Chris Liebing live at "Smartbar" Chicago. 12-16-2003.

     This post comes to us by the am/pm boss himself, Mr. Chris Liebing. Chris has always stood for solid Techno. A bit deeper on the spectrum side though. While his DJ sets are full tilt, they are sonic journeys between darkness and light. And, as always, far from the beaten tracks of the musical mainstream. From humble beginnings in Giessen Germany, Chris has gone to spread his sound and smile to adoring fans around the world many times over. Chris started out playing a mix of genres but the underground beckoned. He opened up his first venue in 1994 called "SpinClub" to express those feelings and also played at the legendary Omen club in Frankfurt in the mid to late 90's. He ran a few notable record labels, "Audio" and "CLR" and pure remix label "CLRetry". Chris produced weekly Internet radio shows that were heard across Europe and also produced music along side Andre Walter as "Stigmata", Speedy J as Collabs 3000 and a few others along the way. His current podcast "am/pm" is a re-brand of his previous CLR series which purely focus's on him rather then spotlighting other artists but still puts forward great music and live sets weekly.

     This night, SHURE Needles had Bill and I come out to record Chris's set and mic the crowd using some of SHURES equipment as it was going to be aired on XM Satellite radio. This was also a night that Shure was hosting a "Toys 4 Tots" event along side Smartbar where Bag End Sound had brought out some speakers to set up for the show that night. Chicago's own CZR and Alex Peace opened up the night and really brought the vibe. Part of their set is up on our Mixcloud page if you want to check it out HERE. I think this might have also been the first time Chris played Smartbar as well. I know that he had played at raves in Chicago before because I remember seeing his name on flyers around this time. 

     Chris was using Final Scratch at this time which later became Traktor Scratch and was only the third DJ we knew of up until then that was using or even had it. The only other two were of course Richie Hawtin and John Acquaviva. They had a big part in the ongoing development and spreading the word as it went public. I think I remember hearing that Hawtin asked Chris to be a Beta tester or something to that effect and that's how he got involved with using it. You can see an early version of that set up in the first picture up above. He also had a Red Sounds FM Cyloops sampler, the white device next to the turntable, that he used to loop samples and have a bit more freedom when mixing tracks both in and out of each other and create some cool effects.

                                                        

     As the set starts, you hear Alex Peace get on the mic and get the crowd going as Chris's first record begins to play. This set was recorded during Chris's Hi-Octane "Schranz" phase, a phrase and style he has long since left behind. It basically was the name he gave to the type of music he was playing around this time. Hard hitting, dirty, gritty Techno. Not to different from what he's doing now, Chris has admitted, but a bit slowed downed. Chris went on to play about an hour and 45 minutes of unrelenting music to close the night out. Looping in and out of tracks, letting them flow freely throughout the mix. With the crowd not knowing when one started or the other ended. Chris definitely had the crowd eating out of his hand by time the night was over and enjoyed every minute of it!

     We decided to only post an hour of the direct mix as to keep it special. I've done some searches online and haven't seen anything on this set so we're glad we can share it, the story behind it and some pictures from the night with you all here now. This was also another show that I have never seen the flyer for so if anyone has it, please feel free to hit us up so we could add it to the post.

 Hope you enjoy it as much as we all did that night!

      

     If you haven't already, click on "Live Sets Chicago" or like our Facebook page at the top right corner of the blog to keep up to date. Get links to other DJ mixes, view classic and current party flyers and event links for shows we're supporting or recording. And of course, be sure to check out Chris Liebing for more info on what he has coming up, tour dates and support what he does. After all, if it were not for the artists, none of these posts would have been possible.

Hope this finds you all well.

Cheers!

Gus "Audio"

Bill "The Datman"

John Acquaviva live at "Smart Bar" Chicago. 05-05-2000.

