An all-hardware liveset played on Halloween 2021, opening for @acidpauli and @nicolacruz at Public Works SF.

Still a very fond memory:) The support from friends and family, the attentive crew at Public Works, and the positive energy all made things just  ...flow!
⁠
📸PC: Skyler Greene Photography

For the hardware geeks, here's my setup:
• Elektron Octatrack, Digitakt, and Digitone
• Eventide H9 Max
• Moog Minitaur
• OTO BOUM
• Pioneer/DSI Toraiz AS-1
• Arturia Minilab
• Faderfox EC-4
• Midifighter Twister
• Novation LaunchControl XL
• Iconnectivity MioXM

James Fish • Liveset @Public Works SF • w. Acid Pauli, Nicola Cruz • 2021

Without a doubt, one of the best sets of my life - an absolutely surreal (and rare) two hours, with the dancefloor responding to every single track. Thank you so much Kiez Underworld for gifting our little playa such an incredible vibe, sound system, quirkiness, and dancefloor. And to my Kiez, Camp Schlampagne, for bringing the hype and the love in the booth with me. I loved being able to play a diverse range of sounds - from modern deep melodic techno, to breakbeat, to house, to afrobeat, to my first love, late 90s trance and progressive. I even dropped in one of my own unreleased productions and was super happy it worked. Thank you for the trust!

What I really love about a burn is that people genuinely show up to support one another in their "thing" - whether that's a DJ set, or silly improv theater, or a workshop, or needing to cry. My moment was incredible, but I just as much loved showing up to support others during their moments, too. Burns are safe environments where everyone who wants to, can shine, and we love them for it. And I already can't wait to go back.

Love love love,
James


@someone-outside - Parallel Worlds (@patrice-baumel Remix)	@Ardormusic
@jeremyolander - Taiga (Original Mix)	@vivrantmusic
@aerrra	- Shallows (Original Mix)	@Innervisions_official
@olingofficial	 - Shida (Original Mix)	@vivrantmusic
@daveseaman, @guy-mantzur -	K9 (@solee-music Remix)	@sudbeatmusic
James Fish - ID	(unreleased)
@beatmoertelz, @acud - Verbrennungsmotor (@aio-music Remix)	(@KELLERofficial)
@typ_vhs Julian Smith, @bastigrub - Hey Molly feat. Julian Smith (Original Mix)	@Innervisions_official
@aikon_official - Fantom (Original Mix)	(@Multinotes)
@laylabenitez - Fides (Original Mix)	(@crosstownrebels)
@lukealessiofficial - No Paparazzi (Original Mix)	(@buttressrecords)
@vander_music, @mahfoudmusic, @deerjade	-	Intergalactic Tango (@wearechambord Remix)	(@thegardensofbabylon)
@gruuvelements -	Boom Room (Original Mix)	(@crosstownrebels)
@saeedyounan, @pedro-mirano	- Ragga (Original Mix)	(Variety Music)
@reyou, @lazarusman	- They Vibed (DJ Tool)	(Connected Frontline)
@jimijules - Too Far (Original Mix)	@Innervisions_official
@jerry-ropero-music, @tom-novy-official	- Touch Me (Tom Novy's Tech Edit)	(Wasabi Recordings)
Wamdue Project	- King of my Castle (@sandervandoornofficial Remix)	
Transa	- Enervate (Original Mix)	(Hook Recordings)
@clint.mp3 - Mangrove (Original Mix)	(@Slowcietyofficial)
@MarlonHoffstadt	 -  Try Stop Me (Original Mix)	(Midnight Themes)
@Kon, @fioriousmusic, Saturday Love - 2 B Free (@Baltra Extended Remix)	(@foolsgoldrecs)
@logic1000____ - I Won't Forget (Original Mix)	(Therapy)

James Fish - DJ set @ Kiez Burn 2022 (Underworld, Burn Night)

Free download alert! In the late 90s, my sister's Brandy CD got stuck in our family minivan's 6-CD changer for months. 20+ years later, it's still stuck ...in my head. Here's my homage to a timeless classic, reworked for the dancefloor, and provided as a free download (well, plus the usual rigamarole) to you!

<3, James

Free Download

FREE DOWNLOAD: Brandy & Monica - The Boy Is Mine (James Fish's Deep Rewerk)

Back where it all started - the wonderful folks at Musotopia had me back again to play my new hardware liveset. Full of originals and edits (both the ironic and completely unironic kind, of course!)This one's way more peak-time and dancefloor oriented than the set I wrote opening for @acidpauli one year ago.

I started composing livesets in my room at the start of the pandemic, hoping to play them one day in front of actual audiences around Berlin. Playing Musotopia back in 2021 was the first chance I really got to play to a "real" dancefloor - so you can imagine how happy I was to do this all over again one year later surrounded by Camp Schlampagne and the rest of my burner community. And to the Monkeys - i can hear you on the recording at 24:30... oh you ;D

Thanks especially to @konchord and @farn-belrin for having me (plus all the tech support!) and Cloud Kinski for a truly electronic-rockstar set beforehand:)


~~~ Tracklist ~~~
Brandy & Monica - The Boy Is Mine (james fish's deep rewerk)
James Fish - (ID)
James Fish - (ID)
James Fish - (ID)
James Fish - (ID)
James Fish - (ID)
Sting - Fields of Gold (james fish's i swear this isn't ironic edit)
Erik Enocksson - The Joy of DH Lawrence (james fish's just add water edit)
Whitney Houston - It's Not Right, But It's Okay (james fish's pack your bags edit)

