- Whatever the eventual fallout from last week's raids, for the time being it appears to be business as usual at Amnesia. When I visited on Wednesday, July 13th, for HYTE, the German-run house and techno party that recently began its second season at the club, nothing felt out of the ordinary—if anything, the San Rafael venue looked in ruder health than ever. HYTE's third week coincided with the first night of Fuse London's five-date residency. Loco Dice, Henrik Schwarz and Pan-Pot lined up in the Terrace, while the likes of Enzo Siragusa, Seb Zito and Rich NxT held court in the Main Room.
Interestingly, Dice was on warm-up. By the time I made it inside, a little after 2 AM, he was already playing tough, though the tempo was slower than it might have been later in the night. Some of his selections had a nice percussive swing to them, and there was even some rave energy in there at one point, thanks to an edit of The Age Of Love's "The Age Of Love." (He also worked in the catchy vocal from Lumidee's "Never Leave You," a track I haven't heard in Ibiza since 2013.)
Most impressive, though, was the production that accompanied Dice's performance. In the middle of the dance floor stood a scaffolding-like structure decorated with dozens of flashing LED poles, commanded by a team of red-clad go-go dancers. Every so often, a stream of bright blue light would zig-zag from the club's roof down to the floor, like an army of snakes slithering down a hill. It was more of an art installation than anything else, the kind of thing you might come across at an edgy modern gallery.
The décor was less elaborate next door. Suspended over the throng of mostly British ravers were two shiny silver birds—Fuse's logo—that glistened when the lights hit them. In the booth, Siragusa was a smiling ball of energy, prancing from deck to CDJ and back again while mixing swiftly and smoothly between tracks with frisky drums and subtle basslines. The grooves were dynamic and never dull, occasionally layered with an unexpected jungle break or a snippet of a rave vocal. He finished with Switch's "Get On Downz," a curveball by his standards that drew a volley of clamours from the pit below.
Fellow Fuse veterans Seb Zito and Rich NxT are equally known for their tight technical skills, so it was a surprise when Zito took his eye off the ball and clanged the first mix. (He turned, confused, to Siragusa, who was laughing his head off.) The pair quickly recovered, throwing down 90 minutes of meaty, rocking tech house that climaxed with Kerri Chandler's "Back To The Raw (Dark Instrumental)." Amnesia's Main Room, with its compact dance floor and powerful, vinyl-friendly soundsystem, felt like the perfect fit for Fuse. They'd reached a high-point in their Ibiza career, and it was only the opening.
Photo credit /
Pablo Bustos Photography