After 6 years on the White Isle, Fuse has opened for business again this summer at its new home at Space Ibiza. Having begun life as a London institution with a strong music-centred policy, Fuse has built itself a solid reputation and a devoted following, which was in evidence from the size of the large queue of clubbers eagerly waiting to get into the iconic Space Ibiza.
Fuse’s ethos is very much on quality, and the state-of-the-art Funktion One system in the Terrace area of Space certainly did justice to the underground grooves of the Fuse crew – a satisfyingly deep and rumbling bassline coupled with crystal clear mids and highs made for an enjoyable dancing experience no matter where you stood in the huge room.
Space might be a superclub, but this party felt intimate – only the Terrace and the smaller Sunset Terrace were open, and the line-up was short but sweet, featuring the core of residents that make up this reliably spot-on party; Enzo Siragusa, the legendary Fuse boss, with Seb Zito, Rich NxT and Rossko. It felt like everyone in the club was here just for the music.
The big draw this evening, however, was special guest tINI, who totally smashed her set. With her characteristic blonde curls and a t-shirt covered in arcade games, tINI smiled as she bobbed about behind the decks whilst intensely concentrating on digging for the right vinyl, clearly happy to be back in Ibiza. From jackin’ house to darker-edged tech-house, the crowd danced away enthusiastically to it all. Throughout the bouncing, bass-driven set, there were even inflections of jazz, glimmerings of strings, piano and vocals that had us all asking over and again: “what is this track??” Tunes that proved to be particularly monstrous on the Funktion Ones included the New Tedd Patterson 2014 Edit of Lee Rodriguez’s ‘All the Same Family’, which helped bring the set to a climactic last half hour, and DJ Qu’s ‘Times Like This’, whilst lesser-known gems like the Color 3 & Lil Louis Zohz Sub Dub of Black Magic’s ‘Freedom (Make It Funky)’ proved tINI’S intelligent selection skills.
Despite the madness going on in the Terrace, the Fuse residents also had the Sunset Terrace on lock. The more well-lit, open-roofed Mediterranean-style room usually functions more like a bar, but by 4am, the residents had managed to draw a solid amount of people to the dancefloor with their well-judged set of more laidback grooves, like Spanish producer Khris Rios’s ‘Together’.
Enzo Siragusa also proved to us why he’s made FUSE such a success, going back-to-back with fellow resident Seb Zito, continuing the great vibe laid down by tINI. Grooving basslines like that of ‘Machina’ by Romanian duo Livio & Roby perfectly rolled deep out of the massive stacks, as bass faces squeezed in joy all around to the duo’s effortlessly smooth style. Siragusa had written on his Facebook page a few days earlier that “The terrace is a very special place for me as a clubber, so to take my own party there and play music with my friends is a dream come true!” It certainly seemed like he couldn’t be happier as he reminded Ibiza what “FUSIC” is all about.
With all of the no-expense-spared, full-out opening parties that are happening this week, Fuse was a welcome change – whilst still held at a fantastic club with a great sound system, it was refreshing to go back to basics and simply get lost in some high-quality house music with no gimmicks. And with only 2 dates left this summer, the event will be making every one of those parties count – don’t miss out and buy your tickets for Fuse at Space Ibiza on June 23rd.
Written by: Miriam Johnson