~~~ For the gear nerds, here's my setup ~~~
Elektron Octatrack MkII (samples, slices, vocal stems, percussion loops, live effects & performance mixer. love it, hate it, cant live without it)
Elektron Digitakt (drums. my first ever drum machine, this one's going to the grave w me)
Elektron Digitone (bass, pads, bells, arps, weird FM stuff)
Moog Minitaur (undefeated queen of bass)
Dave Smith / Pioneer Toraiz AS-1 (arps, leads... i mean... it's a Prophet!)
Roland T-8 (303 plus more drums)
Eventide H9 Max (effects, but more importantly: a big red knob that looks cool)
OTO Machines BOUM (magic sauce mix compressor/saturator/limiter)
Oxi One (best performance midi sequencer on the market, fight me)
Midifighter Twister, Faderfox UC4 (midi control of the above except i always forget to touch them)

//
If you're ever curious to create your own liveset, whether dawless or hybrid or in the box, just write me. I love to chat about this stuff and can help you find a setup that works for your personal sound and performance style. Also hit up @resonance.music.retreat on IG - we organize jams, meetups, and retreats for electronic musicians in and around Berlin:)

James Fish • Liveset @Musotopia (Kiezburn 2022)

Really delighted to share my 2023 live hardware set, featuring a few new originals and some live vocals performed by a talented friend and collaborator, Lou Reiner. Thank you to Jules, Lou, and the rest of our little community of makers, doers, and creators - what a special location and special atmosphere you created at your home:) More at https://instagram.com/jamesfishmusic

James Fish feat. Lou Reiner (Live) • Common Ground 2023

Dear Kiezburn, thank you for another wonderful year 🥰🔥 felt good to be back! A little bit of everything that makes a burn fun: silly stupid nonsense, silly weather, silly 90s dance parties at a sunset, and time connecting with friends and my partner. Short and sweet. ⁠
⁠
On a musical note: here's my Kiezburn set recording from Saturday night! Huge thanks to Underworld as always for having me... burn night energy is always super special. I even felt enough trust to play some original tracks (one collaboration with @y.bryan.music and another with @elias.dore), then got to end the set as I often like to with a throwback favorite from my high school years: early 00s trance. I felt comfortable enough to let my inner kid out, sing and dance along like a maniac and not play it “cool” (I mean, where’s the fun in that anyway?)⁠
⁠
Next up: two shifts stage managing at #buchtdertraumer ⚓️. Very excited to be part of this team helping behind the scenes at one of my favorite festivals. More on that laterrr:)

come join the circle!

James Fish • DJ set @ Kiez Burn 2023 (Underworld, Burn Night)

Tracklist:
[Field recordings found on the internet]
Yosi Horikawa - Wandering
Peace Orchestra - Who Am I (Original Mix)
Logic - The Warning (Acapella)
Dürerstuben - Sternzeichen Glühwurm (Original Mix)
&ME - After Dark (Original Mix)
Mira - Indio Hindu (Original Mix)
Lakosa - Long Winded (Original Mix)
Radum, Eleven - Cam Tras
Bartok - Deeplodocus (Original Mix)
Soul Button - Come to Me (Original Mix)
Underset - Berlin (Original Mix)
Kotelett & Zadak - Tizia (Original Mix)
Einsauszwei - Expect (Original Mix)
Mira - Leila (Original Mix)
Mjutah - Bangkok (Original Mix)
Madmotormiquel, Nayan Soukie - Black Birds (Original Mix)
Subb-an feat. Jacob Phono - In The Night (Original Mix)
Marc DePulse - Montag Moll (Einsauszwei Remix)
Kollektiv Turmstrasse - Lapacha (Mick Rubin's Deep Mix)
Nhar - Betrayer (Original Mix)
Clockwork & Avatism - Hail (Avatism Remix)
TILT - The Hurt (TILT's Back to Dark Dub)
Shadow Movement - I.D. (Original Mix)
Hunter/Game - Ice (Original Mix)
Kollektiv Turmstrasse - Tristesse
Jamie Woon - Night Air (Solomun Edit)
Yosi Horikawa - Wandering

Podcast - "Lichen and Concrete" aka "Every Day I Dream Of Dancing In The Forest"

So happy to share something we worked SO hard on for months - countless nights in the studio writing, rewriting, arranging, and practicing. In the end it felt amazing to finally perform it for you in full and we were sincerely touched by the vibes our friends (&LOU CREW!🧡) brought to the La Divina stage, and all of the warm feedback we received during and after the set 🥰
⁠
Believe it or not, this was just our third time performing together! We only started our musical collaboration in early 2023. Taking it to a big stage like this was actually pretty nerve-wracking, tbh ...and 100% wouldn't have happened without a lot of support. So again we especially can't thank enough Luu, @lapachamusic, and Lusatia for the invitation and the trust to have us play, and for bringing together a lovely audience to experience this with us <3 ⁠We can't wait for next time!⁠

James Fish & Lou *Live @Lusatia Festival 2023, Sunday 14-16

All my favorite cheesy tracks from my teenage years growing up in the late 90s and early 00s... played at a rave on a boat in Berlin!

I was a few years too young to have actually BEEN to a rave, but I knew how to use KaZaA and Limewire and download anything tagged with 'Trance' - from Aqua to Airwave, from Van Dyk to Van Helden. 

And by the time I was old enough to go to a rave, this kind of music was out of fashion :( So i'm really glad there's this euro-trance revival at the moment, and even more glad I have friends who organize raves where I feel comfortable to share this side of my heart and record collection:) Hope you enjoy, too!

Aqua-rave Love Parade Final Edition!

