday by doing much the same. Ibiza was a simpler place back then and people were paid cash-in-hand for the hours they cared to turn up. Kim always looked like she was having the time of her life, and I really enjoyed her energy that summer.
I met up with her that winter in London where, once again, she was putting up posters for Underwater – this time at The End, one of the many amazing (now closed) clubs in the capital. I think I was there in a work capacity, either for We Love… (as we occasionally held parties there) or as a customer for one of Paul Arnold’s fantastic Chew The Fat! nights. Anyway, we spoke briefly and I suggested that we meet the following season in Ibiza. Summer came and Kim was began working for the same crew, but I noticed she had a little less enthusiasm than the year before. She started coming to Space on the Sundays more regularly and eventually, we spoke about her potentially joining our team in 2005 over lunch at The Fish Shack in Talamanca one afternoon.
Unbeknown to me, Kim was pretty much a vegetarian at the time and I’d insisted she have the whole grilled dorada (better known as sea bream to non-Spanish speakers), a dish that is quite confronting for the most avid of carnivore amongst us, coming as it does complete with head and tail attached. Kim struggled through her fish dinner admirably without letting on that she was, in fact, deeply out of her culinary depth, and we started working together the following summer.
Kim turned out to be one the worst workers I have ever had the misfortune to employ and I’m sure she will in turn, if asked, tell you that I was the worst boss she has ever had. We simply didn’t understand each other’s way of working. However, we remain firm and fonder friends today than ever, which is testament to my initial feelings about the woman. Kim is a true powerhouse who, once she believes in something, gets fully behind it and makes it happen. She has made more friends on the island of Ibiza and around the world in the last 15 years than most people will talk to in a lifetime, and every single one of them would gladly help Kim on any one of her madcap adventures and business scenarios… myself included.
Kim’s club/lifestyle project, Cosmic Pineapple, has grown from a thrice-yearly free entry event in San Antonio to a festival touring brand with regular booking at ones of Ibiza’s premier club spaces, Cova Santa. It’s here she invites a wonderfully large collection of Ibiza’s oddballs and eccentrics to take part in what can only be described as organised chaos. Ecstatic dancers and esoteric health and wellness folk rub shoulders with artists who paint murals in front of the main stage, while a collection of the finest underground and well-known mainstream artists perform fabulously programmed sets that – in my opinion – place Kim’s event head and shoulders above the general nightclub bookings found on Ibiza at this moment in time.
Kim Booth and her Cosmic Pineapple events are one of the finest (and most fun) things to ever happen on Ibiza in many a moon and hopefully the people who she’s currently working with can see this and give her the space she needs to grow. She’s the least cosmic ‘cosmic hippy’ I have ever met. We Love… Kim Booth.
You have awoken to another fabulous day in Ibiza, assuming you went to bed last night! Where do you take your first cup of coffee?
I love my morning coffee ritual. The morning is a time I keep for myself, and I prefer to move slowly. In the summer, I like to sit at home in the countryside and drink my coffee. If it’s not too hot, I sit outside and if I’m up early enough I watch the sun rising over the trees. Or, I simply sit in my little casita and have this moment to myself. In the winter, I love to visit the little café, Can Guimo, for coffee and avocado on toast.
Friends have arrived – almost on time – and you’re heading for lunch. Where are we eating?
My favourite place for lunch is La Paloma. I don’t go there often enough, but I’ve been going there since around 2006. The food and energy are great and I love that its setting is in a little orange grove. I am a creature of habit and love their soba noodle salad and goats cheese focaccia. If I am in the south of the island, I love to visit El Carmen at Cala d’Hort. I’ve been going there for years – they have the same staff (which I think is the sign of a great restaurant) and they are always so kind and friendly, keeping their friendliness and cool even in the mid-summer madness.
The front row view of the mythical, magical and majestic Es Vedrá from Kim Booth’s favourite Ibiza beach, Cala d’Hort.
Let’s sleep lunch off on a beach somewhere. There’s over 80 to choose from, which is your favourite?
Over the years, the beach I have most frequented is Cala d’Hort. I just love it there. It’s always been my calm spot. There are also some beaches in the north I go to, but I’d rather not say where they are to be honest, as so many of the once-secret spots in Ibiza have now been discovered.
Is that the time? We must have fallen asleep. Shall we go and watch sunset?
I think it has to be Cala d’Hort again! If you get the right time of year, it’s beautiful looking out at Es Vedrá as the sun sets behind her majestic, magnetic walls. Also, the drumming circle at Benirrás is a classic and always something to witness if you don´t mind the crowds. I also have my quiet spots that will also remain a secret.
A day-to-night mini-festival that begins in the open air in the hills of San José, then moves to the magical underground caves at Cova Santa, Cosmic Pineapple is one of the most forward-thinking musical events in Europe.
We could head home to bed… but we’re in Ibiza! The night is still young, where we going?
