A Wednesday Night w/ Aaron Hempsey

Aaron Hempsey is a local DJ with a hunger for underground house-music. After years of involvement in the alternative nightlife scene and recent DJ gigs at The Valley's most reputable indie dance nights like Cheap Thrills, Solstice, and Sticky Fingers, Hempsey or "Aaron F" is taking matters into his own...

By Nicole Smith

September 14, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Aaron Hempsey is a local DJ with a hunger for underground house-music. After years of involvement in the alternative nightlife scene and recent DJ gigs at The Valley's most reputable indie dance nights like Cheap Thrills, Solstice, and Sticky Fingers, Hempsey or "Aaron F" is taking matters into his own hands with an event he and a few of his close DJ friends are launching called Rebel Disco.

(Note: Rebel Disco will take place this Saturday, the 17th, at Brick in Downtown Phoenix and feature NYC Big-Wig, Jacques Renault.)

The event is a step toward what Hempsey hopes to see more of in the local DJ scene-- more quality, originality and international talent ... oh, and more bikinis.

We caught up with Hempsey on our latest wingman venture in Downtown Phoenix. Read on, after the jump ...

The Meet Up: The Lost Leaf to shout over live jazz music about growing up in San Fransisco and our mutual distaste for dub-step or, as Hempsey likes to call it, "wobble wobble".

Though he admits it's hard not to miss San Francisco in this sweltering summer heat, he loves

Phoenix for the people and the tight-knit community.

"People in San Fransisco have more of an attitude," he says, "And people here, well, just don't really give a shit."

The Company: Joining us on the back porch of The Lost Leaf was Monique Suede Wallis and Eddie Navarro. Venturing to our next stop, Lux Central, we met another one of Hempsey's favorite locals, Juan Carlos Lenz.

Since Lux was near its closing hour of midnight, we head over to George & Dragon to join Wallis and Navarro for a night cap.

Favorite Spots: Hemspey says he doesn't hold loyalty to any particular spot around The Valley but he's known to frequent Retro Hi-Fi at SideBar and go to Brick whenever there's a good show.

We ended the night when Hemspey fell asleep on the table top. Not really, Hempsey's just a ham.

Follow Jackalope Ranch on Facebook and Twitter.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.