‎‧₊˚✧ 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓺𝓾𝓪-𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓮: 𝓛💖𝓿𝓮 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓭𝓮 𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓔𝓭𝓲𝓽𝓲😍𝓷 ✧˚₊‧:

My first gig at SF's Public Works, March 2015. I had the honor of opening the upstairs Loft for @atish and @hoj, two DJs I really admire and whose music, mixing, and approach I respected even before I moved to the Bay Area. Hard to believe I've been here a little over a year...

Friday was special. Not every set I’ve played has had the amount of mental, physical, and emotional energy in it that was invested that night. Months of anticipation and preparation to dig tracks I felt appropriate, hours of practice, and weekends spent designing and developing the art installations in the room. Music was just one part - I wanted to create an organic and emotive physical environment for the dancers that transformed Public Works into someplace new and unique, and fit the kind of music that Atish, Hoj, and I play, a contrast and respite from some of the harsher, more intense sounds that Maceo Plex was playing downstairs. To that end, I coordinated and constructed an absurd ten foot tall, twelve foot wide tree out of wood, fabric, aluminum wire, and lots of LEDs and fiber optics. It was an insane effort. Add the nerves of playing my first ‘serious’ club gig in SF on a sold out night opening for artists I admire, and you get a sense of what was invested leading UP to the night of…

…which brings me to the night itself. Man. It was surreal, new, and simultaneously so familiar. Having friends packing the dance floor early on was a huge boost of energy and confidence to get things started on the right foot. I decided last minute to forgo any more ambitious three / four deck mixing, which i enjoy as a challenge, but felt my attention would be better served focusing on track selection and reading the crowd - so I switched to beatmatching long transitions on CDJs to keep my ear attuned. Six or seven tracks in, I settled into a flow state that lasted until I got off the decks at 1215. At times, I even felt the levity of absurdity up there, like…from a birds eye view, isn’t this kind of a hilarious thing to be doing? What a trip. The vibe in the packed loft was an almost tangible outpouring of love and support. The rest of the night was a blur of dancing and talking with good people.

There are many people who deserve gratitude and recognition for being a part of Friday...

Michelle, Trip, and Chris, who played a HUGE role in helping design, build, and install the Kodama Spirit Tree installation and the fiber optic accents in the room, dedicating time they really didnt have. Rob, for cranking out some amazing visuals (projection mapping and kodama clips from Princess Mononoke) in a very short time (he worked literally up until the event started.) Skyler, for his continued support and for taking some great shots that night. Many of the Monks of Funk for their help in building the Tree, and of course all of our friends who rocked up early, set the tone on the dance floor, and sent out love (I can hear you guys on the recording, it’s pretty great.) Mana and other dschoolers for coming all the way from Berlin. And last but not least, atish, Hoj, and Peter, for the gracious invite. Thank you all!

(Fun fact: I was also born on a Friday the 13th, so that was a good omen.)

Kollektiv Turmstrasse - Holunderbaum (Rumpel Mix)
Fiord - Interpretations from a Maze of Thought (Original Mix)
Locked Groove - Meditations in an Emergency (Clockwork Remix)
Nu - Abre (Original Mix)
Mark DePulse - Montag Moll (Boe’s Little Cure Edit)
Zezfeed, Nothim - Sans Titre (Arapu Edit)
Landmark, Einsauszwei - Wrap it Up
Shades of Gray - Illusions
Kiasmos - Looped
Skoork - Sector 78 (Original Mix)
Florian Meindl - Deeply Hooked (Oliver Schories Remix)
Sam K - Elido (Original Mix)
Florian Rietze - Forgive Me (Cosmic Cowboys Remix)
Lake People - Escape Velocity (Original Mix)
Aquarius Heaven, Hyenah - Tale From the Dirt (Rampa Remix)
Einsauszwei - Straight Rise (Original Mix)
Sammy, Rills - Is This It (Original Mix)

say hi on facebook

James Fish - "Hello Kodama" - DJ set @ Public Works SF (with atish and Hoj) - March 2015

The B2B debut you've all been waiting for: Cosima x James Fish. Two hours. A packed Wohnzimmer full of all our favorite Berlin burner friends. We've been trying to make this a b2b happen for 3 years and the stars finally aligned 💫

Big big shout outs to the ABBA camp for the live choir vocals captured on the mic during the closing track. The dancefloor was read and the dancefloor very subtly called for this track 😄🕺

Thanks to all the beautiful burners who danced with us, we can't wait for the next one!

Cosima b2b James Fish - Burn Night - Fall 2024

Life on Other Planets (L.o.O.P.) is a Berlin-based live electronic ensemble crafting hypnotic soundscapes at the intersection of 60s-70s psychedelia and contemporary club culture.

No computers. No playlists. No expectations.

We transport club and festival audiences out of known space, with an improvised voyage through deep, hypnotic, and mesmerizing dance music —all created in real-time through a constellation of hardware and acoustic instruments:  drum machine, synths, electric cello, flute, vocals, loopers, and effects.

what is ‘live’ ?
In an era of meticulously programmed DJ and live performances, L.o.O.P. offers something increasingly rare: genuine musical spontaneity and risk-taking. No two performances are the same.

Our spaceship's crew features James Fish (drum machine, synths), DAEDE (vocals, flute, effects), and Simon Hoffmann (cello), regularly joined by a rotating cast of guest cosmonauts. Each performance becomes a unique conversation between musicians and audience—a journey where neither knows the exact destination.

recent transmissions
Since our 2024 launch, we've beamed signals to various species at the Naked Tea Party, Artistania, 90mil, and GIRI Berlin.

Founded in 2024, L.o.O.P. is: James Fish (drum machine, synths), DAEDE (vocals, synths, effects), and Simon Hoffmann (cello, keys), joined by a rotating cast of talented instrumentalists and vocalists.

