Step Your Fresh Up Friday

As we close out this week there are quite a few tunes that demand your attention and some upcoming news from my crew at Dance Hard Die Hard and Next Era as well.  As a new recruit to Dance Hard Die Hard I will be releasing a mix alongside SMiRK (Twitter) featuring tunes from Curtis B, Utku S., Lazy Rich, and more!  I have also put together a Sunday broadcast on uStream starting at 7pm EST for the Next Era DJs!  Look for names from the Next Era DJ crew dropping some fresh tunes to get you in the right mood for any Monday surprises you may face.  On to the tunage!

First up is a hot new breakbeat from DJ Vize out of Portland, OR.  No stranger to breakbeats and a high octane live performance Vize is going to be having some killer releases out in March and April including Refuse on Bassbong.com!  Refuse features bouncy synth riffs and a grinding synth backing track throughout as well as progressive pads and a plethora of drum syncopation.  The mellow subby breakdown complete with the delayed stabs drives you right back into the proggy drop.  His bootleg 'Bout Money' will be released as a free download if he gets 20 shares on his post too!

Utku S. is absolute monster of a producer releasing tunes on Cassette as well as a ton of loop packs on loopmasters.  His style is always at the top of the game of whatever genre he's working in at the moment.  His latest breaks release on Beatport, 'My Life' is no exception.  I have been playing his tunes out for quite some time and I feel he doesn't get near the recognition that he deserves!  The latest on his soundcloud is a monster of a tune deserved to be caned hard.  His synth work is impeccable and is matched by few.  Check him out, I guarantee you'll be pleased.

No stranger to peaktime electro house, Revolvr is back at it again with a remix of Spencer & Hill.  The huge builds lead up to supreme breakdowns which I can already see rocking big rooms across the country.  His mixes as well as his tunes are great to have in your repertoire.  His mix from February is off the hook and highly recommended, have a look and a download below (it's free on iTunes through the Buy link).

Step your Fresh Up Fridays - B-Phreak Breaks Mix n Then Some

Since disaster struck in Japan, there have been quite a few efforts put together by The Red Cross and many others for donations to be put towards recovery efforts.  The music community is helping out as well and there are a few ways you can put your money to good use for both you and the cause.  Beatport is running their campaign on Monday March 21st in which all profits (minus artist royalties) from tracks purchased will be going to relief efforts in Japan.  If you're going to make a large purchase, wait til then for the benefit of others.  Another way to help is to get the 32 track release from Heartbeats.  All proceeds will be donated and you end up with 32 new tunes in whatever format you choose, clearly a win/win. 

Back with a new mix from B-Phreak (Bernie Ott), breaks producer out of Ingelheim, Germany.  B-Phreak has been steadily releasing tracks since 2003 with his newest release out on Kick It Recordings.  Check his newest mix for some breakbeat goodness in your life.

dj-mix for "we are the breaks" radio show/ moscow by b-phreak

Here's one for the locals from Family Affair in '07.  A killer excerpt from Grape Ape's (Seth Braz) live set containing only the finest liquid drum and bass.  One of my favorite genres that I never get to play out.  It's my dirty little secret, but maybe I'll bust it out sometime, who knows.  Check the mix and hit him up on Soundcloud, let him know what you think!

Live At Family Affair 07' by GrapeApe