DJ Kim E. Fresh @ Hidden House

Call us weirdoes for noticing something like this, but it seems a good chunk of the local DJ crowd can’t dress for shit. Though it’s true that the focus of any spin gig should (understandably) be on the quality of sounds coming from the mixers instead of what the particular…

DJ Element Announces His Retirement

One of the best turntablists in Arizona, if not the entire southwest, announced today that he’s hanging up his headphones for good and bidding farewell to the DJ world. Logan Howard, known to many by his moniker DJ Element, dropped a bombshell on the local music scene within the last…

DJ Defense.Mekanizm on Why Most New Year’s Eve Parties Are Boring

By day, Suzy Homewrecker is the supervisor of a local laboratory that studies pathology and immunohistochemistry. At night or on the weekends, however, the 30-year-old crimson-haired vixen becomes a tough-as-nails roller derby queen, a gothy go-go dancer, or industrial music DJ known as Defense.Mekanizm. It all depends on her particular…

The Most Interesting New Year’s Eve Parties in Metro Phoenix

Let’s face it: When it really comes down to it, most New Year’s Eve parties tend to be all alike. Setting aside such particulars as which specific DJs are spinning or what live entertainment options are available, pretty much the same things happen: Libations are freely available, hokey party favors…

12 Favorite Local EDM Mixes of 2012

The overwhelming popularity of electronic dance music continued its exponential growth over the last 12 months, both nationwide and here in the Valley of the Sun. Beats were bumping nearly nonstop across the local music landscape in 2012 as new dance clubs (such as the Monarch Theatre and EPIQ) debuted…

Your Guide to What’s Happening on New Year’s Eve

Special Events Celebrity Theatre 440 N. 32nd St. Classic rock icon Jerry Riopelle renews his New Year’s Eve tradition of performing for friends and fans alike at the Celebrity. 9 p.m., $55-$95. Call 602-267-1600. Epic Red Cup New Year’s Eve www.warsawpactaz.com After taking a year off from hosting a massive…

Wolfgang Gartner @ El Santo Cantina

If Wolfgang Gartner were to compile a list of his biggest moments of 2012, the 30-year-old electro and progressive house producer would have plenty of fodder from which to pick. He not only collaborated with such EDM heavy-hitters as Deadmau5 (on the spectacular club banger “Animal Rights”) and Tiësto (co-producing…

Maybe 2013 Will Be Better @ The Compound

Maybe it’s just us, but New Year’s Eve soirees can sometime be a bit milquetoast. Set aside all the fireworks and midnight countdowns, and i’s just another party or club night. The thing that really sets the best and brightest Auld Lang Syne affairs apart from most other champagne-soaked shindigs…

Ten Favorite Arcades in Metro Phoenix

How’s that new-fangled Wii U that you found waiting underneath the Christmas tree? Maybe a tad disappointing perhaps, especially when it comes to game selection? We’re willing to bet that after giving launch titles like ZombiU and Assassin’s Creed III a try and ultimately busting out a rage quit in…

Guggenheim-Inspired Observation Tower Proposed for Downtown Phoenix

Downtown Phoenix could be getting a very unique and spectacular-looking addition to its skyline sometime in the near future, if a local real estate developer’s plans become a reality. News broke online this morning that Phoenix-based developer NovaWest has announced its intention to construct a gigantic 420-foot observation tower that…