Life on Other Planets - Studio Session (Feb 2025)

I had a truly wonderful time at the Ascension friends and family campout. Thanks to Nicky, Jesse, Rachel, and all of the other organizers for being so incredibly welcoming - the land and everything on it from its nature to its food to its people were so generous. I see a bright future for the Ascension community and hope to help shape its growth.

Tracklist:
Jonas Rathsman - Wolfsbane (Extended Mix)
Slam - Ghosts of Cirklon (Len Faki Remix)
Caractere - Life Drama (Original Mix)
Pieter Steijger - Imagine (Original Mix)
Art Department - Catch You By Surprise (&Me Terrace Dub)
Kurt Baggaley - Former Self (The Drifter Remix)
Norman Zube - Matter (Dirty Doering & Sascha Cawa Remix)
Kyodai - Palma (Original Mix)
Mjutah - Bangkok (Original Mix)
Jäger, Fowad Zain Sied - Behind A Smile (Original Mix)
Seph - The Mage (Original Mix)
Kollektiv Turmstrasse - Lapacha (Mick Rubin’s Deep Mix)
Synthetic Epiphany - Stay Around (Original Mix)
Chris Colburn - Amante (Original Mix)
Madmotormiquel, Nayan Soukie - Black Birds (Original Mix)
Recondite - Glint (Original Mix)


James Fish @ Ascension Gathering - Sunday 400AM

MILLENIAL FEVER DREAM

The Tutu Tuesday 8 Year Anniversary was one of those times where everything just…clicked. Zero anxiety, just a feeling of calm confidence and fun. Maybe it’s that my secret pre-gig prep routine worked (it involves a burrito). Or maybe, it’s that I’m five months into this new residency, and I finally feel like I’ve settled into a groove. It's like moving to a new place and finally feeling Home.

I don’t know if I’d want every gig I play to last five and a half hours, but the handful of times I’ve done it have been pretty wild. If a residency is a laboratory, a five-hour timeslot is a million dollar research grant. I got to explore a lot of material I’d been dying to play, and even took a few risks that I might not have in a two hour timeslot. When playing a marathon, pacing and planning is half the battle, and the strategy of thinking five or ten tracks ahead becomes a whole new game. I also got to put into practice a lot of the skills I’ve been working on improving, including crowdreading (feeling comfortable enough to look up, engage with the crowd, and make mix decisions based on their energy), phrasing (when to mix in and out), harmonic mixing (selecting tracks that sound good together), and EQing (carving out space in one track to make room for the next.)

That I felt comfortable is in no small part thanks to the people - Carla for running the whole show every month with such incredible energy and vision, Cassandra for her talented body art, Galen for the strong work on visuals, and all of the regulars who make Tutu Tuesday so magical. Seeing familiar faces does wonders for that feeling of ‘home,’ especially when they’re the ones who keep dancing until the lights come on. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find another event with such amazing longevity coupled with such a dedicated crowd of regulars. On a Tuesday, no less.

So without further ado…here’s a two hour, twenty two minute, and twenty two second segment of the set I played last week. (That’s 2:22:22!)

Tracklist: TBA

James Fish - All Night @ Tutu Tuesday 8 Year Anniversary (5.10.2016)

A sunlit afternoon on the back patio at the Midway, with a gorgeous flower-decorated booth and and even more gorgeous Opus sound system. Not a bad way to spend ones summer Sundays.

I sincerely enjoyed opening for @oonadahl and @clariannorth, both excellent DJs and artists in their own rights. For this, I brought out a lighter, dreamier side of my collection, and got to explore some stranger tracks I don't get to play out so often. Talking with Clarian afterwards, we agreed that a sparse crowd at the beginning is sort of a blessing in disguise - it's a free-for-all 'playlisting' hour where you get to play what you feel like. I felt like laying on my back and looking up at the sky...so that's what I channeled.

Clarian followed up with an incredibly wide selection all the way from retro-styled disco tracks like Virginia's 'Funkert,' all the way to spaced out trippy techno, like Aera's 'Odessa Step Sequence,' lighting up the dancefloor and getting the crowd moving in a funky, exuberant way.

Later, Öona followed up with a melodic, dreamy, yet still powerful sound, getting the crowd into an evolving and beautiful headspace track after track thanks to her incredibly flawless mixing.

I had such an incredibly positive time talking and dancing with people that I couldn't tear myself away from the dancefloor until the end. Sunday open airs really bring out the best kinds of people - the ones who, as my friend put it, don't have the crazy expectations and motivations of a saturday night crowd that feels pressured into 'partying,' but instead are there simply because they truly want to be. I feel these Permission to Land SF open airs fill a very unmet need in the Bay Area, and I'm excited to see what comes next.

Thanks to @racheltorro for making this happen.

soundcloud.com/jamesfish

James Fish - DJ set @ the Midway SF - Permission to Land - (with Oona Dahl, Clarian)

January’s mix is the set I mixed at Tutu Tuesday, recreated as a studio mix (I forgot to turn the recorder on :) ) It’s warm, relaxed, flowy, and deep - at times, an escapism from the wet weather and dark skies, and at times, a reflection of it.

At tutu, we had a surprisingly good turnout despite the crazy downpour, which seemed to end abruptly an hour before doors opened. I think people just felt cooped up and wanted to get out of the house and dance with friends.

This is the first studio mix I’ve made in quite a while, and I was starting to forget how fun these are. This year, I’d like to set aside more time in the future to prioritize making these. Though this is a recreation of a live set, it’s similar to the structure I like working with in studio mixes - an exploration of my range of musical interests, with some ambience and space bookending the beginning and end.