     It's been awhile but after a few delays we're back with a bang to start a new year! Over the break I had time to reflect on what Bill and I have posted and realized that this year marks our tenth anniversary of our blog. So with that we'd like to thank everyone who's supported us over the years. The venues we've recorded at. The people we've worked with and finally the DJs that have let us capture these moments. Because like I've said, if it wasn't for them, none of these posts would have been possible.

     When I started to look at which material to work on I thought I would go with a classic by a person who's not only helped in making some of what we've recorded over the years possible. But also one of the coolest persons you'll ever met. The "Definitive" man himself, Mr. John Acquaviva. 

     We've had the opportunity to record John almost every time he's played in Chicago (I've posted three so far minus this one if you're new to the blog) And with so many great sets to pick from I thought I'd pick one of my all time favorites from a club that we've recorded at dozens of times. John Acquaviva Live at SmartBar Chicago, 05-05-2000. This set has been on rotation one way or another going on 19 years now! It really speaks to the great track selection, build up and flow that John has truly mastered over his lengthy career as a DJ but the story doesn't end there.

     This was during a period when John was headlining at various clubs and playing at underground events in and around the city at the same time. If I'm not mistaken, John held a residency at Smartbar a short time after this for a few years. This was also a time when artists where getting booked both at major venues and underground events in general. Speaking of that, the "Vibeonauts" logo on the lower left hand side of the flyer was the talent buyer for Smartbar at the time and was also hosting underground events around Chicago where John would be booked to play at. To me this was a special time in the city as you would experience artists in different atmospheres or venues play to different crowds so their sets would represent that and you'd really get to hear their range as an artist.

     This was also another one of those shows that until recently that we had either recorded or attended over the years that I had never seen a flyer for until recently. Frequently the way it worked was Bill or promoters would call up and say "want to tag along or "so and so is in town and we want or they want to get recorded" so a lot of the time we wouldn't see what the full line up for the night was or even what show it is till we got there so I'm glad I was able to add it to this post.

      

     The night started off with us meeting over at Bills studio for dinner and to catch up on things for a bit before the show. Afterwards, I left to get ready while Bill and John went on to record, and the Datman went on to later master, Johns highly successful "From Saturday To Sunday" double CD series using my Technics 1200's and Johns Vestex mixer that he brought with him. Since Bill was recording Johns set at the club, I didn't need to arrive as early I usually did, when the club was still closed to set up my recording equipment. When I walked in, the room was full of grooving people as Chicago local Darrell Woodson was opening up the night. He was really building up a great set and was just about to hand over the decks to John for the night. 

     As you can hear, when John took over, he starts off with some funky drum tracks then moves on to a few vocal cuts before he peaks this set with some really driving tunes and a mash up of the The Polices "The world is running down". This set is originally around three hours long but I decided to only post the first hour and a half as it really sums up the vibe of the night. Funky, soulful house with some dark, noisy techno. Some of the tracks that John played here were also featured on his "Saturday to Sunday" mix and were staples in his sets for a while around this time.

     As far as I can tell, this will be the first time that this set has ever been released and I'm glad we can share it, the flyer, the track list and the story behind with you all now. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have all these years.

Track list.

