I decided to upload this specific live set because it kinda marks the end of an era- no, I will NOT disappear from the surface of the planet, but this was the (almost) last time I performed this specific evolution of my live set. As always, this set is recorded via stereo out from my sub mixer into a Tascam recorder, no post editing/ processing was done.
My live set has been going through many changes over the past year (both as far as content and also as far as my setup goes), and there are many new tracks in there that are currently unreleased (and allow for a tiny glimpse at my next album). The next step will be to focus on the materials of my next album and to build the performance on that- from scratch. Fun!
The two shows we had in Israel were the last in the current performance tour, and the performance at the bass the last “official” one- we also played a very small intimate show mostly for friends in Tel Aviv the night after, but I did not record.
It’s been an incredible year for me (and us, meaning visual artist Ronni Shendar, whom I was fortunate enough to be able to have with me for almost every live performance), with amazing shows and invitations all over the globe. And we really had a blast with our last performance tour, but it’s also about time to hibernate a little and to focus on a few other things, like- finalizing my next album, which has been in the work for over a year now, and is scheduled for release in spring.
Usually, I don’t make my live sets downloadable, but because we will re-do everything and will start rehearsing on the new show in two weeks, this one goes out to all of you that have been there for and with us over the past year. Have fun with it and- thank you!!!
Also, many many thanks to Pacotek for hosting us that night!
This is a 3 hour DJ set that I created for the dear people at www.byte.fm – it was broadcasted twice in October (around the release date of my last “Dim Flares EP”) and again in December. Track listing after the long text in German… the set was recorded in one take, no post-editing or cutting was done.
The text about the set in German (well, some of the information is old news… but it was first aired in October…):
“Der ‘The Last Year Mix’ ist eine nahezu dreistündige Reise durch einen Teil dessen was Glitterbug im letzten Jahr wichtig war und was ihn nach seinem letzten Album ‘Supershelter’ musikalisch so umgetrieben hat. So startet der DJ Mix auch mit dem letzten Remix für ‘Supershelter’- dem ‘Jackie Remix’ für den Album-Track ‘Reference System’, den Glitterbug selbst angefertigt hat. Auch zum ersten Mal hier bei Byte FM in aller Öffentlichkeit: zwei Stücke von seiner nächsten Veröffentlichung, der ‘Dim Flares EP’, die am 12.10. auf c.sides (Vertrieb: Kompakt) erscheint.
Normalerweise kennt man es nicht von ihm das er so viele eigene Stücke in seine DJ-Sets einbaut; hier hat er eine Ausnahme gemacht, da ja das Release zu seiner neuen EP ansteht, aber auch, weil der ‘The Last Year’-Mix für ihn ziemlich genau ein Jahr nach der ersten Ausstrahlung bei Byte FM markiert und es seitdem einiges musikalisch zu erzählen gab. Auch seit kurzem veröffentlicht und in diesem DJ Set mit eingebaut: sein ‘Ibiza Panda Remix’ Remix für Mathias Schaffhäuser’s ‘It’s just Flesh (What they call Brain)’ (Ware81), von dem die Groove schreibt: “Glitterbug bedient sich in seinem “Ibiza Panda Rmix” einer gezielteren Auswahl der Einzelpartikel, schiebt Flächen zwischen Dial und Planet E dazwischen und verdichtet das Ganze zusehends zu einer heimlich wachsenden Hymne. Monströs!”
Ansonsten spannt sein DJ-Set einen weiten Bogen aus verschiedensten Genres, die vor allem eines verbindet: die Tiefe und Stimmung, und einen drei Stunden umspannenden Spannungsbogen mit vielen Aufs und Abs, wie man ihn nur von wenigen DJs kennt. Übrigens mixt Glitterbug alles von Hand; in diesem DJ-Set wurde nichts nachgebessert, alles ist in einem Take aufgenommen und nicht nachträglich geschnitten worden.
Im Großen und Ganzen kann Glitterbug auf ein bewegtes, anstrengendes und absolut positiv hektisches Jahr zurückschauen. Nach ‘Supershelter’ war auf einmal der Terminkalender mit internationalen Bookings in Clubs und auf Festivals prall gefüllt, im Februar fand in Israel das dritte, von Glitterbug und Ronni Shendar gegründete und kuratierte, biennal stattfindende ‘c.sides Festival for Electronic Music and Critical Media Arts’ statt (das größte Festival für elektronische Musik und Medienkunst im Mittleren Osten), leider wie bereits die Produktion 2006 wieder von einem Krieg begleitet.
Seit Dezember 2008 tourt Glitterbug vor allem als Liveact zusammen mit Ronni Shendar, die eine atemberaubende visuelle Liveshow rund um Glitterbug’s Liveset gebaut hat, um den Globus. Derzeit nimmt er eine 6-Wöchige Pause um am ersten Teil seines nächsten (Doppel-CD-) Album zu arbeiten, welches im Frühling 2010 erscheint. Mitte Oktober geht er wieder auf Tour, dieses Mal nach Norwegen, Österreich, Indien und Polen, 6 Wochen ohne Touchdown zuhause in Köln. Ein Teil seines nächsten Albums soll “on the road” entstehen.
Auch dem c.sides Label geht es bestens: nach der ‘Dim Flares EP’ von Glitterbug selbst können wir uns auf eine EP von Christian Löffler im Februar 2010 freuen. Und dann kommt schon sein neues Album. Wir sind gespannt!”
