DJ & Local Broadcasting Icon Andy Glitre Has Passed Away

For many, the name Andy Glitre is immutable with the Australian dance music scene. 

A pioneer and veracious innovator, Glitre's legacy as a formative DJ and broadcaster began to take shape back in the '80s and '90s, aka a time when dance music still lurked largely in the underground. And, following the sudden news of Glitre's passing late last week, amongst the outpouring of grief and love across social media from those who were irrevocably changed by his influence and passion lies a tale of tenacity and a musical revolution that changed the Australian broadcasting landscape forever. 

British-born but Sydney-based, Glitre firmly established himself as a force of nature in the music industry extremely early on. Whether you recall his soothing voice on triple j's The Groove Train, on the decks at the now-legendary RAT parties in the late '80s and early 90s, or DJ-ing at Sydney's The Freezer on a Sunday night, Glitre's sharp taste and dynamic personality saw him quickly become known as a connoisseur of all things dance, and an inescapable personality for those yearning beyond the mainstream.  

Paying homage to his former friend and colleague on last night's episode of FBI's Souled Out With Stephen Ferris, legendary DJ Ferris recalled Glitre's skill and adoration for sharing music, particularly at time when finding fresh music off the beaten track was a feat unto itself. Likening DJs as carriers and messengers in the opening minutes of the program, Ferris recalled Glitre's dedication to unearthing new music and gifting it to the world.

"That's what DJs are, they just pick up songs and pass them on 'cos they love them - and Andy was the quintessential DJ," Ferris said, introducing Souled Out. 

"He just dearly, dearly loved music, and he shared it amongst a lot of people, that was his particular joy. 

"And in those days, we're talking about the middle '80s, early '80s, right through to 2000...DJs broke songs. They were the only ones that had...or made the effort, I suppose, to be the messenger, the conduit to import records...you had to go out, and you had to find it."

And find things he did, with Glitre inadvertently becoming one of Australia's most renowned DJs, hosting triple j's The Groove Train until 1995, and prolifically working alongside the youth broadcaster in its most formative years, championing Australian club sounds, rare groove, funk, soul and house music, and ultimately offering a haven to listeners yearning to dip beyond the more accessible commercial fare. 

From sharpening his deep grooves at triple j in Sydney to influencing further south when he joined KISS FM in Melbourne, Glitre continued to carve and cement a name as the absolute icon of the local clubbing scene, holding fort at an array of now-legendary clubs and events over the years, while ultimately sharing and devouring rare genres and tunes from beyond the norm like a rave-ready Pied Piper.

Starting off as a dishwasher in Sydney, according to last night's episode of Souled Out, Ferris also recalled Glitre's sturdy entrepreneurial spirit burning bright after arriving back from London in the early '80s.

"In typical English fashion, [Glitre] was very entrepreneurial," recalled Ferris. 

With both Ferris and Glitre sharing a love of DJing and rejecting the sonic trends of the time, Ferris's first DJ experience consisted of teaming up with Glitre, starting a funk night at The Watermelon Club in 1983, before outgrowing the venue and moving onto The Berlin Club on Jamieson Street - and the rest is groove-laden history. 

Glitre would become renowned and beloved for his mischievous personality as much as for his prolific work in the dance and clubbing scenes, with extensive releases in his wake, each one masterfully curated by the master himself, including the 1997 Catwalk Collection CD, The Rhythm Method 001, the Bondi Calling series and the Kiss In The Cafes mix CD for KISS FM. 

Prolific in a time and a genre sparsely documented and bubbling away from the prying mainstream eyes, Glitre's legacy truly lives on, not just in his key influence on triple j's continued dedication to celebrating dance music with Mix Up and Radio FunkTrust, but as a generous trailblazer who loved nothing more than to share his joy with the world. 

Fittingly, last night's Souled Out With Stephen Ferris kicked off with a song many listeners had voted for that reminded them of Glitre and the man who brought so much to the dance and house genres: Lost In Music by Sister Sledge. Glitre was ultimately a man eternally lost in music in the most prolific of ways. Vale, Andy Glitre.