DJ Hoschi Live at Encore - New Years Eve 1997/1998 - Los Angeles
This is a 48-minute audio recording of DJ Hoschi live set at Encore New Years Eve rave in Los Angeles, recorded on December 31, 1997, at the National Orange Show Complex, in San Bernadino, California, near Los Angeles. The set began around 2:00 am the following morning.
Rave Tapes · DJ Hoschi - Encore NYE 1997-1998
This one is for the rave historians.
New Years Eve, 1997-1998. There was a rave at the National Orange Show, outside Los Angeles. (It's the same venue where Insomniac currently holds its larger LA events.) The event was called Encore.
The big, out-of-town, headliner was DJ Hoschi. This is a recording of his set. It's hard driving techno, very representative of the sound at the time.
Early in the recording, organizer Reza Gerami can be heard introducing Hoschi and wishing everyone a happy new year.
I don't know much about Hoschi. I know there are Hoschi vinyls on Discogs. I know fellow archivist DrumAddict shared a DJ Hoschi live set from 1995, recorded in Chicago.
I also know is this recording is excellent and deserves to be shared. The sound quality is about as good as it comes from that era. The balance between the mixer line-in and the audience mic is perfect.
Note: the distortion heard at the start of the recording is intentional - it's part of the opening track!
The selection and mixing is pro-level. Although the set contained no recognizable anthems, it more than satisfied a typical raver's requirements: the beats are hard, the transitions are smooth, and the vibe is undeniably underground.
Chronologically, this happened nearly 25 years ago! It's somewhat surreal to listen back and imagine what the heck we were doing back then.
I vaguely remember huddling by the side of the stage, studying the bouncing needles on my Realistic mixer, pressing my headphones into my ears, trying desperately to determine if the ratio between mixer feed and live mic was good.
I have more recordings from this night, but it might take some effort to figure out who played which set. I didn't take as many notes that night as I usually did. Amazingly, one of the promoters shared a scan of the lineup/schedule on a certain Facebook group. So it might be possible for me to work backwards and identify the sets of the other deejays. Other names on the lineup: T-1000, Woody McBride 2x4 Ben Ross, Hyperactive, among beloved locals Thee-O, Jimmy, Lenny V, Xpando, Jason Blakemore (DJ Trance), and Steve Loria. However, I recall at least once that night someone accidentally kicked out an extension cord, which cut the power to my gear. So I'm not sure yet if any of the other sets are complete and shareable.
Flyers from Encore New Years Eve Rave 1997/1998 Los Angeles
I'm including copies of the flyers from Encore. These are examples of some of the genre-defining artwork put out by LA graphic designer Chipmonk Grafx / Tim Hungerford. I'd include a link to the Chipmonk Grafx website, but the original URL is currently showing page not found.
Encore New Years Eve 1997/1998 rave flyer version 1 by Chipmonk Grafx / Tim Hungerford.
Encore New Years Eve 1997/1998 rave flyer version 2 by Chipmonk Grafx / Tim Hungerford.
Encore New Years Eve 1997/1998 rave flyer version 3 by Chipmonk Grafx / Tim Hungerford.
Encore New Years Eve 1997/1998 rave flyer newsprint version by Chipmonk Grafx / Tim Hungerford.
Encore New Years Eve 1997/1998 rave talent lineup and schedule.