  1.  Bada Bing - Mash.

  2.  DJ Camacho - Renegade (Shelter anthem).

  3.  Problem Kids meet The Black Science Orchestra - Feel Alright.

  4.  House of Glass - Feat. Giorgio Giordano - Disco Down. (Club mix).

  5.  Giorgio Moroder - Flash Dance (What a feeling) Ralf Gum "Dubbed with feeling" mix).

  6.  The Hydraulic Dogs - Shake it for me.

  7.  Full Intention Presents "Hustle Espanol" - Do the Spanish Hustle (Gray & Pearn Dub)

  8.  Bitter Fruits - Rithmoo (Exotic Fruits mix).

  9.  Different Gears vs The Police - The world is running down.

10.  DJ Spen - Funk at midnight.

11.  DJ Spen - Craze at midnight.

12.  Green Velvet - Flash (Danny Tenaglia "Nitrous Oxide" mix).

13.  Egoexpress - Here comes the night (Revisted by Thomas P. Heckmann).

14.  Jess & Crabbe - Council.

15.  Unknown.

16.  Unknown.

17. The Silence - Music Control.

     If you haven't already, click on "Live Sets Chicago" or like Facebook page at the top right corner of the blog to keep up to date. Get links to other DJ mixes, view classic and current party flyers and event links for shows we're supporting or recording. And of course, be sure to check out John Acquaviva.com for more info on what he's got coming up, tour dates and support what he does. After all, If it were not for the artists, none of these posts would have been possible. 

Special thanks to John Acquaviva, RADO and Luis Baro.

Hope this finds you all well.

Cheers!

Gus "Audio"

Bill "The Datman"

Carl Cox at Crobar Chicago 9 year Anniversary. 02-27-2002.

     "OH YES...OH YES!"  

     This set comes to us by a man who been involved with the English dance scene since the 1970's starting off with Disco, rare groove and Hip Hop then moving on to House and Techno in the 1980's. He's been nominated and won more awards, been at the top of more favorite DJ's and best DJ lists. Was voted 5th place as the best DJ ever in 2011 and was crowned "The King Of Dance music" in 2015 by English Dance Music Magazine "MixMag". He's traveled the world and performed at countless festivals and events, even headlining two New Years Eve parties during the Millennium, Australia and Hawaii, crossing over the International time zone line in the process. He also started the highly respected Intec Records label back in 1999 which is now called Intec Digital. And if being a pioneering figure in Dance Music and still on top of his game after 30 years of DJ'ing wasn't enough, he also enjoys being an Daredevil on the Motorway racing Motorbikes. Loving the sport so much he formed Carl Cox Motor Sport back in 2012. He just ended his "Music is Revolution" night at the legendary Space Ibiza that ran for Fifteen years which sadly ended this past October 2016 when the club also closed it's doors for the final time after 25 years on the island, where he was also a resident. Carl also performed at the clubs closing party the same week as his "Revolution" closing party where he went on to play for 10 hours. That man being the original three deck wizard himself, Mr. Carl Cox.

Carl Cox working the decks!

     This set was originally was going to kick off 2017 for us on our blog but after hearing in January of 2017 that Carl would be ending his popular "Global Radio" show which ran for an amazing 15 years that reached an astounding 25 million FM listeners across 60 terrestrial FM satellite and DAB stations through out 35 countries and countless streams online, I though it best to wait till after his show had ended to post it.  Carl has had many renowned artists play on "Global Radio" over the years but he saved it's final episode, which air'd on February 24th, 2017 for himself. It featured a heart felt farewell and an emotional mix by the big man himself. Going off of the replies and comments afterwards, his fans are supportive of his decision but also voiced that both he and his show and will truly be missed to those that tuned in and enjoyed his shows over all those years.

     This set took place during Crobar Chicago's ninth anniversary celebration event back in 2002. Carl was also on tour for his "Global" CD that came out around the same time. I recorded this set during the brief time I was working for the Electronic Dance Music TV show "After Hours TV" here in Chicago. The crew had interviewed Carl in his hotel room before the show with plans to air that along with some of the footage from the night on the show. The way it worked was the editors would use the audio from the nights that I would record audio and mix it over the live video footage from the club and have that finished work be the episodes that would air on the show. Carl's episode did air on TV and for awhile was available online but, to the best of my knowledge, those files have been long removed from the internet.  I never got a copy of that episode nor did I get a chance to record the episode when it aired on TV so sadly, that part of this night is just a memory.

View from behind the booth during Carls set!

