"I'm not the best electro DJ in the Valley," said DJ Redshift (a.k.a. Clinton Racine, known to most as Clinto) as we sat sipping cocktails at the newly-renovated Paradise City Tavern. "My forte is definitely drum and bass."
However, that's not stopping Redshift from producing the upcoming Fusion Fridays, a weekly night of electro, house and techno music at Paradise City, kicking off this weekend with three beat-packed evenings of music.
A self-taught DJ, Redshift has been in the game for nearly a decade, picking up speed and gigs as his notoriety snowballed, perhaps making up for lost time—he honed his craft in private for years before playing out. For the past few years, Redshift has produced Fluid Thursdays, a weekly drum and bass night at the Elevens in Northampton, as part of 413dnb, a group of Valley drum and bass DJs dedicated to putting Northampton on the map as a destination for regional, national and international drum and bass DJs. Now, Redshift is turning his attention to Fusion, produced by 413dnb's parent company, Special Blend.
"With Fusion, we're trying to bring sophisticated music to younger people in the Valley so they can embrace the quality of music the Valley has to offer," said Redshift as he pointed out the area of the restaurant that was going to be transformed into a dance floor.
Fusion will be hosted by nine resident DJs: Redshift, Bons, Chris Thorpe, Flubula, Matty Feets, Jon Winn, Di-Wrecked, Haitian and Co-Exist. Some, like Bons and Thorpe, are already quite well known in the Valley music scene. Others, while some of the Valley's most talented DJs, haven't had a lot of exposure yet, according to Redshift. "I'd like to showcase some DJs who don't get as much play time," said Redshift.
Each week two of the residents will hold down the turntables—each DJ is slated to spin every few weeks. However, Redshift will be on hand as the producer, monitoring the vibe and altering the playlist when necessary.
"I'll be setting the atmosphere," said Redshift. "This event is going to have a more sophisticated vibe than our drum and bass night—that has more of a rave environment."
Atmosphere is key to Fusion Fridays. Redshift is hoping to create an environment that doesn't currently exist in Northampton. From 10-11 p.m., as diners are finishing their meals, DJs will play downtempo beats, along with a bit of Dub. The rest of the night will feature a mix of high-energy techno and electro, as well as a late-night menu of bar snacks, available until 1 a.m. Redshift's hope is to create an environment where young urban professionals can come to unwind while enjoying top-notch music played by some of the Valley's best DJs, as well as regional guest DJs, in a first-rate establishment.
"I was looking to do something different, and I found a great venue willing to work with me," said Redshift.
Paradise City Tavern kicks off Fusion Fridays with a weekend-long celebration of music, starting on Thursday, Aug. 14 with Iron City's Funk Party, a night of funky jazz by Iron City. On Friday, Thorpe and Di-Wrecked are hosting the inaugural Fusion, which will feature a visual component as well.
"I'll have some mixed-media artwork like DJ collages and party sequences hung up around the restaurant," said Redshift. "Perhaps some extra sound components as well."
DJ Hush (John Lobello) rounds out the three-day music fest at the Tavern—he'll be spinning his own infectious blend of house music on Saturday.
Aug. 14-16, Paradise City Tavern, 1 Bridge St., Northampton, (413) 585-5088, www.myspace.com/nohofusion.
