DJ/producer Rich NxT is a core FUSE artist and original resident having played a major part in the brand’s evolution, helping take it from its afterparty roots to being one of the most established party crews and labels in electronic music. Below Rich tells us a bit more about this journey ten years in.
the history
Along with the rest of the crew I spent some informative years in the East London party scene, with a fine choice of parties to choose from, including venues like the T-bar, On The Rocks and Public Life. The mid ‘00s was an incredibly uniting and important time for many upcoming DJs. From 2004-2007 I was resident at a Sunday morning after party in Shoreditch called D-LATE to which none other than a younger Rossko used to come and rave at from time to time. His Dad used to drop off him and his mate on a Sunday morning to see me play, though we never got to meet at the time. Not long after this Fuse was to start up in the same area in November 2008.
the parties
Before Fuse begun, Enzo and I developed a kinship over musical tastes and played one another’s parties. One night I caught up with Enzo and Tony about starting a weekly event. We all wanted the same thing- Sunday daytime, after party vibes with a wicked crew, which would end up being Fuse. They agreed I would be one of the residents and later on after I got my first tracks together for my first EP on Fuse, these along with Enzo and Seb’s music, were the inspiration for Enzo wanting to start the Fuse London label.
the labels
I have strong memories of having Enzo over for dinner during the first couple of years. I played the stuff I was working on- tracks that would end up being ‘Bristle' and ‘Seize' and when I eventually played them at 93 Feet East, Enzo ran over to me and said ‘WTF are these???’. I said ‘Those are those tracks, man!’. The week after he texted me saying he was starting a label and wanted these to be the first signings.
the collaborations
Fuse has become well known for the constant collaborations and I have been in the studio with Enzo, Archie and Seb over the years. Rossko’s the only one I haven’t explored a collaboration with yet. The 5th EP on Fuse London was entitled 'Gophers In The Cupboard' which marked mine and Seb's first work in the studio. We literally sat in my studio at the time which was reminiscent of the CBBC broom cupboard, it was so small, just enough space for us to stand up with monitors, an iMac and a keyboard. It was all we needed! On the track ‘Prove’, Enzo had popped over for a listen and we all sang on the track, pretty much the only time that has happened so far! This EP was then followed up with 'The Root' on INFUSE from Seb and I, which was an interesting moment in the musical history of INFUSE, with a certain rawness that came out in that bassline.
the b2bs
As in the studio, b2b’s and b2b2b’s have become a staple part of the Fuse London experience with all the combinations of DJ's having happened at one time or another. I remember when I first spent all day on the decks at 93 Feet East- I opened up, then went b2b2b with Seb and Enzo for the rest of the day. One of the important pieces of the Fuse story is just how incredibly fun it is behind those decks, thinking about one particularly entertaining b2b with Archie in Birmingham when our similar musical likes became very evident. No less than twice did we follow each other’s track with the same track! Yes you wouldn’t believe it. We’d both been out and ended up buying the same tunes and as you sometime do with new music just give it a go while learning it. It was funny and weird at the same time. We could only laugh!
To mark a decade into its existence FUSE are taking over fabric this Sunday for a 12-hour showcase in conjunction with fabric’s own 20 year celebrations. Joining the line-up are all the heavy hitters that have laid FUSE’s foundations since the beginning: Enzo Siragusa, Archie Hamilton, Seb Zito, Rich NxT and Rossko: tickets
Rich NxT’s ‘Hard To Be’ is out now on Fuse London.
Words: Ben