    In the beginning of this set you hear Crobar Chicago resident DJ Psycho Bitch get the crowd pumped up ahead of Carl taking over the decks from her. She and other Crobar resident Teri Bristol opened up that night for Carl and really brought the energy to start off the night. As you can tell from the picture up above, there were three turntables set up that Carl went on to destroy. You can also see CD players in the picture but I can't remember if he used them during his set. Carl brought down the crowd for a bit then proceeded to pull out all the stops and really took the energy in the room and brought to the next level and kept it there till the end of the night. This set truly shows an master at work as he plays doubles, weaves in and out of tracks with out missing a beat all to the crowds enjoyment. I've originaly mastered this set to double CD from the DAT's I recorded that night and during the time I was working on this post and remastering the set, to save them as MP3's to upload on Mixcloud, I listened to it on headphones and I never realized how much the crowd was recorded in the background by the needles. It really gives an feel for the energy the crowd had that night. To best of my knowledge, this whole set has never been released before now and we're glad we're able to share it and the story behind the night with you here after all these years! 

    If you haven't already, Click on "Live Sets Chicago" or our tab at the top right corner of the blog and keep up with what we have treading on our Facebook page. Get links to other DJ mixes, view classic and current party flyers and event links for shows we are supporting and other recordings. And of course check out Carl Cox for more info on what he's got coming up, tour dates and support what he's doing. After all, If it were not for the artists, none of these posts would have been possible. 


Hope this finds you all well.

Cheers!

Gus "Audio"


© Live Sets Chicago. 2017.

Spencer Kincy. "The Live Recordings"

    If there were ever a post that we feel fully embraces our mission and mixes that we felt needed to be shared it would be these by Chicago's own "Gemini", Spencer Kincey. Spencer was a part of Chicago's second wave of artists that came out of the 90's loft and underground scene and by many accounts was both an master on the decks and in the studio. With timeless releases on labels such as Relief, Caujal, Peacefrog, Planet e and Classic to this day still finding new fans and then what was becoming an steady flow of DJ gigs around the city and trips overseas, it all seamed to have all faded with out reason and had many asking the same question. "What happened to Spencer Kency"?

    Back in 2009 when I really started to embrace the whole social media thing, I started seeing posts making the rounds from blogs, music sites and fans all wondering the same thing. "What did ever happened to Spencer Kincy and where has he been all of these years"? Being that other Chicago artists such as Derrick Carter, Mark Farina and DJ Sneak that also came out of the same era had gone on to spread their sound around the world still to this day, this had many asking why wasn't Kincey part of all this as well? From what I can put together from various sites and comments online is that sometime around the early 2000's, he disappeared altogether from both the industry and from those who knew him personally. There are a few different theory's behind why or how this all came about and the most recent info that I've seen by Chicago's (5 Magazine) sheds some light on the subject. Along with those questions came an renewed interest in his productions and mixes by younger fans that would hear what was being being posted by Kenceys fans on various websites and fan pages. That's when I started to wonder what sets of his I could find online being that the internet was now full of classic and never before released mixes from days gone by from both fans and artists that have held on to them. Surely people have dug out their old mixtapes and shared what they have of his or could point to someone or somewhere that did. Well for the most part the end result was the same handful of sets that have already been passed around for sometime now with a few getting put out over and over. That's when I started to wonder if there were any tapes in our collections that might have been forgotten about or maybe since we didn't know about how much his fans around the world missed him.

    Fast forward to 2013 when we dove into the vaults and found these 6 live recordings mixed in with the lot. I had talked to The Datman about what I was reading online about Spencer and he to was shocked with what I had told him. He felt just as strong as I did about putting these out and telling the story's behind them the best we could and share his magic behind the decks. Fast forward a year to 2014 and here we are ready to share with those who are willing to listen and breath life back onto these tapes that had been sitting for all is time. We will, to the best of our abilities, try and tell some of the story from these nights but with so many recordings over the years going back to the early 90's sometimes our memories fail us. So in the end we might just let the mixes talk for themselfs and keep the story's brief. Please, if any of you have flyers from any of these dates listed, message us on here or hit us up on our Facebook page. We would love to be able to add them to the post. The 4 from 1997 were recorded at Shelter and the two from 1998 were recorded at Karma, both in Chicago. I'll spread out the the mixes over time so don't expect them to be posted all at once. So lets get into it then!


