John Acquaviva Live at SmartBar Chicago. 12-11-09.

  On December 11, 2009 John Acquaviva made his return to Smart Bar Chicago For a three hour set. Many thanks go out to John Acquaviva for the set, Smart Bar Chicago for the years of quality music and Nate Manic for bringing John Back to Smart Bar for his "Welcome to Smart Bar" show. Here's the link to the set and play list for the night.


 
Set List.

1. Discotechno - Sebastien Leger. Mistakes Music
2. mmh mmh - Acquaviva, Giacomotto. (Unreleased) Defintive
3. Spaced Invaders (Olivier Giacomotto Remix, Unreleased) Hatrias. Hatrax
4. Universe (Vocal Mix) Miss Annie. Stardust
5. Girls Like Hi Hats, Boys Like Bass - Sound Diffusion. Definitive
6. The Road Of Excess (D.Ramirez Chant Mix) D.Ramirez. Slave Recordings
7. Gone hunting - Acquaviva, Giacomotto. (Unreleased) Defintive
8. Process - Manuel De La Mare & Luigi Rocca.(Marshall Remix)Mini Mode-303 Lovers
9. Long Legged Dub - Justin James. Promo
10. Mathematics (Belocca Instrumental Mix) Jochen Pash. Caballero
11. Wacky (Original Mix) Alex Santer. Chumbomundo
12. Bitchslap (Original Mix) Antranig. Subliminal
13. Rubber Man (Miles Dyson Remix) Jude Sebastian. Erase
14. Rizer - Kalva and Paul Thomas. Leaders of the new School
15. Gritos Del Alma (Original Mix) Toni Rios. Soap
16. On Off (Original Mix) Cirez D. Mouseville
17. Acquanamo (Original Mix) John Acquaviva, Amo, Navas. Definitive
18. Shake it (d-unity shakers mix) D-unity. Beat Therapy
19. LAX (Addy Van Der Zwan Mix) Addy Van Der Zwan, Koen Groeneveld. Abzolut (Spinnin)
20. Drunk Man Standing (John Acquaviva & Olivier Giacomotto Remix) Tony Senghore, David   Ekenback
21. To Take Away (Groove Garcia Remix) Ismael Rivas(aka Riva) Armada Music
22. The Freak's Come Out (Cevin's Freakin' Dub) Cevin Fisher. Subversive Records
23. Onze Horas (Original Mix) Microdizko. EXX Records
24. Do You Want It? (Original Mix) Mescal Kid. Sci tec
25. Vocal Chords (Eqd) 16 Bit - Claude VonStroke. Dirtybird
26. Molly (Original Mix) Mark Mendes & Mike Jacinto.
27. Old Sunshine (Get Physical) Tim Green.
28. Backroom Honey (Original Mix) Saeed Younan. Viva
29. Flauta Magica (Original Mix) Mark Knight(Funkagenda) Toolroom

John Acquaviva live at "Smart Bar Chicago" 12-11-09. by Live Sets Chicago on Mixcloud

     If you haven't already, Click on the "Like" tab at the top right corner of the blog and follow us on Facebook to get links to other DJ mixes, View classic party fliers from the Mid-West and beyond and event links to shows we are supporting. And of course check out this John Acquaviva link for more info what he has coming up and support what he does! After all, If it were not for the artists, None of these posts would be possible. 

Hope this finds you all well.

Cheers!

James Johnson: "Krunch 2, Mission for speed!"

James Johnson. Krunch 2. Mission for speed Mixtape. 1992-3? by Live Sets Chicago on Mixcloud

                 
     When I started this blog the goal was to post live mixes and promote the music and artist's who made them. With this post I thought I'd highlight a Classic mix tape. There are a few old school site's that showcase classic rave, house and techno mix tape's but from what I have seen they don't have any mix tapes or live sets from an artist who has had a impact in Chicago back in the 90's. This artist would be Chicago's James Johnson. James was a pioneer for the rave scene in the 90's and went on to mix at clubs around Chicago including Smartbar. This mix was given to me by a friend who has had this tape sitting in a box for at least 14 years! I think a lot of lost mix tapes are still out there like this one but people don't have a way to convert them to mp3 or even a tape deck to play them anymore. I try'd to find info on James on the Internet but with no luck. All I found was fliers that he was on. If anyone has any info, mixes or links on James please feel free to add to the post.

  If you haven't already, Click on the "Like" tab at the top right corner of the blog and follow us on Facebook to get links to other DJ mixes, View classic party fliers from the Mid-West and beyond and event links to shows we are supporting. And of course support artists like James! After all, If it were not for the artists, None of these posts would be possible. 