Tracklist:
Blue Fields - The Breeze Through The Floor
Dinky - Slowly (Radio Slave Remix Version 2)
Villete - Dream (Original Mix)
Ileas Katelanos - The Cost of Leaving (6884 Remix)
Paul Moore - Sunday Delight (Original Mix)
black light smoke - Wise Guy (Original Mix)
Archila & Hassio - Blue Dream (Original Mix)
Avi Subban - Again (Original Mix)
Manny Cuevas - M-TRAXXX Anthem 3 featuring PlusDeep
Viken Arman - Feels the Winter (Original Mix)
Tim Engelhardt - Nightflight (Original Mix)
Scott Diaz - Philadelphia (Instrumental)
Poppy Roberts, Rosas Nievas - Nearly Lost You Though (Original Mix)
Bardo & Salazar - Foxy (Are:Age Lowrider House Mix)
Side B - Replace Yourself (Original Mix)
Maya Jane Coles - The High Life (Original Mix)
Stark + Sahin ft. Lara - The Way (Dub Mix)
Forrest, Rowee - Egypt (Kocleo Remix)
DkA - Disconected (Original Mix)
Nicone, Aquarius Heaven - Real Me (Kid Simius Remix)
Just Her - Follow You Down (Yost Remix)

James Fish @ Tutu Tuesday Jan 2017 (with R.Fentz)

I’m still feeling the glow from my Friday night set at Good Room BK. At some gigs, everything just comes together behind the booth and on the dance floor. This was one of those gigs.

While a new city, venue, and audience had me feeling a little nervous, I had a lot going in my favor. I knew my tracks well and had pared down my selection to just the ones I really wanted to play. The floor sounded great - thanks to the Cityfox team, we’d tuned the intimate Bad Room to a nice, punchy sweet spot. Presales were good thanks to Simar’s event management and @atish and @briancid ’s draw.

Starting with some funky, flowy house tunes, I navigated deeper with an Aquarius Heaven track (“Universe”) and an old Aki Bergen favorite of mine (“History of Soul”). Things started to gel about halfway through the set, when the room started filling up and I got more of a sense of the crowd’s tastes. By 1AM, I was comfortably in the zone - punchy, groove oriented tracks were landing really well. Archila’s "Woman Power" was probably the highlight of the set in terms of crowd response, so I followed that up with mr. loi’s dance floor stomper "Time of Crime.”  I felt pretty good about taking a few risks, so I took a left turn into bass/techno territory with a Walton track “Gunman / Caught in a Trip” (thank you Mickey Pearce, shazam’ed from his set at F8 a few weeks ago 😃 ) Then, it was pretty much the home stretch. Got a lot of enthusiastic feedback on the set, which made me feel really nice!

After, bilaliwood took over for 2.5 hours of excellent house jams. Dude has a seriously wide range - you can tell he spends a lot of time digging. My favorite moment was when he dropped in a film dialogue sample over the break of a track, and timed it perfectly so it ended right before the drop. Bilal and I tagged for the last 30 mins or so and had a ton of fun vibing off each other’s selections. Hope he posts his set soon.

On the minus side, there were a number of really entitled male (and even female) guests making it hard for some of our friends to safely enjoy their time there. I don’t know whether that’s a NYC thing, or specifically a Good Room thing, but it was a pretty stark contrast from the vibe we generally have at underground dance music events in the Bay Area. It’s pretty simple: don’t touch people without their consent. And, don’t take things that aren’t yours. That’s it! That’s all you have to do to not be an asshole!

Many thanks to: Atish and Simar for bringing me on board, the Cityfox crew for making everything sound nice, Maryna for being a great travel partner, and friends (and my parents) for coming out to dance!

Tracklist coming soon.

poke me on the books

James Fish - DJ set @ Good Room, Brooklyn, NYC (with atish, Brian Cid, bilaliwood) - Feb 2017

I got a lot of requests to post this set, and I'm excited to do so! When I think about making my mark as a DJ and setting myself apart in terms of style and selection, I think about mixes like this one. This was the first time I've played in Traktor in a while, and it feels so nice to be back playing in the same software I started in. Traktor, for me, affords a lot more opportunities for creative techniques than I feel I have on CDJs - I often mix 3 and 4 tracks at once, keep in vocal or synth loops, make long slow blends, and layer in subtle (and not-so-subtle) effects over certain elements. With Tara Brooks headlining, I wanted to evoke a certain melodic range from the flowery to the dark, avoiding the funky upbeat house that's generally the mainstay of Tutu Tuesday. I feel I really delivered on this one. Enjoy!

face the books

James Fish - DJ set @ Tutu Tuesday March 2017 (with Tara Brooks)

It just so happens to be my birthday today. Twenty eight! This past year has seen a lot of change - most notably, leaving my job, my DJ residency, my family and my partner (temporarily) in San Francisco to move back to Berlin for a little while. It’s sometimes been a challenging transition, but that’s pretty much what I expected. I miss my community, and yet I also feel at home here and excited to dive deeper into music and design.

I haven’t posted a mix in quite a long time. 6 months, actually. That’s an eternity in the DJ world, where posting once a month is the expectation. To be honest, while I’ve had some really great gigs during this time, few of them were of the quality (or memorability) I felt I’d want to have up for posterity on my Soundcloud. I was super happy with my Brooklyn set and my Tara Brooks Tutu Tuesday set in February and March, and it felt like I wasn’t outdoing myself…until recently!

So, for my birthday, I’m giving you the gift! I’m finally getting around to posting my set from Burning Man - one of only two DJ commitments I chose to play this Burn, and worth every minute of it. Like many of my sets, this one navigates melodic, deep, and even wildly colorful waters. Unlike many of my sets, this one was played to a completely packed, spilling-out-the-doors Dance Church at the Monks of Funk. What I found interesting while going over the recording was that, despite the incredibly packed venue, sometimes you can barely hear the crowd at all. At first, this was confusing - I remember the place being filled with energy… but then I realized that the crowd up front was just too focused on dancing to chatter. That’s a good sign!  (Secret secret- this set also features a work-in-progress remix I'm producing. See if you can spot it...)

