For some time now Arizona nightlife has been thought of by many both in and around Arizona as backward, culturally barren, or simply non-existent. To the uncreative this indeed may be the case. However, for those in our midst who seek the cutting edge, the best, or simply the most fulfilling, Arizona has for a very long time contained one of the greatest nightlife scenes on the west coast. The thing that sets Arizona apart from the rest is the mainstream media's innate ability to exclude support for cultural diversity, and thus force true culture (global soul, deep house, dance music, real hip hop, gay clubs, etc) to remain far underground, beyond the reach of those not willing to hunt. For those hunting among us, we've written some information below which could prove useful.
We need to make this more accurate, interesting, and legnthy. Those in the know, please email us HERE. We apologize if we've forgotten anyone or anything. We aren't perfect, and we humbly ask that you help us fix our mistakes. Thank you!
Being the largest city in Arizona & the 5th largest in the nation, Phoenix has long been a breeding ground for world class musical talent. With clubs birthing famous names like Z-Trip, Sandra Collins, Markus Shultz & Eddie Amador (Mochico, "Not everyone understands house music--it's a spiritual thing, a body thing, a soul thing"), it's not difficult to imagine Phoenix as a powerful talent pool. Add on top of that upcoming heavyweights such as:
Joe DiPadova (o n e, Deeper Shades Recordings, Curious UK, Look At You Records, Poji Records, Shines Records, Getaway Recordings, Tribal Winds Records, one-az.com, Global Soul Network) Pete 'Supermix' Salaz (Fluential, Casa Grande Records, Mochico, ¡Chupa!, RedMonkey, Batucada) Taino Leon (Yoruba Records) Quetzal Guerrero (Yoruba Records) Aaron Roberts (Photo, OneThirty, Voluptuous, NSF, Grab, Greenhouse, Soul Fuel, Guess Who?, Spliff!) Maji (Getaway Recordings, Next Dimension Music) Steve Edwards (Biohazard Digital, Queep Organic House) Anthony Molina (Getaway Recordings, Ministry of Sound, Diamondhouse Records, Acryl Music, & PE!Music, Dedicated Musique, Framework) Steve Catanzaro (Modern Groove Assembly) Joseph (Next Dimension Music) Inertia (Dream, Sunshine, Kinetic, Moonshine) Shane Silkey (Peloton) FredJ (Mochico Primo) Melotronix (Mochico Primo) Kevin Brown (Mochico Primo) Jay Allegro (Mochico Primo) Kimberly Nichole (Mochico Primo)
...and many more, the Phoenix Club, Phoenix Nightlife, deep house, house, & tech house scenes seem not only vibrant, but overflowing with future household names.
Legendary events such as "¡Chupa!", "Sunday Mass", "Rhythm & Form", "Kind" & "Batucada" defined the past while current powerhouses "ONE" Fridays @ Homme Lounge where everyone (gay / straight / lesbian / black / white / latino / native / men / women / arguable) comfortably gather as one to dance each week, "Spliff!" select dates @ Monroes, "Confession" Sunday Evenings @ BURN, "RedMonkey", "Upstairs" Saturdays @ Homme Lounge, "PINK" Sundays @ CAMUS, "Art Lounge by Fortoul", "Friday Night Live" Fridays & "The Shop" Saturdays @ The Hidden House for those who look for real hip hop, help define todays Phoenix as a vibrant, multifaceted, energetic city with world-class clubs, club scene and events that is only now coming to realize it's full potential.
For years Scottsdale has been the home of men you swear take longer to prepare for an evening than their girlfriends, and the breast augmented and collagen enhanced women who love them. Long past the days of the legendary "Works", where gay, straight, black, white & hispanic used to gather to dance, Scottsdale is now home to Vegas, Miami & Hollywood ripoff events, mainstream hip hop, the 30 thousand dollar millionaire, and if you look hard enough, some of the best underground Global Soul, House, deep house & dance music this side of the Milky Way. Many nights DJs Pete 'Supermix' Salaz, Maji, Joe DiPadova, Matty, Kevin Brown, and more can be found playing the best rooms in town: e4, Myst, Radius, Suede, Sol y Sombra, Ippei, Next, Six, and many more, as well as dj Roach aka Mos Jef, Element, Robby Rob, M2, Benjamin Cutswell & more playing the best hip hop.
Tempe Night Life has long been ruled by underground hip hop. Though Tempe hosted the beginnings of the "StraightNoChaser" events at "The Loft", "Take Me Back Tuesdays" @ Stray Cat, "The Lick" Final Fridays @ The Loft, "Shimmy" Mondays @ Trax, "Final Fridays" @ Wet Paint Art Supply, and the now legendary "Blunt Club" Thursdays @ Hollywood Alley own Hip Hop in the East Valley. DJs Hyder, Phat-E, Pickster, Organic, Tricky T & Skip Skoolnik, as well as live acts such as Anglo saxon, Drunken immortals, Morse Code, Antedote, Pokafase, Phunk Junkeez & many, many, many more hold it down each week for the Tempe Faithful--and by faithful we mean they really won't go anywhere else. Ever.
While many believe Phoenix to somehow be behind other cities culturally, Phoenix has for years been spearheading the live artist movement in the US. Well ahead of it's time, Phoenix events very often feature visual artists painting live during music events, allowing patrons to view each piece from it's inception to completion throughout the course of the evening. Current working artists include: Banding Hendrix, Dumperfoo, Dubstar 3000, Baron Gordon, Tariq Sabur, Breeze, Matt Brown, JayB Fail, Adam Android, Glen Alien, and many, many more.
For more info on the Phoenix Live Art Scene click HERE
Deep in the underground of New York & Chicago, the blackgay club scene birthed both what we now know as disco & house music. Beautiful, raw, dirty, funky & original, these musics went on to inspire generations world-wide, and create a following more diverse than any on the planet. However, after creating our roots, the gay scene in the US moved far away to Madonna remixes & circuit hell. DJs & Promoters in Phoenix are once again working diligently to reconnect with a group once forgotten about, a group critical in achieving the ultimate goal in Global Soul & deep house society: openness & love.
For more info on Gay NightlifeClub Scene click HERE
More Content To Come!
We need to make this more accurate, interesting, and legnthy. Those in the know, please email us HERE. We apologize if we've forgotten anyone or anything. We aren't perfect, and we humbly ask that you help us fix our mistakes. And remember, people DO read this (you are a perfect example)--thank you!