Hope this finds you all well. Cheers!

Gus Audio.

John Acquaviva at "Live on the decks 3". Chicago, 02-26-2000.

     This post comes from the Definitive man himself, John Acquaviva. His involvement in dance music dates back to the early 80's when he would spin at local clubs and had been DJ'ing at least a decade before founding one of the world's best known techno labels Plus 8 Records with fellow music lover Richie Hawtin back in 1989. That's when his international DJ career really began to take flight. He was also one of the first artists in the early 2000's to spearhead the use of Final Scratch, a computer program used for DJ'ing digital audio files. Seeing that DJ's would also need a place to get audio files for the new meadium, he had a part in the creation of Beatport.com. The largest online mp3 music download site that specializes in dance music. In 1993 he and Plus 8 partner Hawtin and friend Karl Kowalski launched Definitive Recordings. The focus was more on quality House and Tech-House which released tons of classics such as "House Music for all" by Blunted Dummies. The label went silent at the end of the 1990's but relaunched in 2005 as an digital label and has been going strong ever since with steady releases by Acquaviva and new partner in crime Olivier Giacomotto. Johns had a long history of performances here in Chicago and around the Mid-West beginning with raves in the early 90's then moving over to the club circuit with stops all over the city and was one of a handful of international DJ'S to hold residency at the iconic Smartbar in Chicago during the early 2000's.

    This show was held at the infamous Harvey expo center / Photon located in the south suburbs of Chicago which held countless parties over the years. As you can see from the flyer above, this event was jam packed with talent but to many the highlight of this night was John Acquaviva and Richie Hawtin playing back to back when they headlined in their own room.  After dinner in the city, John and a group of about 10 of us made our way from Chicago down to the venue. As we arrived, the line was already a few hundred people long and growing. After finding a parking spot and making our way in, we headed  to their room and DJ booth through what seamed like thousands for people spread across three rooms. After The Datman setup his equipment and Acquaviva took to the decks the room rally stated to fill up. As the night progressed we had heard from people around the booth that party goers still waiting to get in started to rush an open side door to the space and were sneaking by security to get in to the event. In all the confusion, a security guard saw The Datmans recording equipment in the booth and since they were not informed of it before hand, got thrown out the event with a few other people from around the DJ booth. In trying to clear up the mishap, he walked up an hour later and told us what had happened and that he had to sneak back in himself because security didn't believe his story.

         

John Acquaviva live at "Live On The Decks 3" Chicago. 02-26-2000. by Live Sets Chicago on Mixcloud

    This set was originally posted here back in 2009 as a two part mix taken from two Cd's but after the original site it was hosted on went under, I went back and re-transferred the complete tapes and re-did the whole post. John starts this classic set with his trademark soulful disco and vocal house tracks then builds up to more of an driving edge before he hands over the night to Hawtin. John has always had the talent of making classic or disco tracks work no matter what the crowd and looking at the photo from this night above the post, you can tell the room and night went off! From what I can tell by searching around on-line, this set has never been released before so we're glad to be able to post it up again on our site for you all to enjoy now. John's one of an handful of artists that we have recorded on a regular basis over the years that was always open to what we did and would reach out to us before he came to town about recording the nights for him. This set was recorded about a year after we first started recording John and is a great snap shot of his style back then and from what you can tell from this mix, knows how to build a set and get the crowd going. It might be hard to hear but on some of the low parts or build up on certain tracks you can hear the crowd in the recording especially on the last track in the set.




     If you haven't already, Click on this Live Sets Chicago link 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 John Acquaviva's personal site links where highlighted for more info on what he's got coming up, tour dates and be sure to 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!

(Special thanks to Mike Rosley for the use of the crowd pic from the night)

Miles Maeda at "Direct Drive" Chicago. 01-18-1997

 
    Last but not least from the "Direct Drive" event is Miles Maeda. Miles played two sets at this party, One earlier in the second room and the last set of the night in the main room. Miles has been a staple in the Chicago music since the 90's. I believe Miles was the closer for a few of this promoters party's. I can remember for awhile, If you went to a party or club in Chicago during the 90's, Miles was probably in the lineup. I left before Miles's set but have a story from another party. DJ Hyperactive and I were listening to Miles play at a different party and were discussing his tracks when Hyperative recalled a party they both played at were it was outside and it started to rain. Miles brought the house down when he dropped "Singing in the rain". I think that's what makes Miles so special as an artist. His timing and track selection has people guessing. Miles also recently celebrated his 11Th year at Smartbar as a resident in Chicago. I'm not sure of the track's on here but this sets is around the same time as his Easy mix tape. This set is around 45 Min's or so. Get more info on Miles on his link in the artist's link area If you haven't already,