Celebrating this weekend with my Berliner friends and roommates, and the fact that I finally have built a music studio of my own. I’ve got a lot of hard work ahead, but it’s what I want:)

If you're in Berlin sometime in the next year or so, don't hesitate to look me up. I may even be playing a gig occasionally (will be posting about that soon... )

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Burning Man 2017 (Wednesday Night Worship @ the Monks of Funk)

Hello from Thailand! It’s been a long time since my last studio mix. This one, called 'hibernate', is a chilly 90 mins: pensive and paced, with a lot of space for contemplation. In it, I've tried to capture the feeling of appreciating wintertime (more on that below).

I'm also proud to share that I’m joining Something Slow as one of their Berlin-based residents. The ’slow food movement’ came about in response to fast-food culture and the erosion of culinary quality and experience; the ’slow music' movement, likewise, is less about the tempo and more about artists carefully considering their musical selection and craft. I’m excited to join a talented group of musicians and performers, and hope to see you soon -perhaps at Klunkerkranich or Beate Uwe.

Will also announce a few more upcoming gigs soon - stay tuned by following my artist page at James Fish - Music.

//

About 'hibernate':
Like many, I’ve been known to complain about Berlin winters. Grey, dreary, and cold without the payoff of snow, people tend to retreat a bit into their own spaces, leaving the warmth of home only occasionally to scurry across the city bundled up to dinner at a friend's, or maybe a club. The days are short and the nights are long, and even if you don’t think you’re affected emotionally by the seasons, you definitely are.

Yet for all of its bleakness, I’m starting to appreciate winter as a cyclical time for introspection and reexamining one’s creative processes. It can feel lonely sometimes, but remember - spring is just around the corner, and by the time busy summer rolls around you’ll wonder why you never seem to have time to finish those projects you started...

Included in this mix are a ton of favorites from the last few months and one original, unreleased work I’m really proud to have produced. Hope this brings you a little bit of patience as you wait for the colder months to finally transition into brighter days.

'hibernate,' a mix for something slow berlin (feb. 2018)

A slow-techno bootleg edit of one of my favorite recent indie tracks. As with my other bootleg edit, this one's available as a free download.

When I first heard "Blend," I instantly knew I wanted to make an edit. The original is fairly stripped down, consisting just of an acoustic guitar lick, a simple drum pattern, and a haunting vocal. 

Yet somehow, my first draft late last year didn't feel right. It was too dancey and too bright, and somehow didn't reflect the bittersweet emotional quality of the original. So, a few months ago while on the road in Asia, I decided to give it another go. I kept only the synth pad from my first attempt and reconstructed everything else with the intention of fulfilling a 'less is more' approach.

I think I finally found a nice balance in adding just the right elements to breathe some new life and context into "Blend," while maintaining the qualities that made it such a moving track to begin with. I hope you'll agree - let me know what you think in the comments:)

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[free download] Aldous Harding - Blend (James Fish's Problems of the Heart Edit)

Really happy to finally share the mix I played at KitKatClub in Berlin last month, celebrating the anniversary of the Hedoné community.

I had the unique opportunity of bridging the gap between the usual Sunday morning KitKat fetish party (typically 130+bpm techno) into a more slow, sensual, and melodic direction for our MYSTIK guests. Unlike many of my sets, this one actually gets slower as it goes on, but as always keeps the groove throughout.

Many thanks to the Hedoné crew for organizing, and of course to everyone that came out on a Sunday in surreal costumes to celebrate with one another. The vibe was excellent the whole evening, and I'm already looking forward to next time with you.

Tracklist:
Ender, Rebekka, Yaniel - And I (Mijo Remix)
Juan Deminicis - Leisure Moments (Original Mix)
Frink - Performer (Original Mix)
Kevin Toro, Vanguardist - Little Helper 320-2 (Original Mix)
Magit Cacoon - Aussi (Original Mix)
Magit Cacoon, Steven Wilson - Perfect Life (Tomas Barfod's Padded Room Remix)
Whitesquare - Understand (Original Mix)
Nicolas Rada - Schiphol (Hot TuneiK Remix)
Boghosian - Balaka (Hauy Remix)
Felix Eul - Interplay (Peng Peng Remix Remix)
Benno Blome - Have Some (Fish Eye Collective Edit)
Steve Bug & Langenberg - NGC 6240 (Vince Watson Reshape)
Tuff City Kids with Joe Goddard - Tell Me (Benjamin Fröhlich Short Trip Version)
Odd Beholder - Lighting (Feijká Remix)
Daniel Bortz - Faces (Original Mix)
Hammer - Atlantic 252 (Original Mix)
Alek S - Neverending (Original Mix)
NYVS - Avahria Fields (Original Mix)
Aldous Harding - Blend (James Fish's "Problems of the Heart" Edit)
Marcelo Cura, J'aime L'eau, Dübelu - Un Momento Mas Profundo Feat. Jane & Daniela (Original Mix)
Atsushi Yano - Barbital (Original Mix)
Initial - Little Helpers 298-1 (Ambient Version) (Original Mix)

James Fish - DJ set @ MYSTIK Hedoné (KitKat Club, Berlin) - Apr 2018

I'd like to share with you this year’s ‘road to burning man’ set - something intended for the drive to the playa, or camp build, or even if you’re staying home this year and want to feel some burner energy. It’s a wild ride, a closing set I recorded at a regional burn in Germany and quietly uploaded it a few months ago, without posting about it.

