Fundido

location

Brooklyn, NY

bio

Fundido’s story began in February of 2016, in the front room of the iconic Williamsburg venue Baby’s All Right. Billy Jones, the late venue owner and promoter who helped shape the north Brooklyn indie scene of the ‘10s, first asked the duo to keep the room full after bands had wrapped in the main club, but a happenstance night led to a cancellation and Fundido headlining the big room themselves. From there, things took off. Fundido started throwing monthly parties at Baby’s, transforming the room with their own decorations and array of sounds. 

 In those early days, Fundido had a manifesto for their parties: “Around the world, all night long.”  When Latane Hughes and Billy Scher first got together, they bonded over house and disco and parties that often greeted the next day’s sunrise. But each of them brought an interest in global sounds and turning their own parties into a journey, relying on their mutual history with balearic styles, while incorporating more Latin and world selections into their sets. This was the foundation of Fundido’s spirit, a euphoric free-for-all unified by the connective DNA between Hughes and Scher and their curatorial ear. 

 “Billy and I are very different, yin and yang,” Hughes says. “We ping pong off of each other. It’s what makes Fundido work.” 

 As the Brooklyn scene evolved, so too did Fundido. In the late ‘10s, they co-founded the Earth Beat collective with NYC DJs Gee Dee and Extra Andrew, which again broadened Fundido’s approach to include ravier, more psychedelic cuts; and encouraged them to challenge themselves more and take more risks behind the decks.  As their reputation grew, they began playing in other Brooklyn venues like Black Flamingo and Elsewhere, before launching a residency at Good Room in 2022.  Fundido’s reach soon expanded beyond Brooklyn clubs, periodically DJ’ing on the hallowed Lot Radio and playing storied club nights like Hot Mass in Pittsburgh.

 In everything they do, Fundido operates with a philosophy of “creative inclusivity.” Remembering they were once the little guys given a shot at Baby’s All Right’s stage, they seek to foster upstart DJs whenever they can. “There can be so much gatekeeping in the New York scene,” Hughes explains. “While taste is paramount in this space, we want to be gate openers more than gatekeepers whenever possible. Building community is very important to us.” 

 This ethos extended to the compilations Fundido began making in 2022, subsequently creating a series that celebrated their anniversary each year by putting them alongside friends and talent from NYC and beyond. After releases with Terrestrial Funk, Rocky Hill, and Mister T Records, the compilations culminated in a vinyl-only collection in 2025. Titled Paradise Tempo, the 500-copy pressing functioned as a greatest hits of Fundido’s first decade, quickly selling out and ranking as one of Resident Advisor’s “Picks Of The Week.” 

 For a recent anniversary compilation, Hughes and Scher teamed with Miles Felix to help with some mixdown and mastering work. Instead, a new partnership blossomed in which the three began working on original recordings for Fundido. After a past life in bands, the pivot was inevitable for Scher. “I was itching to make original music again,” he reflects. “After our workflow with Miles became clear, we realized we could take things to the next level. Anything feels possible now.” 

 Soon, Hughes realized he had a knack for vocal melodies and song structures, adding to the instrumentals Scher and Felix were building. “As soon as you get the bug of making your own music, you want to focus on that above all else,” Hughes says. As they balanced DJ parties with studio time, new songs began to flow, and they invited vocalists and friends to come in and contribute. 

A watershed moment arrived in the form of “Get A Grip,” an infectious and rubbery track that established how far Fundido’s aesthetic could stretch in the studio. Though original music marks an evolution for the duo, “Get A Grip” is also a way of coming full circle, with Hughes and Scher honing in on the hybrid of house and indie core to both their interests, while looking to seminal Brooklyn labels like DFA. As it turned out, it was DFA themselves who wanted to release the track. “Get A Grip” drops March 31, with a full 12” release in June featuring remixes from Make A Dance and Asa Tate. 

 Along with January’s “Drops Of Time” — released on Boyanza, a label run by residents of Mexico City’s legendary Sunday Sunday party — ”Get A Grip” sets the stage for what comes next. This summer, Fundido will return with a two-track EP on Life & Death Records. Collectively, the songs represent Fundido building on their decade of DJ’ing and immediately finding their voice as songwriters. These releases are only the beginning, with more songs waiting in the chamber. 

(Written by Ryan Leas)