Take Ten: Enzo Siragusa picks the tracks that have inspired him
The FUSE main man tells us about the tracks that helped shape the DJ he is today
Enzo Siragusa cut his raving teeth at big jungle and drum & bass events like Helter Skelter and Dreamscape in the mid-’90s. He got bang into junglist riddims and basslines, but when the scene turned toward darker sounds just before the Millennium he started to DJ and produce other electronic music styles. By the end of the ’00s he had started FUSE as an after-party at 93 Feet East, on East London's Brick Lane.
As FUSE’s reputation grew, they hosted events everywhere — from Ibiza to Sónar, ADE to Croatia — and as the party figurehead, Enzo helped bring the other FUSE residents up with him. Seb Zito, Rich NxT, Archie Hamilton and Rossko are now all touring DJs in their own right, too.
FUSE celebrated a decade in the game in late 2018, and Enzo has just dropped his debut album, ‘A Decade Of Rave’, on the label. Packed full of the groovy minimal tech that helped grow the FUSE nights, ‘A Decade Of Rave’ also explores his speed garage and drum & bass roots, by injecting more bassline pressure on tracks like ‘Rollin’ Riddim’ and ‘Deeper Inside’.
Enzo will be playing a drum & bass set at Gottwood Festival this month. Meanwhile, here’s his Take 10 selection. “This is a snapshot of a very small portion of the music that inspired me in my teens to late 20s,” he tells DJ Mag. “Jungle and deep house really grabbed me back then, and continue to do so today.”
“I absolutely loved this track as a kid. It reminds me of a time in my youth when music first started to open my mind. I’d hear my older friends and family playing it, and I remember going to Woolworth’s and buying the Stone Roses album on tape. ‘Fools Gold’ was a standout track and summarises that era so well, when rave and rebellion was starting to seep through. It’s got a great breakbeat backbone to it.”
“Although this track is from 1989 I didn’t discover it until a few years later, in my cousin’s record collection. The bassline is special. You can hear how influential this track is to me in my own productions, particularly my album tracks. To think it was made in 1989 is just phenomenal. That’s what is so inspirational to me — that it was made so long ago but still resonates so strongly with me today.”
“This track symbolises the shift from happy hardcore, which was easily accessible and relatable to the masses, to deeper forms of jungle. When the sound darkened it touched something in me. It’s uplifting.”
“It’s no secret how much I love LTJ Bukem and his label Good Looking Records, and this track in particular. It’s thinking music, deep and moving.”
“This takes me back to 1993-96. I was a teen, about to leave school and go into the world of adulthood and responsibilities. When my head was all over the place music raving, and Photek's music in particular, was escapism for me. Losing myself, forgetting about any worries and problems. When I DJ and make music, I think about those experiences on the dancefloor and how I felt when listening to this music.”
“When the jungle scene got moody, my pals and I started to explore other music and parties. We were into Masters At Work. Everything they did stood out at the time and when they did the Nuyorican Soul project, we discovered a whole new scene and sound! We’d go Jazz Café and Ronnie Scott’s to see George Benson and Roy Ayers perform live. I was privileged enough to have a sunset residency in Ibiza and was able to play this track on many occasions. I still play the Nuyorican Soul album today. It's truly timeless.”
“I discovered this track when I did my first Ibiza season. We had it on repeat driving all the way there. I’ve tried to emulate this track so many times and always failed! The pads just move me, and the vocal — it’s deep house at its finest. This record never leaves my bag.”
“I’ve played this on repeat after many a rave. It’s just one of those tracks that has touched my life continuously. It’s emotive and beautiful — another track that inspires my productions. I had this in mind when I made ‘Little Angel,’ just after my daughter was born.”
“This track just makes me want to dance really hard! I could listen to this groove for days on end. So much energy, but so much soul, too. It really lifts you up. For me, this is dance music — it engages with all of my senses. Every good house producer should want to make a record like this.”
“This is one of the first tracks that switched me on to proper deep house. I was wowed by it. It was around the mid- to late- ‘90s and it was a real turning point for me. It led me down the rabbit hole exploring labels like Wave Music, and then onto the West Coast US house scene. I still play this and get goosebumps. People always ask me what it is. I love seeing people lose it to music like this.”
