Gugun Blues Shelter Releases Live Unplugged Album, Presents a More Honest Acoustic Version

Kapanlagi.com - Gugun Blues Shelter (GBS) once again proves its existence through an unusual new breakthrough. After successfully winning the AMI Awards 2024 thanks to the album Coming Out, they now present an acoustic album titled Live Unplugged that feels more honest and personal.

"For GBS itself, we are trying something different, it seems people have slightly forgotten and become complacent with singles, never making a full album," said Gugun when met at Rendezvoo Coffee & Eatery, South Jakarta, Friday (2/5/2015).

This work is clearly different from previous releases, because this time GBS bets on feeling in a live recording format without excessive digital polishing. The Live Unplugged album contains 10 selected songs taken from their previous song catalog, both from new and old releases. Everything is re-packaged with warmer acoustic arrangements that are closer to the listeners' ears.

"There are several songs from the last album titled Coming Out, there are three songs, the rest are old songs," said Gugun.

1. Refresh Old Material

© KapanLagi.com/Fikri Alfi Rosyadi

This choice is their way of refreshing old material that may have been forgotten, including underrated songs like Putus Cinta. In the recording process, GBS adopts a live performance approach without much repetition of takes. Gugun said they prefer to just flow, capturing honest moments and energy from start to finish.

"Just keep playing, because we don't think about mistakes, so we just continue," said Gugun.

2. Mature Acoustic Monitoring

The recording process was conducted at the AFE Records headquarters with mature acoustic monitoring to avoid technical disruptions. Gugun admitted that the most common issues actually come from small technical matters like microphones or room echoes.

"Microphone not working, etc. That's why we make it at the AFE headquarters, it's already monitored how much echo there is," he said.

3. Visual in Video Form

On the visual side, the entire performance process is recorded in video form that can be watched on YouTube AFE Records. They chose a simple yet cozy location at Rendezvoo Coffee & Eatery to emphasize a relaxed and intimate feel.

"This is the beginning of trying to create something small first, we just capture the moment," said Gugun.

4. Plans for Future Live Projects

Although satisfied with this simple acoustic format, Gugun admits he has plans to add instrumental elements in future live projects. He wants to expand GBS's musical expression from the catalog of 11 albums they already have.

"In the future, I want to add more musical elements, I talked to the executive producer about just a live album," he explained.

5. Perfecting the Technical Aspects

In the production process, Gugun was also assisted by his colleague Doni Dwijo, who helped refine several technical aspects, especially in the percussion area. Although most of it was recorded live, they still added several layers for sound balance.

"I was helped by my friend Doni Dwijo who worked his magic on all of that. Only in the percussion part did we overdub because the mic had to be just right," he said.

The Live Unplugged album was officially released on all digital music platforms on April 25, 2025, marking a new chapter for GBS in music. Although simple, this album is proof that their sincerity and musical maturity still shine.

(kpl/far/rsp)