With a long ass history spanning 3 decades, Analogue Freestyle is one of Berlin’s best kept secrets. Only in 2022, which is 28 years after the first gig (!), Analogue Freestyle released their first tunes.
Now available for electronic DJ sets.
MUSIC
History
Analogue Freestyle was founded in Berlin in 1994 by DJ Rogall (aka Phantom 309). Essentially, vinyl records were remixed live, with musicians and the DJ jammed together. You could say it was live-remixing, build on spontaneously picked tunes from the DJ. There was an ever-evolving cast with no fixed sets. No studio recordings or releases had been done either.
Analogue Freestyle did influence many artists in Berlin of the 90s.
Stylistically there were no direct restrictions.
Analogue Freestyle’s sound was composed of various then upcoming streams in electronic music and interpreted everything with their own, versatile sound – representing a wide range, from radically experimental performances (Volksbühne/Milles Plateaux/Podewil Festival) to pure dance events, even a gig with Massive Attack. Analogue Freestyle also played at raves, e.g. during the Love Parade in 1996 at E-werk and was the first real live Drum’n’Bass act in 1995, with 2 drummers, keyboards, bass and MC – alongside DJ Rogall – using no sequencer, live and direct. (The Berlin TIP magazine also reported on this).
Analogue Freestyle’s musical influences were originally based on eclectic Sampledelia. Some Roots could be found in Musique Concrète’s production techniques of sound manipulation and transformation of the 60s, as well as in the very early turntablism in dance music,Jamaican dub music, and more recent movements such as dub-house, electro, breakbeat, jungle, beatdown and countless other genres.
2004 marked a hiatus.
Analogue Freestyle became part of a memory of a flourishing counterculture in Berlin, a haunting phantom-ghost of time in a city with more clubs than labels.
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Mastodon page of A F
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GALLERY
old promo shot, 1996
In 1998, Rogall was one of the first lecturers at the Red Bull Music Academy to explain the live remixing concept of Analogue Freestyle – same year as Juan Atkins, Sir Norman Jay , X-Ecutioners, Jeff Mills and many more. Contrary to high demand (and pressure from their agency) there never was any record released.
In 2003, the project toured again with a complete different line-up in Germany & Switzerland.
1998, Red Bull Music Academy
1996, Dresden
Analogue Freestyle on the bill with MASSIVE ATTACK.
TIP Magazine, Berlin
Concert report about the gig with Massive Attack
Analogue Freestyle DJ in 2023
Vocals on Analogue Freestyle’s first release: FARDA P. (Rockers Hifi)
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DON ROGALL 