Former triple j presenter, Andy Glitre, renowned for bringing soul, funk and dance to Australian radio and Sydney’s club scene in the ’80s and ’90s, has died.
He was 64.
The ABC posted the following tribute on its webite.
Andy Glitre is best known for his time hosting triple j shows The Rhythm Method and Groove Train, where he helped bring underground music to the airwaves and championed a diverse range of local and international artists.
Glitre performed at some of Sydney’s highly influential RAT parties of the ’80s and ’90s, and was renowned for hosting the RESPECT club night at The Freezer (which later became Goodbar) for five years.
Long-time friend, collaborator and fellow ex-triple j host Stephen Ferris first met Glitre when the pair worked together at a pancake restaurant in Sydney. Later on, they started their respective DJ careers on the very same night.
He said his late friend saw himself as something of a musical preacher.
“Disco had gone, it was the early-’80s and new wave was sort of hovering around,” Ferris tells Double J, “But there was this underground disco and soul scene starting around the world, and I think he wanted to be the person who could spread the word.
“If you didn’t know yet about [a song], he took great delight in letting everybody know about it.”
Former triple j Executive Producer Craig Donarski says Glitre was “unbelievably passionate about the music that he loved”.
“He loved movers and groovers from all around the world, at a time when that wasn’t even a vaguely fashionable thing. He didn’t care, he just loved what he considered great music.”
Another former triple j colleague, ABC Sydney’s Sarah Macdonald, remembers being intimidated by Glitre at first.
“I was terrified of him when I met him, as he could be a grumpy bugger, but he was actually sweet and funny and lovely,” she says.
“He was a huge lover of sublime dance music and his shows were brilliant. He was also a great club DJ who got dancefloors moving.”
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In respect to Andy, maybe review your spelling of his name which is clearly shown multiple times in the ABC statement you've included here. Not good enough and pretty disrespectful to a member of our industry who's passed away.
EDITOR: It was our typo. Apologies. Thanks for pointing it out, it is now fixed.