Miles Maeda live at Direct Drive Chicago. 01-18-1997 by Live Sets Chicago on Mixcloud

    If you haven't already, Click on the "Like" tab at the top right corner of the blog and follow us on Facebook to get links to other DJ mixes, View classic party fliers from the Mid-West and beyond and event links to shows we are supporting. And of course check out this (Miles Maeda)  link for more info what he has coming up and support what he does! After all, If it were not for the artists, None of these posts would be possible. 

Hope this finds you all well. Cheers!

DJ Hell at "Direct Drive" Chicago. 1997

    Next up is DJ Hell set. The tape says it was around the 2AM hour. This was by no means Hell's first or last party in Chicago. Based in Germany, Hell has been through Punk, New wave, Hip hop, House, Techno, Electro, Electroclash and back again! One of his first singles "My definition of house music" became a huge club hit when it was reissued on Belgium's R&S records in 1992. I was one of the MC'S for this show and when I introduced Hell I called him the "German Cowboy" over the system because of his stance while mixing (Riding the decks) and his long sleeve button down shirts he would wear. After his set, He was talking to the promoter and asked who introduced him on stage. I thought the worst but when he asked how I knew they called called him that in Europe, I was at a loss for word's and was picking my stomach up from off the floor. This mix goes in and out of house and techno. Classic tracks on these sets are Josh Winks "Are you there", Jeff Mills "The bells", Laurent Garnier "Crispy bacon", Basement Jaxx's "Fly life" Gusto's "Disco's revenge", Daft Punks " Phoenix and Dave Angels remix of Ken Ishii's "Overlap".  Originally I posted this mix from an 90 minute cassette tape that I had but after words I got a hold of the full two hour Dat tapes from the show and thought why not put it out as it was recorded. So here it is the way it was that night!

DJ Hell during his set.

DJ Hell live at "Direct Drive" Chicago. 01-18-1997. by Live Sets Chicago on Mixcloud

    If you haven't already, Click on the "Like" tab at the top right corner of the blog and follow us on Facebook to get links to other DJ mixes, View classic party fliers from the Mid-West and beyond and event links to shows we are supporting. And of course check out this (DJ Hell) link for more info what he has coming up and support what he does! After all, If it were not for the artists none of these posts would be possible. 

Special thanks to Clark Terry for capturing and letting us use the pictures from the night.

Hope this finds you all well. Cheers!

Gus Audio.

Frank De Wulf at "Direct Drive" Chicago, 01-18-1997.

                                                 
     This set comes from the king of the Belgium sound himself, Frank De Wulf recorded live from his set at "Direct Drive" in Chicago.  Frank got his start doing radio while still in high school and never looked back since. His first hit track “Acid Rock” under his alter ego "Rhythm Devise" but he was better known for his "B-side" releases (which all got re-released in 2010) and his countless remix work for groups such as The Shamen, Erasure, Orbital and one of my favorites his remix of The Orb's "Blue room" just to name a few. By all accounts Frank was the rave scene's first superstar if you will at a time when the movement was just taking off in Europe and all the D.J'S at that time had his tunes in their boxes. Sadly Frank took a break from D.J'ing, production work and traveling awhile after this show to focus more on his post-prodution company "GRID" and work on other ventures. Since then Frank has dusted off his equipment and started working on new music, preforming and returning to what his fans have felt he has done best, produce great music!

Frank De Wulf live at "Direct Drive" Chicago, 01-18-1997. by Live Sets Chicago on Mixcloud

      I choose this mix to kick off the site with because it's the event that the "Datman" and I first met at back in 1997 and from what I can see is his first and only show ever in Chicago. Frank opened the night at this event and was a bit disappointed about his time slot. Rightfully so because the crowd was still getting through the doors so venue was a bit empty during his set. The story that sticks out about Frank is that when he got into town Frank and the "Datman" went out shopping for laser disc's and got along quite well with each other because of the fact that they both were video and audiophile's and at that time. Frank's set is late 90's European techno with tons of jems from that time.  I posted this when we started the blog as an two part mix from cassette tape but since then I got a hold of the full 2 hour dat and reposted the mix how it was originally recorded.


 If you haven't already, Click on this Live Sets Chicago link 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.

Hope this finds you all well. Cheers!