In last year's HYTE stories feature Enzo Siragusa tells his and FUSE's story. The party was born as a Sunday morning after-hours in London back in 2008. Since then the intimate and rowdy after-hours as developed into a worldwide operation, with Enzo and his crew becoming household names in the electronic music rave scene.
In the HYTE Stories feature, Siragusa tells us what FUSE is. "It's about the sound, the community aspect and the spaces we put these raves on in." Almost nine years on, these values still stand strong. FUSE has held raves in London, Ibiza, Amsterdam and Berlin to name a few. Because of the party's no comprising stance on quality and sound, tickets are now a must-have for each event.
FUSE's second summer residency at Amnesia Ibiza alongside HYTE began in July. Purple and green lasers danced across the ceiling as Enzo Siragusa, Seb Zito and Rossko held the audience in Amnesia's Club Room throughout the night. With only three more parties to go this summer, here are five reasons for you to come and check out FUSE Ibiza this summer.
Less Is MORE
Over the last few years, FUSE has been a major player in the city of London earning itself the reputation as one of the best parties in the city. Thanks to its very high standards when it comes to sound and production, FUSE is very careful in how it positions itself always putting the brand and its artists before the glitz and the glamour of modern day club land.
This year FUSE is only on the island four times, meaning each showcase is not to be missed. Following on from the opening party, FUSE has three more showcases at HYTE/Amnesia Ibiza with one in August (16th) and two in September (6th and 27th).
The less is more approach is a very effective one in Ibiza club scene right now. Rather than fighting over DJ availability, exclusive residencies and overinflated DJ fees, FUSE relies on its core group of residents to provide the soundtrack rather than going big for superstar names who don't necessarily get the ethos of the party.
The residents
FUSE's foundations have been solely built on the success its resident DJs. Enzo Siragusa, Seb Zito, Archie Hamilton, Rossko and Rich NxT are as talented as they come, each with their own style and sound that translates to any dance floor.
Since their involvement with FUSE, each resident has seen their status with electronic music grow year on year. Enzo Siragusa has been voted in RA's Top 100 DJ Poll two years in a row, with Archie Hamilton joining him in 2016's poll. Seb Zito has expanded his sound featuring on labels such as No Fit State while staying true to his jungle and drum & bass routes. Archie Hamilton has pushed forward his own labels Moscow and Moss Co, as well as teaming up with Rossko on Arkityp. Finally, Rich Nxt continues to showcase why he's known as a DJs DJ with a number of high-quality productions that very rarely leave an artists record bag.
Although the sound of each FUSE artist is pretty similar you can easily tell them apart. Whether it is the basslines of Enzo, the drums of Rich or the UK-garage infused tracks of Seb, it is these individual characteristics that make FUSE stand out from the crowd and the main reason that FUSE's resident's parties are now so highly respected by their peers and their audience.
The music
FUSE is one of the few record labels that hold a residency on the island right now. Although the party began as a Sunday morning after-hours, FUSE has developed not one but two world-class record labels over the last decade. It is these two labels - FUSE and Infuse - that drive the evolving sound of FUSE as it is today. Driving techy-basslines alongside dubs and minimal blends make up the sound that FUSE has made their own over the last years.
The FUSE label is home to the main core group of artists. Releases like Sagamore (Enzo), Holywell (Seb), Works On Sunday (Archie) and Instate (Rich) are now known as FUSE anthems. But it's not just these tracks from the label's catalogue that are so well thought of. It's the unreleased tracks that the artists keep so close to their chest all summer that brings the mystery. With the Track ID culture growing on social media, it is the unreleased anthems (listen here, here and here for clues) that make up most of these artists sets that keep the loyal FUSE fans so intrigued by the labels movements.
If you're new to the FUSE sound, check out Enzo Siragusa's BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix or Seb Zito's 5 Years of FUSE mix below.
The crowd
A good crowd can sometimes be more important than a headlining DJ. Because of FUSE's underground nature, it is not necessarily a party that Ibiza first-timers will be all that familiar with, meaning the vibe on the dance floor is often created by strictly music lovers who have previously attended FUSE parties.
Over the last nine years, FUSE has built a strong network of people on the island so you will see the same music heads on the dance floor at every party. Often the crowd is built up from in-the-know workers, London regulars on holiday and classy Europeans who follow the party and the artists from their respective cities.
One more key ingredient to FUSE's success is the fact the resident DJs come from the dance floor. Even if the DJs aren't playing on the night, you will often spot Enzo, Seb, Archie, Ross or Rich on the dance floor supporting the crew while getting lost in the music.
Special guests - Cristi Cons x DeWalta + Ferro
As we have mentioned, FUSE is all about its residents. If you're really into your minimal house music, you'll be very aware of Cristi Cons, DeWalta and Ferro in their own right. Cristi and DeWalta are masters of their craft, so the scheduled back-to-back set by these two producers on 16 August could well be one of the most underrated highlights of the season.
Back-to-back sets can often flatter to deceive but this is one we have full confidence in. As well as being very highly rated by their peers, Cristi Cons and DeWalta both star in back-to-back projects. Cristi (who is set to release on FUSE London soon) is one-half of Romanian live duo SIT, while DeWalta is one-half of duo DeWalta and Shannon, a live project that includes Mike Shannon playing the saxophone over the top of stripped back rolling basslines. It's a very rare sight to see each of these artists on the island, so a b2b from these two masters is certainly enough motivation for you to head to Amnesia.
The other special guest is Amsterdam-based artist Ferro on 6 September. Over the years Ferro has become an extended member of the crew, featuring on both labels FUSE and Infuse. Also, if you've joined FUSE at Amsterdam Dance Event over the years, the Dutchman has a growing local following and is often the soul of the after-party. Those who joined him on the HYTE Ibiza afters on the boat last summer will know all about this man's talents...
If you're still not convinced, take a look at the after-movie from the Opening Party in July. The full line-ups for HYTE and FUSE are listed below on our party calendar.
PHOTOGRAPHY | Pablo Bustos
