| DJ Sets ::Fuse Club Nights
N0. 21 RATED CLUB IN THE WORLD BY
DJ MAG
Fuse
Night Club Details...
Fuse
Club, Rue Blaesstraat 208, 1000 Brussels
FUSE is the premier techno club of Belgium
and has been so since its opening on April 16th 1994. It started
off as a heaven for high quality techno with a reputation
for bringing in the best and most innovative DJs on the scene.
Alongside residents Pierre, T-Quest and Deg, DJs such as
Jeff Mills, Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May, Carl Cox, Laurent
Garnier, Dave Clarke, Stacey Pullen, Sven V?th and lots of
others seem to enjoy playing here as much as the crowd enjoys
partying to their sets. These techno luminaries constantly
come back for more and rate FUSE as one of their favourite
clubs. Monika Kruse, Dave Clarke, Stacey Pullen, Technasia
and DJ Hell did even accept an international residency at
the club! Meanwhile, after flirtations with drum'n'bass during
one year, the first floor was developed into an oasis for
house-lovers with residents Smos & Baby Bee and St.Dic
who almost weekly welcome famous guests such as Kenny Hawkes,
Luke Solomon, Ian Pooley, Basement Jaxx, Jef K. ? Venture
to 208 Rue Blaesstraat and experience a cutting-edge, exciting
vibe, an atmosphere fuelled by die-hard party seekers, ready
to dance well into the next day ?
Being the only Belgian club weekly broadcasted on national
radio (every Friday night between 01.00am and 04.00am on Radio
21 and also regularly on Studio Brussel on Friday and Saturday
evenings), all devotees of top quality techno music can enjoy
the FUSE sensation. Moreover, ?-hour-sets by the residents
can also be listened to on our splendid site (www.fuse.be)
which also boasts plenty of pictures, information about the
club, shopping possibilities and of course, the complete calendar.
It is certainly worth mentioning that in the shop you are
able to buy all the FUSE-compilations, some compiled by international
resident Dave Clarke and DJ Hell.
So now it's up to you to get acquainted with the unique ambience
of this prominent techno institute, that thanks to a persisting
policy of inviting quality and promising foreign artists,
next to well known artists, in combination with an outstanding
team of residents, the annual summer tour, the weekly radio
show on national radio, the television programme Fusion on
MCM, the FUSE compilations,? can without any doubt be considered
as an undeniable reference in the world of techno.
Located along the the Danube, this once squatters and alterna-cats
paradise, has matured into slick and well run club. An incredible
sound-system, which has been rumoured as being one of the
best in Europe.
One cannot talk about Fuse without listing off some of its
legacies: “the original” Dubclub on Mondays (Suga
B, Gumix, Sweet Susi and the whole G-stone gang), Crazy on
Tuesdays, London Calling indie party, drum & bass; regular
visits by Laurent Garnier, Carl Craig, Patrick Pulsinger,
DJ Hell, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Electric Indigo and Female
Pressure.
The new Fuse Cafe extension is clean and modern, though some
people miss the old bench and beer hang outs. And there are
a hundred other things (Mondays Sexual Healing, Fuse Cafe
DJs – Gumix, Picky Bitch, Matt Modny, Felix the Houserat)
– that may yet keep Fuse “cool” well into
the future. Regardless, the Fuse is still massive and well
worth a visit.
DJ Mag Club Review...
Whilst sexier and slinkier than ever, there is no disputing
that techno has lost some of the spirited fuck-you rebellion
that charged its more formative, less corporate days when
fiercely independent labels like Underground Resistance and
Belgium's R&S were leading the initial charge.
But the anti-corporate techno ideologies are alive and raging
at Fuse - the Brussels techno touchstone situated in the rundown
streets of the city's St Gilles quarters (Rue Blaesstraat
208) that has been running since 1994.
An underground sweatbox run by ex-punk rockers, Fuse has never
once bent with any passing winds and remains uncompromised
in its dedication to presenting the most honest and intense
techno on the planet - always pushing forward into techno's
ever-breaking frontiers but never deviating from its original
core ethos.
With an industrial unassuming exterior, the hallowed walls
of Fuse regularly play host to label nights from Richie Hawtin's
M-Nus, Ellen Allien's BPitch Control and Steve Bug's Poker
Flat, whilst Sven Väth anoints the venue as the final
stop on his annual Cocoon tour. Romanian Raresh, Joris Voorn,
Johnny D, Jerome Sydenham, Loco Dice and Len Faki have all
played the venue in the past 12 months.
But by far Fuse's most enlivened supporter is the UK's outspoken
techno enigma Dave Clarke, whose 1999 'Fuse Presents…'
remains one of techno's most classic mix CDs.
Despite largely dropping off the touring DJ circuit, Clarke
still makes time to re-connect with Fuse's electric atmosphere
around five times every year, which shows just how magnetic
this place is for those that surrender to it. Last September
Clarke even chose the club to host his birthday night as he
DJed alongside DJ Hell.
And like every big night at Fuse, the entry price was just
€5 before midnight, €10 after - testament to the
venue's punters-first values.
"It cares - simple as that," says Clarke on the
club he enjoys a long-standing love affair with. "The
crowd that come are always open-minded, enthusiastic and a
bit crazy and the club doesn't bother with trends - it is
just about good music and good heart.
"When money comes in the door a lot of clubs change,
a lot of promoters change, they forget where they came from
and that is what ultimately causes their demise. But Fuse
is run by a solid group of people that have been there for
years with the objective of giving and not ripping off. That,
for me, is a business model for longevity."
Casting further resonance on Clarke's impassioned words,
the club will celebrate its 15th birthday on Saturday 25th
April, when Adam Beyer, Anthony Rother, Ricardo Villalobos,
Marc Houle, Monika Kruse, Raresh, Magda and - of course -
Clarke himself will play the epic anniversary party.
"The energy there still blows me away," adds Clarke.
"It's like playing a temple that celebrates music. I
watch my hands at Fuse and they are working without any instruction
from me. It's a place where instinct runs free."