How to Make Balearic Chill House Like Jamie xx & Bonobo
In episode 336 of his Live Electronic Music Tutorials series, Mikas builds a warm, organic Balearic chill house track from scratch in real time. Inspired by the sun-soaked, beach-club sound that emanated from Ibiza, the session sits at a danceable but laid-back 124 BPM and leans on acoustic guitars, electric piano and lush pads to create that signature “chill but still grooving” feel. You watch every decision unfold — including the dead ends — which is exactly what makes it a genuine production lesson.
What you’ll learn
- Programming a relaxed Balearic beat in Logic’s Drum Machine Designer
- Building a smooth bassline and deciding when (and when not) to double it an octave up
- Sidechaining keys, bass and reverb to the kick so everything breathes with the groove
- Layering recorded acoustic guitar plucks and washing them in reverb
- Generating background texture with pads from the Alchemy synth and turning keys into an arpeggio
- Arranging by stripping elements back and reintroducing them to build a track
1. Lay the foundation with a beat in Drum Machine Designer
Mikas starts where most of his tracks start — with the rhythm. He programs the beat in Logic’s Drum Machine Designer using a kit named after Ibiza itself. The groove stays simple and danceable so it never overpowers the relaxed Balearic mood, giving the chords and melodies plenty of room later.
2. Browse for a smooth, semi-acoustic bassline
With the kit running, he randomly browses bass sounds and lands on a semi-acoustic patch that fits the vibe immediately. After auditioning a few options, he commits to a riff, adds a little decay, applies EQ and cross-fades between sounds so the bass sits cleanly in the back of the mix rather than dominating it.
3. Add Balearic electric piano keys
Next comes the heart of the Balearic sound: electric piano. Mikas sketches a chord progression and washes it in reverb for that warm, hazy character. He quantizes the part to tighten the timing, then sidechains the keys to the kick so they pulse gently with the beat instead of crowding the low end.
4. Keep it simple for the listener
Mikas pauses to share a key composition lesson. Tracks have a habit of turning complex as you get caught up in your own ideas — but complexity that satisfies you as the producer can lose the audience. A simple, really good track often connects far better than a clever one, so he consciously pulls elements back when the arrangement starts to overcomplicate.
5. Sidechain the reverb so it bounces with the beat
One of his signature moves: rather than just sidechaining instruments, he compresses and sidechains the reverb itself. This makes the reverb tail duck and bounce in time with the kick, keeping the wash present in the mix without letting it take up too much room. He also experiments with doubling the bass an octave up, but when the layers clash in tune he drops the idea — a good reminder that doubling doesn’t always work.
6. Layer in recorded acoustic guitar plucks
For the organic touch, Mikas reaches for acoustic guitar from Logic’s sampled instruments, aiming for a nylon-string classical pluck. After several takes and quantizing attempts he keeps only the small phrase he genuinely likes — and when the guitar fights the busy key changes underneath, he mutes it and moves on rather than forcing it. Knowing when to abandon an idea is part of the workflow.
7. Build texture with Alchemy pads and an arpeggiator
To fill the background he creates a pad using the Alchemy synth, picking a random preset and using mainly the root key so it doesn’t clash through the progression’s key changes. To replace the guitar that didn’t quite land, he turns a retro synth into a simple arpeggio by loading an ARP MIDI effect and lowering the volume so it sits as a subtle background motion rather than a lead.
8. Add the main piano and arrange by reintroducing elements
With the essential vibe in place, Mikas simplifies the bass — reducing it to just a couple of low chords, even running it through the arpeggiator for fun. Then he uses his favorite arranging trick: remove most of the elements and reintroduce them in different orders to create movement and structure, bringing in the pad, electric piano and a tuned-up guitar in the background to shape the final loop.
Get the project file: Mikas put a lot of extra work into the full template so you can open it in your own DAW and learn by taking it apart. Grab the Balearic chill house template for Ableton, Logic Pro X and FL Studio and start building. Download the template →