I would probably head to a singing circle or another local gathering that my friends might be hosting. I love these moments to connect with the different tribes of Ibiza. I seek things to calm my spirit! I also love to share and give sound healings late at night in little magical Ibiza spots, caves and grottos in the campo, under the ancient olive trees in the north of the island.
And finally, to bed… or?
Ha! Nowadays it’s mostly to bed as my all-night mega-raving days are mostly behind me. I need a good nine hours of sleep to function properly but when the moon is right, you might just find me dancing under the stars at Cova Santa at my mini festival, Cosmic Pineapple. I also host these events at festivals around Europe during the summer and they sometimes go on way past bedtime… but yeah, I love to sleep.
Cosmic Pineapple founder Kim Booth – who has been a fixture on the Ibiza music scene since her first season back in 1999 – captured via ‘light painting’ in her natural habitat on the coastline of Ibiza.
WHITE IBIZA SOUNDSCAPES 05
COSMIC ENERGY: KIM BOOTH
A sound healer, yoga teacher, retreat leader, musical programmer, sharer of cosmic knowledge and the founder of mini-festival Cosmic Pineapple.
AFRO MEDUSA
Pasilda
“This selection is a journey through my years on the island! I remember this song being played at Café Mambo on the BBC Radio 1 weekend during my second season in Ibiza, in the summer of 2000. The beach was full, and this was playing in the heat of the day.”
OCTAVE ONE
Black Water
“I have a very distinct memory of this track from the first time I visited DC-10, which must have been 2001. I walked in the club at 8am (the club used to open super early back then) to Steve Mac DJing and this was playing. I was on my own, but I met so many crazy and wild characters that day, which is something that I loved about the original DC-10 back in the day.”
TIM DELUXE
It Just Won’t Do
“I have great memories of this one! I worked at Underwater Records when this came out and it was huge – it even got into the UK charts. My first season working in Ibiza was in 2003, when Underwater held a residency at Pacha, and this track was one of the tunes of the summer. I remember Sam Obernik performing it live there. An amazing time to have been a part of.”
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
Losing My Edge
“I wanted to name this whole album, but if I have to select just one track, I choose this one. One of my jobs in 2005 was promoting music to DJs and promoters on the island. I loved this season so much. I would go with a bag of vinyl to Space, DC-10 and Amnesia with all of these amazing musical gifts for people and I would listen to this album non-stop while on my rounds. It was the sound of the summer for me.”
THEO PARRISH
Falling Up (Carl Craig Remix)
“Around this time, Carl Craig’s golden touch was everywhere, and I remember hearing this (and lots of other tracks he had a hand in) on the dancefloor, and we would literally lose it! I first met Carl at Space and that in itself has a very random story attached to it… but then there were so many random stories from those days. I eventually ended up working with Carl and his lovely wife for many years.”
JOSH WINK AKA WINX
Don’t Laugh
“Still my favourite Josh Wink track. I remember going to a party he was playing at and this track was on when I got there. Josh is another prolific producer who has made so many great records, but I have to say this one is my favourite. I love the twisted bounce. I first met Josh in Ibiza, at the Underwater villa, and I remember he took me around the garden showing me the healing properties of different plants. I also worked with him for years – he is such a great human!”
DEPECHE MODE
The Sinner in Me (Ricardo Villalobos Remix)
“This was a huge underground tune and I remember it was big during my favourite DC-10 season, back when I was dancing in the DJ booth with Loco Dice mixing it in and out and going mental…”
[Editor’s note: Kim’s remix of choice isn’t available on Spotify so we’ve substituted it with the original on her playlist, but to be very honest, there’s nothing quite like the Ricardo Villlobos twist on it so click here to listen to (and fully appreciate) the 2005 classic]
LARRY HEARD
The Sun Can’t Compare
“Luciano was my favourite DJ for many years, and I remember him playing this a lot when it came out. He did a spin back and played it twice one time and I think that’s the only time I’ve seen that happen! I met Larry Heard in Switzerland at Polaris festival a few years ago and sang it to him.”
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
Magic
“There was a time when disco ruled our playlists in Ibiza, and this was for sure on repeat one summer. I have a very specific memory of Damon from Disco Bloodbath playing it at The Villa Of Joy (which was what we called our home for the season).”
CURAWAKA
Noku Mana
“Hmm, well… this is what I listen to nowadays. I was super blessed to have Curawaka play at Cosmic Pineapple at Pikes during the pandemic when no one was allowed to dance… we somehow managed to have a little dance and nobody died! This song is a Huni Kuin song that calls for transformation.”
LAURENT GARNIER
Tales From The Real World
“I was super cosmically blessed by the energy of Laurent Garnier, and he remains a firm friend. I managed to get him to play the first Cosmic Pineapple event this year on the island. Laurent historically does not like Ibiza, and it was magic that he played for me. He was supposed to play for three hours but he ended up playing almost five hours. As he was about to put on the last track, I was going to ask him to play this and he showed me it was already cued. Cosmic!”