For me, this set really represents a kind of radical, musical self-expression I’ve finally begun to embrace. I used to have a lot of self-consciousness around taking musical ‘left turns,’ navigating through multiple, diverse genres in a single set; recently, I’ve really started to embody that as part of my signature sound. I also used to be overly cautious in managing the energy levels of the music I play. As I have a lot more experience opening dance floors than closing them, I’d often feel like I was overstepping my bounds if I played something too energetic, ironically even as a headliner. This time, I got the chance to close one of the larger sound camps at Kiezburn into the sunrise. I didn’t hold back one bit, and man, it felt *really* good.

Finally - my set times on playa are as follows:
Tuesday ⊛ 4pm-5pm: Tutu Tuesday @ Short Stack, 430&C
Wednesday ⊛ 11:59pm-2am: SkyFish Set, Wednesday Worship @ Monks of Funk, 8&F
Thursday ⊛ 12pm-1pm: @ Pink Mammoth 830&F
Thursday ⊛ 6pm-8:30pm: ☀sunset set with art car linkup @ Atlantis, 430&G 
Friday ⊛ 10pm-12am: Sanctuary art car, DMZ (between 10:30-11:15, 1 mile from the man)

Tracklist:
Audiojack & Kevin Knapp - Implications
Ben Klock, Marcel Dettmann - Bad Boy
Leftfield - Afro Left (Hodge & Peverelist Remix)
Mark Reeve - Closed Doors
Mjane & David Garcet - Lumpini (Juan Deminicis Remix)
Florian Rietze - Treibholz
Pional - Miracle
Arina Mur - Pearl Wings
YokoO - Vicious Game
DKA, Exon, Sinead Maya - After Calling
Djuma Soundsystem, Yann Coppier - Anyimu feat. King Ayisoba (Johnny Aux Remix)
Dance Spirit - Music is LIfe (m.O.N.R.O.E Remix)
My Side of the Bed - Asterism
FOTN - FUnnel
Moby - Go (Woodtick Mix)
Unknown - The Q (Instrumental Mix)
Slam - Eterna (Petrichor Remix)
Odd Beholder - Lighting (Feijka Remix)
RaucherEcke - Chordhose (Marcel Janovsky Remix)
Beatamines - Remember the Vibe
PillowTalk - Hold Me Down (Extended Mix)
Till Kruger - Deciduous
Paul Kalkbrenner - The Palisades (Jaap Ligthart Edit)
Audiojack - Tunnel Vision
Galvino - Sea Bottle
Elder Island - The Big Unknown
James Massiah - You Ain't Got to Go Home

James Fish - Sunday Sunrise DJ set  @Underworld, Kiezburn 2018

Now that it's officially Gray Season in Berlin, I thought I'd finally share this sunny, relaxing mix, recorded earlier this summer at the Hedoné Seminar gathering. Deep in a Polish forest, late afternoon's golden light shone through the cracks of a crumbling stone palace, while sleepy hedonists swayed - some still awake from the night's revelry, others rubbing sleep from their eyes and embracing fresh-faced friends...

Listen through the end - this is one of those weirder, sideways mixes I call 'Left Turns.' Some might call it #afterhours. It's music that's not always electronic, and not always fit for peak-time dancefloor material, but somehow is still "dance music," and still creates a memorable, cathartic vibe on the dancefloor.

Many thanks to the Hedoné community for having me again:)

James Fish @Hedone Seminar 2018 /Palac Dbrznica, Poland

Then there was that time I was invited to play a small stage at Garbicz…

Garbicz is, without a doubt, my favorite music festival. It isn’t that they do one thing particularly well, it’s that they do *everything* well - every detail, from the lineup, to the art, to the logistics of transportation and accommodation, is well-thought-out to keep you lost in the moment. The sound systems are clear, punchy, and well-tuned. The lake and forest are beautiful. The stage designs are innovative, quirky, and psychedelic, and the interactive art sprinkled throughout the forest is mind-bending. The food is healthy and tastes great. The people are nice. And this year, since living in Berlin, I didn’t go more than 15 minutes alone without encountering friends - even ones from around the world I didn’t expect to see. What more could you want?

I’ve been lucky enough to become a part of the Hedoné community as an artist and participant over the last year or so, playing a number of DJ sets and my first ever live ambient set for their events in Berlin and their seminar in Poland. This year, Hedoné brought their ‘Sagrada Feminina’ - an intimate workshop, dance, and play-space covered with wood and fabric - to Garbicz, nestled it in the woods beside a busy thouroughfare and treated to lovely Funktion One sound courtesy of Tonverleih.

So, it’s no surprise that when the organizers asked me last week if I wanted to play a set there, I was ecstatic. Garbicz is incredibly musically inspiring for me, and I’ve felt since my first experience there that I also had something to contribute - something that fits just right with the energy and musical color of the festival. Though it was an intimate stage with not more than 50 people, there was still quite a vibe (you can hear it on the recording, especially near the end.) I’m really, really happy to have contributed this, and I’m even more happy to share it with you.

Looking forward to more to come. It’s been a packed summer, and I have quite a backlog of music to share with you - a mixed-genre afterhours set, an ambient liveset from the Hedoné seminar, and a colorful, intense, energetic closing set from the Kiezburn regional...

