FUSE Fridays

The intersection of Washington and Second streets in downtown Phoenix is an absolute hip-hop hotspot, as places such as PHX Nightclub and Silver pump out the bumps and beats for thousands of crazed club-goers every weekend. It's precisely why Sol Martinez and the rest of the peeps behind FUSE Fridays...

By Benjamin Leatherman

April 30, 2009

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The intersection of Washington and Second streets in downtown Phoenix is an absolute hip-hop hotspot, as places such as PHX Nightclub and Silver pump out the bumps and beats for thousands of crazed club-goers every weekend. It's precisely why Sol Martinez and the rest of the peeps behind FUSE Fridays decided to drop the hip-hop from their lineup and offer two floors of house and electronica music during their weekly affair at Bar Smith, 130 East Washington Street. "Why should we bother playing hip-hop when people can go to places like Stoudemire's to get it?" he says. "We wanted to take things further by providing something different." And they do just that, as Martinez spins electro-house and harder beats on the rooftop along with his pals Mara, Sonique des Fleurs, and Disco Da. Meanwhile, the ground floor will be occupied with more progressive house and trance, courtesy of the turntablist foursome of Turner & Heit, Chris Forsyth, and Matty. DJ Sterling will also be in the mix on Friday, May 1, broadcasting music videos on the outdoor wall of the adjacent building. The music starts at 9 p.m. with a $5 cover after 10. Visit www.myspace.com/fusefridays.

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Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music, and nightlife. He began writing for New Times in 2003 and joined the staff full-time in 2005. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Contact: Benjamin Leatherman

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