CHPTR004 - Boulder, Colorado
CHPTR 004 took place a little closer to home this time, in Boulder, Colorado, but it marked a different kind of step forward.
For the first time, this wasn’t just about turning up and playing a room - It involved building one!
Bringing in my own PA - a brand new EAW rig - added a layer of pressure that sat quietly in the background for most of the day. There’s something very different about being responsible for the sound system as well as the set itself. It changes how you think about the room, how you arrive, how you settle into the night, and just before the doors opened I was forced into an emergency last minute rewire, which put my nerves on edge.
Junkyard Social Club turned out to be a great place to play. Intimate enough to feel connected, but with enough space for the music to breathe, and a crowd that was clearly there for the long-form experience rather than a quick hit. We sold out advance tickets before the night, which set the tone early, but more importantly it created a sense that people had made a decision to be there, to commit to the arc of it, which, after all, is a cornerstone of why I enjoy this type of longform storytelling.
The set featured a gradual unfolding across ambient, slo-mo, psychedelic house, breaks, and into more driving territory as the night progressed. No rush to get anywhere, no need to constantly reinforce the energy, just a steady, patient build, shaped as much by the room as by anything I had planned beforehand.
I can honestly say that this is my favourite open-to-close set to date as it covers more ground than anything I’ve attempted before, but still holds onto the same narrative journey that means so much to me.
The full CHPTR 004 set is now available as a complete, uninterrupted recording via Soundcloud.
If you’d like the full tracklisting and download, those are available via my Simon Shackleton Discord.