Tracklist:
@Sapurra - K Dance (@akadefaultman Binaural Shit Remix)
@adisynmusic - Nehcal 
@alexidelano - Water Colors (@persuader Remix)
@scsi-9 - Had I But Wings Like Thine 
@atish, @bengalsf - Tortoise
@galvino - Kintaro 
@kemback - Good Morning (@auntie-flo Remix) 
@therealrango - Panorama
@ezikiel - One Beat (@alejandro-mosso remix)
@moomin - Time To Reflect
@alextroubetzkoy - Marys Waltz (@archiehamiltonmusic Remix)
Anthony Middleton (@audiofly) - Gravity Falls (@raw-district Remix)
@affects & @maximillionyeah - Polyhymnia (@stevie-r & @alexzed Edition}
@nukreative - Effigy
@mark-alow - Tzemin
@dirtydoering - Strawberry Fields
@childmusic & @doppelau - Child - Ey Ya Tumbo (@timengelhardt Remix)
@djsis - Danzan 
@midas104 - Carry On 
@luttrellmusic - Intergalactic Plastic (@clariannorth Remix)

James Fish - DJ set @ Garbicz 2018

A remix of one of my favorite Iron and Wine songs. Thanks for listening!
- James

Produced in Ableton Live 8.

Iron and Wine - Boy With A Coin (James Fish's Edit)

My Sunday sunrise set from Underworld at Kiez Burn. What a morning! Following up the darker psychedelic energy of the previous DJs, I was really happy to bring the crowd into a more melodic and euphoric sunrise mood, and end it with some tongue-in-cheek fun. It was really the perfect ending to a wonderful burn - emotional, silly, and surrounded by people I love.

Hard to encapsulate this Burn for me in a few words, but it was really, really wonderful. I was so proud of the new camp we built, and so happy to spend quality time (and silly time) with my person and our friends. I am also so grateful for the KB community - the familiar faces and stories from last year and from around Berlin that make coming back such a joy, and the newer folks I got to create some new memories with. KB really feels like a communal effort, and after 5 big burns, it’s so intimate and uniquely special.

Thank you to Underworld for having me again:) I’m always wowed by your creativity, motivation and what you bring to the Burn - your talents are really such a gift that everyone enjoys.

And of course, so much love to my dear Camp Schlampagne for sticking it out through Saturday night and bringing the Schlampesau-energy to Underworld...and the entire Kiez Burn! I’m so proud of us:) SEKT IST KEIN SCHLAMPAGNE! <3 

Vamos a la Playa:)

James Fish - Sunday Sunrise DJ set @ Kiez Burn 2019

Performed live at Garbicz 2019 in the Sagrada Feminina on Friday evening.

Part soundscape, part field recording, part poetry, part meditation, this liveset evolved over the last year or two into what it is now, from experimenting with an ‘ambient meditation’ liveset at a friends’ event in January 2017 to what you hear now.

The vocal samples are (of course) not mine, but I found them each compelling in their own way, and when I sat down to give this set a title I realized all of them pose similar questions, albeit in a different way: What is your vision of utopia? Is it something you find, or something you create? Does utopia exist somewhere, if not on this earth? Something felt especially right performing this live at Garbicz, a 5 day festival experience that explores an alternative reality, hidden outside the default world, as if suspended somewhere in an astronaut habitat on a planet far away...

I won’t say ‘alles ist gut’ because let’s be honest: nicht alles ist gut. Rather, I would say, ‘wir können alles eventuell gut machen” (“we can eventually make everything good.”) It’s important to remember that utopia is not something found, but created through difficult work.

Much love to the Hedoné crew, without whom this set would never have taken shape.

And, credit where credit is due. Spoken word/audio samples from:
- Porsha O
- Leonard Cohen
- ABC News Sydney

James Fish - Liveset @ Garbicz 2019, "Life on Other Planets"

Excited to share my set from Zum Brennenden Bären, a regional burner event at a small castle a few hours from Berlin. I had no idea what to expect as it was my first time at this event, yet instantly felt so at home playing for this weird and wonderful community. 

It's also a rare treat to play for such an engaged crowd. In those moments when I looked up from the decks, I saw smiles, people laughing, hugging, dancing, or simply blissed out with eyes closed, lost in the moment. I saw faces of those I already know and love, and those I had still yet to meet, but had seen around the castle. That kind of connection (and the incredible sound system) gave me the confidence to play even those tracks I thought might have been ‘too trippy’ for dancing Bären - and still got an amazing response. I even got to try out one of my own tracks for the first time:)

Thank you to everyone who came and co-created an incredible first castle experience! This Bär will definitely be back next time.

And always remember: one megabyte = four megabytes ;)

>>Tracklist<<

James Fish - DJ set @ Zum Brennenden Bären (Burn Night, UFO)

live electronic music with soul
www.jamesfishmusic.com
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past:
Resonance Showcase, 90mil, Berlin
COMMON GROUND Festival 2023
Lusatia Festival 2023
[DJ] Burner Sauna @ Studio dB //Berlin, DE
[DJ] Naked Tea Party //Berlin, DE
[Live] Wilde 13 //Hamburg, DE
[DJ] //In Touch Festival 2022
[Live] Ma'Ma Analog //Landau, DE
[DJ] Underworld //Kiezburn 2022
[Live] Musotopia //Kiezburn 2022
[Live] @ Chigal Festival 2022
[Live] @ Herzberg 2022
[DJ] Zum Brennenden Bären 2022 (CANCELLED)
[Live] @ 57 Grand //Brooklyn, NY
[Live] Public Works with Acid Pauli, Nicola Cruz //SF, CA
[DJ] Zum Brennenden Bären 2020
[Live] Sagrada Feminina //Garbicz 2018
[DJ] @ Hedone Seminar 2018
[DJ] Mystik Hedoné @KitKat //Berlin, 2018
[DJ] Sagrada Feminina //Garbicz 2017
[DJ] PantherRave @Beate Uwe //Berlin, 2017
[DJ] )'( that thing in the desert //2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
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Booking requests: booking@james.fish

james fish (live) ≋≋≋∝≋≋≋

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