As a long-time Simon P fan, and someone who’s seen Shpongle DJ sets MANY times, I must add that his DJ set on Saturday night was by far the best I’ve ever seen from him. After seeing Shpongle DJ for about the 5th time I was starting to feel it had lost a little of its excitement for me, as it seemed like he was doing virtually the same mix every time (EX: Crystal Skulls/ Tea Daze Mashup. MINDBLOWING the first time I heard it, but by the 3rd it had lost a little of its flair). Anyhow, I could tell that Simon must have made a conscious decision to turn the Shpongle DJ set into more of a “live” set… there was not one moment where I did not see him furiously doing SOMETHING (in the past I felt like his sets were more of the “segue these tracks together and bop around a little bit” variety). The track selection was completely different from any set I’ve seen from him, and it seemed that every track he played was either a remix or a mix of 2 or 3 Shpongle tracks at once, creating something completely new out of music I’ve known and loved for years!
Of course it goes without saying the Hallucinogen set was mindblowing as always! That guy is absolutely right about the shamanistic aspect of the party. I always feel this way when seeing Hallucinogen sets.
Bravo, Simon! You are definitely upping the ante BIG TIME. Can’t wait for Shpongle Live this summer at Camp Bisco!
“I feel his work should not be compared to other psy-trance producers or even electronica producers. It should be compared to the great composers of the ages. Mozart. Beethoven. These were not songs, these were symphonies. What he was doing last night with sound was so complicated, and infinitely textured, that I only had access to about 5% of it, the rest of it was going right over my head—as the human brain just doesn’t have enough processing power to process all the subtlety of his multilayered compositions at once. This, friends, was the absolute cutting edge of the known universe of sonic innovation, artistry, creativity, and virtuosity. So, this may be strange to say, but I believe he is a true heir to Western art music—he is keeping that sprit of pioneering in musical art vital and evolving (much more so than anyone composing music under the banner of “contemporary classical” today, to be sure.)”
made me want to pack a bag and take the first flight to see the next show.
I have seen Si perform for about 10 times in the past 7 years doing both Hallucinogen and Shpongle including two live shpongle shows but still i want to see it again and again and again .......
My wife is pregnant and i already bought a pair of small headphones and an MP3, filled it with Shpongle music and ordered her to play it to the baby at least an hour a day.
I don’t suppose someone in Coast to Caost or twisted thought of making a DVD of the Shpongletron ??? It would have been a great DVD featuring the 2 hour set of shpongle in one of the Venues (preferably one at a location with the best sound) and all kind of clilps from the rode (some we see on Si’s FB)
Maybe it’ not to late , Simon what do you think?? i would buy 2 DVD’s just to get it started
It’s good to hear within this review that the crowd were in their 20’s, I think if and when Simon does Hallucinogen 3 he’ll pick up another generation to follow his sounds but with the Shpongle material he’s doing that already. I think it’s highly probable he’ll do Shpongle 5.
The reveiwer also makes a great point about Are you Shpongled, I listened to it again last week and right from the opening track it’s a piece of audio artscape if there is such a term.
The reveiwer also makes a great point about Are you Shpongled, I listened to it again last week and right from the opening track it’s a piece of audio artscape if there is such a term.
Same with tales EB. Am listening to it now. The masterery(if that is a word) is amazing. Also couped with the personal history associated with the album makes it great to listen to.
Yeah it’s hard to believe that Tales is 10 years old, still sounds amazing (as with all of them!), I think they’ll all stand the test of long term time.
Seems like 5 mins ago I just got it, and even though the albums have influenced many artists none really come close to the Shpongle standard..
Yeah it’s hard to believe that Tales is 10 years old, still sounds amazing (as with all of them!), I think they’ll all stand the test of long term time.
Seems like 5 mins ago I just got it, and even though the albums have influenced many artists none really come close to the Shpongle standard..
So true! I first heard Shpongle 10 years ago in college. Time flies! And I must say, I have gone through many different phases of musical taste since then, and Shpongle (well, Simon Posford in general) has remained my #1 favorite artist throughout.
There is definitely a timeless quality to his music, and it defies all boundaries!
How long does the set usually last for? Was the Hallucinogen set at the end something special for the NYC show?
Also the venue it’s being held at isn’t very big- what happens to that whole video stage in places like that? Am I going to miss out :(
The Shpongle set in NYC was 1 hr 45 min (from midnight to 1:45 am), then Hallucinogen was from 1:55 to 2:55. Hallucinogen was actually listed as an artist performing on the bill, so if Hallucinogen is not listed, he won’t be doing a Hallucinogen set I’d imagine :( In fact, if I recall looking at the tour page, I think NYC was the only date that had a Hallucinogen set included.
And that’s a good question! The Shpongletron is probably about 30 ft high (total guess), so I hope the stage has enough height to accommodate it! It was truly a spectacle to behold and adds a lot to the performance.
