Stereo Systems

Coolin' Out Opens Hip-Hop Shop Along Downtown Phoenix's Roosevelt Row Tonight

A new outlet for hip-hop culture and turntablist gear will make its debut this evening along Roosevelt Row, just in time for this month's edition of First Friday. Coolin Out Hip-Hop Shop, a new brick-and-mortar boutique run by the local nightlife promoter and clothing company of the same name, is op ... More >>

Scottsdale's Hi-Fi Kitchen & Cocktails Opens Tonight, Kicks Off DJ Nights This Weekend

As any Scottsdale party monster would tell you, Saddlebag Trail in Old Town tends to go full tilt boogie with rowdy behavior and exceedingly loud music after sundown, courtesy of surfeit of high-end hangouts like El Hefe, Wild Knight, and EPIQ. Starting this evening, the din's only going to get no ... More >>

DJ Element @ Yucca Tap Room

DJ Area4 on Being a Jedi and How Hip-Hop Culture Helped Saved His Life

Of the many pearls of wisdom that Yoda dropped on Luke Skywalker's ass in The Empire Strikes Back ("Size matters not," "Wars not make one great") it was the green-skinned Jedi guru's Zen-like mantra of "Do or do not...there is no try" that probably resonates the most with Joe Maldonado. That's beca ... More >>

DJ Tranzit's Throwback Birthday Bosh @ Smashboxx

DJ Qbert @ Monarch Theatre

Russell Ramirez on the History of Swell Records, Old School Phoenix DJs, and Eclec'tech

If you happened to be a member of the Valley's old school DJ/rave scene back in the mid-1990s, there was one place where you almost always hit up for both your music and gear: Swell Records. Without getting too overly hyperbolic, the music and clothing emporium owned by Russel Ramirez (which bounced ... More >>

SensOne on Idolizing the Bombshelter DJs and How He Earned His Nickname "Power Surge"

It's a fact of life that everyone has a pratfall or accident now and again. Just ask Greg "SensOne" Voeller, who pulled a gaffe not once, but twice, during his DJ sets. Besides embarrassing the crap outta the local selector, it caused a few of his cohorts to give him a second nickname: PowerSurge. ... More >>

Spinning Reel

Jason Ayers on His Drum 'n' Bass Addiction, Hatred of Brostep, After-Hours Parties, and Why Newbie DJs Need Vinyl Experience

If you've walked by Bar Smith on a recent Wednesday evening and had your eardrums assaulted, its probably Jason Ayers' fault. The bass-loving beat-juggler and his long-running SubConscious night have (literally) been shaking the downstairs walls at the downtown Phoenix club with a storm of subharm ... More >>

DMC World DJ Championship Regionals Coming to Civic Space Park on April 20

Turntablists of Arizona, you'd better start practicing. A little more than two weeks from now, one of the biggest DJ contests ever will be bringing its regional battle to Phoenix and your shit better be tight. The DMC World DJ Championships, widely considered to be the most premier turntablist con ... More >>

Crusher Sound System, 2 Tone Lizard Kings, Vayen, Starlight Girls, and Igor & The Red Elvises This Weekend

Pickster One, Scottie Does, and Dumperfoo don't unite as Crusher Sound System too often, but when they do, it's worth catching. I saw the trio back in April, and the mixture of Pickster's excellent song choices ("Rock With You") and the heavy live drums of Does were irresistible. The supergroup ... More >>

Thump Day

Tony Culture Brings Reggae to the Valley One Night at a Time

Crusher Sound System and Mr. Meeble Last Night at The Sail Inn

​Crusher Sound System, Mr. Meeble & more. Sail Inn Saturday, April 30 You know, the old substance over style debate can get a little old. Isn't it possible to have both? It sure seemed like it watching Mr. Meeble on the outdoor stage at Next Fest at Sail Inn last night. The band was premieri ... More >>

Mantis Claw Talks Morse Code, Turntablism, Soul Music, Bob Marley, Kaz Bar, and More

Mantis Claw​If you've never checked out Mantis Claw do his twice-weekly gigs at Kazimierz World Wine Bar, there's only one opportunity left. Tomorrow night will be the last hurrah for the DJ and local music scene veteran, as he's about to relocate to the great northwest (more specifically: ... More >>

Red Bull Thre3style

D-JR Is Following the Footsteps of Z-Trip to L.A.

Pickster One and Other DJs React to Panasonic's Axing of Influential Technics Turntables

The Technics 1200s: Soon to be extinct.If you happen to be hanging out at any of the Valley's dance events this coming weekend, be sure to listen closely. It might be hard to hear over the massive cacophony of beats getting slung, but you might just hear a few sobs coming from the DJ booth. That's ... More >>

Bellagio Palace's Opens New Hookah Lounge/Dance Club Called "The Joint"

Some of the many water pipes available at Bellagio Palace.​DJ Tranzit isn't shy about sharing his opinion about Bellagio Palace's hookah lounge The Joint. "It's a nice venue, very slick-looking, and the sound system is sick," Tranzit says of the West Phoenix after-hours nightclub, which featured ... More >>

A Blunt Birthday

Wax On, Wax Off

New exhibit shows off bygone listening technologies

Best of Phoenix A'Fare 2009

Sonic Drive-In

Stereo types pump up the volume

Discotropolis

Dorrance Planetarium Grand Reopening

Vinyl Exam

Groovin' Grove

Step into soundscapes of your own creation at the ASU Art Museum

The Vinyl Frontier

Sound installation lets everybody be a DJ

Radar Love

This time, symphonics meets hip-hop

Back Country

Original spin

Beat Down

This DJ simulator is nothing to rave about

Quiet Riot

Rockin' the house but shying from the spotlight, DJ Element is the Valley's no-flash grandmaster

Grandmaster Flash

And Jazzy Jeff? Get out!

Radar Love

Scratching the surface of classical music

Z-Trip

No spring chicken

BEST SPIN

Batucada

Scratch Fever

DJ Radar and Raul Yanez mixed up a revolutionary blend of scratch and jazz. Now they're taking it live.

B-Boy Wonder

Megadef is the smack-talking, beat-juggling wild child of an embattled DJ scene

Tunnel Vision

Bullfrog and Kid Koala look to bridge the band-DJ divide

Reel Strange

Prefer quirky movie houses? You'll take a shine to the Monkey Show.

Big Audio Dynamite

Alma Gates' car stereo can kill you, set world records and possibly save mankind

Working From Scratch

DJ Radar offers a different read of turntable music with the score to 'Antimatter'

Master of the Universe

Mix Master Mike wants you to know how the tables turn

Mike Test

Mixmaster Mike takes his turntable wizardry on tour with the Beastie Boys

Mission Impeccable

Z-Trip, Emile, and Radar remake Thursdays at Nita's

The Turntablist

Z-Trip's battle for hometown respect manifests itself with Electric Highway DJ conflict

Sound and Fury

BIG WAX BUILDUP

IS VINYL REALLY THE CHOICE OF A NEW GENERATION OR ARE PEOPLE JUST WAXING NOSTALGIC?