             Spencer Kincy and (Derrick Carter) Live from "Material at Shelter" Chicago". 01-24-1997


                             

Spencer Kincy, Derrick Carter live at "Shelter" Chicago. 01-24-1997 by Live Sets Chicago on Mixcloud

    Going by the feel and flow of this recording, the first 45 minutes or so is Spencer and then Carter closes out the rest of the mix. If they went back to back on parts later on the mix or if it's just Carter on his own, we're really not sure. None the less, it's a great classic set to start with. This was around the time when Fridays were "Material" nights at Shelter and you had residents such as Scott Song, Josh Werner, Miles Maeda and DJ Diz along with local guests such as Derrick Carter, Mark Farina, Spencer Kincy among others laying down tunes and setting a great vibe that Friday nights at Shelter were known for. This is also where a young DJ Collette helped night life mainstay Erick Urenn promote the night. Material had a 6 year run till the club finally closed it's doors in 1998.


                               Spencer Kincy live at "Shelter Night Club" Chicago. 07-04-1997.

   This is another mix of Spencers that was recorded by the "Datman" at Shelter Night Club here in Chicago. As you can tell from the date, it was on the Fourth of July. What better way to celebrate then with Spencer on the decks! If my search online is correct, this show was on a Monday night. We don't have the flyer from the night so it's hard to say who else played this night with Spencer. To me this mix truly shows Spencers talent for both his mixing and track selection. The "Datman" really captured something special when he recorded these nights at Shelter, especially these sets by Spencer and we're glad to be able to share this one with you all now!



    If you haven't already, Click on (Live Sets Chicago) or our tab at the top right corner of the blog to keep up with what we have treading on our Facebook page. Get links to other DJ mixes, view classic and current party flyers and event links for shows we are supporting or recording. And of course check out all of these artists personal sites links above their sets and where high lighted through out the post for more info on what they got coming up, tour dates and be sure to support what they do. After all, If it were not for the artists, none of these posts would have been possible. There is'nt an official Kincy fanpage or website but those of you that are on Facebook check out an (Spencer Kincy) group who's fans share stories, music, photos and gives tribute to a man whose talent is still being heard and missed to this day.

(Special thanks to Terry Matthews from 5 Magazine for the use of the link and Scott Song for some corrected info)

Hope this finds you all well.

Cheers!


© Live Sets Chicago. 2016.

Adam X. "Define The Sonic Groove" Volume One. 1996.

     This classic mixtape comes to us by an artist who's also gone under the monikers "Traversable Wormhole" and ADMX-71". He runs the Techno/Industrial record label Sonic Groove and up until it closed in 2004, the New York record store of the same name along side his brother Frankie Bones and DJ Heather Heart. Brooklyn New York's own but now based in Berlin Germany, DJ Adam X.  

     I've been busy the past few months with non blog related recordings, mastering and archiving projects lately so I have'nt had time to work on new posts with our archived music for awhile now. After posting a picture of this mix tape cover on my other media sites and seeing how much interest it received, I thought I'd be cool to share this classic mix on the blog to hold you over till I can get caught up with my other projects. Also since he's playing here in Chicago this weekend, I thought I'd be a good throwback post for the site. Hope you enjoy it!


               Be sure to check out Adam X as he plays Smartbar Chicago on March 25th, 2016.            



     

     If you haven't already, Click on "Live Sets Chicago" or our tab at the top right corner of the blog to keep up with what we have treading on our Facebook page. Get links to other DJ mixes, view classic and current party flyers and event links for shows we are supporting or recording. And of course, check out Adam X for more info on what he's got coming up, tour dates and support what he does. After all, If it were not for the artists, none of these posts would have been possible. 

Hope this finds you all well.

Cheers!

Gus "Audio"


© Live Sets Chicago. 2016.