Tracklisting zu Glitterbugs “The Last Year”-Mix:
1. Glitterbug – Reference Saystem (Glitterbug’s Jackie Remix) – c.sides
2. Gonno – I Don’t Need Competition (Donnacha Costello Remix) – Beyond Recordings
3. Estroe – Inspirited Away – Connaisseur Recordings
4. Christian Löffler – Blank Blood – Orphanear
5. Glitterbug – So Much More – c.sides
6. Gui Borratto – No Turning Back (Wighnomy’s Likkalize Remix) – Kompakt
7. Mr. Raoul K – Jenseits (Longer) – Baobap
8. Jay Shepard – Year To The Day (TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos Remix) – Compost Black Label
9. Seth Troxler – Panic, Stop, Repeat! (Paco Osuna Remix) – Spectral Sound
10. Glitterbug – Daubed Beams – c.sides
11. Mr. Raoul K – Wind Of Goree – Mule Musiq
12. B12 – Solitude – B12 Records
13. DeWalta – Farina – Vakant
14. Markus Schatz – Supertrain – Salon
15. Antonelli – The Name Of This Track Is Bobby Konders – Italic
16. Rhadoo – Bau (Original Mix) – Cadenza
17. Tha Lady Blacktronica – If Some Rain – Deep Explorer
18. Spencer Parker – YOGOTO – Rekids
19. Mathias Schaffhäuser – It’s Just Flesh (Glitterbug’s Ibiza Panda Remix) – Ware
20. Samuel L. Session & Martin H – The Leap – Klap Klap
21. Skizzo – A Kaballero – The Flame Italy
22. Soylent Green – La Forza El Destino (Radio Slave Remix) – Playhouse
23. Djuma soundsystem – This Sound – Brut!
24. Estroe – Driven – Connaisseur Recordings
25. Slam – Positive Education (D’Julz Remix) – Soma
26. Edit Select – Reduktion (Original Mix) – Edit Select
27. Soukie & Windish – Occasus (Original Mix) – Ecordings
28. Neonbelle – I Just Might (Nuno Dos Santos Remix) – Field
29. John Tejada – The End Of It All (Original Mix) – Ecordings
This short (1 hour) DJ set was recorded during our performance tour in India in November 2009 (together with Ronni Shendar, Murat Tepeli and Andy Vaz).
The show in Bangalore was the last on the list, and I actually did not plan to DJ there- we were supposed to play live… but when we came to the venue, which was located in a 5 star hotel (weird!!), there was NOTHING there, no monitors, no projector, no tables even, just a beaten up old Pioneer mixer and 2 CDJs. Well- none of us DJs with CDs!!!
Murat, who was supposed to DJ that night, only had vinyls. So, since we came there just 1 hour before the doors opened, we had to improvise big time, and the hosts really tried hard to get us some equipment. After 45 minutes, we at least had 2 turntables and a decent mixer in working condition, so i decided to DJ instead of performing live, with no time to prepare or anything.
Ronni got a tiny projector (the ones usually used for small presentations), and projected on the ceiling… Also, by the time we finished setting up, the place was packed with people, and with the first track the place instantly turned into a raving party. Funny!! And even with all the stress, this night turned into a wonderful final party of this tour. Many thanks especially to Pranav K (aka PK) for helping us out with everything that night!
Since we arrived here in Israel on last Sunday, we have been driving around, seeing people, have been in meetings and drove back and forth between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and back.
One of my main occupations these days is to listen to my next album over and over again and to decide on the track order, which is actually quite a task considering that ‘Privilege’, my next album, will be a double CD with 2,5 hours of music and 20 new tracks… and of course it’s a very emotional place to be in, considering that a project, that took me more than a year to finish, is slowly coming to an end- I have a bit more than a week to finalize everything and to hand the materials over to the mastering studio. Phew. I am so horribly nervous.
***
But well… yesterday, we went to the sea side in Tel Aviv, and the sound of the waves and the permanent background hum of the sea is something very pampering and calming to me. Especially with the waves moving the stones up and down, creating this very special clack-clack-clack of stones on stones.
We came to Israel yesterday morning, for me it has been almost 9 months since my last visit. I think this has been the longest gap between two visits since my first stay here, somewhat 7 years ago.
It was also my dear old friend’s Anna’s birthday.
Anna is, besides many other things and being an amazing amazing DJ, one half of the Pacotek crew, and much could be written about our joint history of amazing squat raves and endless other parties here in Israel many many years ago. I really really missed her and I also really missed being here, and I am super excited for the upcoming two parties on the 17th and 18th of December. It feels just right to end the current performance tour here in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, together with Pacotek.
Our precious friends from Pacotek are hosting us for two shows in Israel on December 17th in Jerusalem and December 18th in Tel Aviv. Us means: Ronni Shendar and I will be performing our last two live shows for this performance tour, and also of the current show!! Upon our return to Germany, we will take a little break from performing live, and will start working on the new show, which will be entirely based on new materials of my upcoming second album.
On the 18th of December, we will give a small, intimate show in Tel Aviv at the River Studio (Ravnitzki 7, Tel Aviv). Here is the link to the event on Facebook… it’s organized by Pacotek and the friendly people of the Blitz crew.
It’s been awfully quiet around here. That was due to the fact that upon our return from Poland, on the 24th of November, at the end of our six weeks of continuous touring, i got pretty darn sick and after recovery (which took me more than a week), I had so much stuff to deal with, like finalizing my next album (more about that very very soon!), that I barely had the time to take care for my precious little blog. But here i am again. Sorry for the two week delay!!
