J-Break
| J-Break | |
|---|---|
|
J-Break, 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | San Diego, California, USA |
| Genres | Electro house, progressive house, breakbeat, dubstep |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Citrusonic, Black Hole Recordings, Island Def Jam, RCA |
| Associated acts | IDeaL & J-Break, Dynamix II, Wutam & J-Break |
J-Break was first introduced to the electronic music scene while going to infamous Orlando nightclubs like the Edge, Ultraviolet (UV), and Firestone in 1995. He quickly started to DJ, mentored by his friends, Foreplay and Davie-D, who were already an Orlando legend at the time. At the age of 19, he got his first residency at the late nightclub, Mimosa, along with residents Wutam and Davie-D. His first remix of Sonique (musician)'s "Feel So Good" was played on XL 106.7 FM every Saturday night and he quickly became a local favorite.
In 1999, J-Break started Millennium Breaks Productions, home to releases such as "Feel The Heat", "Drop It Down" and "This Is The Sound of Underground," which became an instant club anthem from coast to coast. After Cyberzone closed in early 2001, J-Break focused his talents on producing and remixing, as well as touring around the world to support his label's vinyl and CD releases. Later that year, J-Break became a resident on 96.9 FM in Orlando and WYKS 105.3 FM in Gainesville, 5 nights a week, along with legends such as Andy Hughes, DJ Sandy & Wutam.
In 2002, Wutam and J-Break he joined forces to release their debut mix CD, "Biomechanik," which was released as the follow-up to Infiniti's "Looking for Something" on Subculture Records. This CD received critical acclaim almost instantaneously by DJs, producers, and fans alike, due to the innovative track selection and mixing by the duo. The self-titled track off the CD, also received massive recognition when it was released on Afterdark Records, with support from DJs such as Merlyn, Baitercell & Schumacher, Simply Jeff and Malicious Mike.
After the success of the Cyberian Knights debut "This Is The Sound of Underground," Jackal (Jackal & Hyde, Dynamix II) & J-Break formed Cyberian Knights Recordings as a collaborative effort to bring upfront electro music to the masses. Jackal & J-Break began their world tour in support of their new label, which found them performing in cities from Los Angeles to Amsterdam. While on their European tour in late 2003, J-Break recorded his live mix CD "Barcelona, Spain" for Afterdark Records, a true representation of his live mixing abilities and diverse track selection of breakbeat.
In 2004, joined forces with Agent K (Agent K & Deuce) to form Distorted Recordings, a sub label of their sister labels, Cyberian Knights Recordings and Warped Recordz. The first two releases by Agent K & The Klubbheads, received much airplay in clubs and radio stations around the world, and even found their way on to such mix CDs as DJ Mondo's "Tampa Breaks Vol. 4" and Storm & Trevor Rockwell's "Future Sounds of Breaks."
2005 was a big year for J-Break, with over 100+ gigs touring with Jackal & Hyde in cities all over North America, including monster festivals like Ultra Music Festival in Miami during WMC and the annual Love Parade in San Francisco. J-Break spent his free time in the studio, collaborating with different types of artists from around the globe. J-Break released breakbeat hits like "Dark Circles" w/ Josef Plante (w/ Autobots remix) and "Science Fiction" w/ Infiniti, which received support from Deekline & Wizard, DJ Monk, Exzakt, and Baitercell & Schumacher, to name a few.
2006 had been a year of significant releases for J-Break, including 3 international releases, as well as a European tour with Agent K, where they recorded their "Live from London CD". "Crusher" with Agent K on Afterdark Records, was featured on DJ Baby Anne "Rocks" CD compilation on System Recordings and received support from such heavy hitters as Deekline, Wizard, and DJ X. "American Werewolf in London" with Agent K featured the UK bad bwoy Screwface on the remix, and "Drop It" with ATF's Lethal Agent dropped on the Spanish electro label, Dona-Li.
In 2007, J-Break started with new studio collaborations with producers of different genres including Deekline & Wizard w/ DJ Assault, MC Messinian of Planet of the Drums, DJ Reid Speed, Una Slim, & Josef Plante. After a successful gig in New York, house music became a new love for J-Break, and he began producing a new studio album with Wutam that was released in early 2008. "The Album" featured four singles that charted on Beatport in several genres.
After moving to San Diego, in 2008 international artists such as Tiesto, Hybrid, Miss Nine from Yoshitoshi Records, & Grammy award winning artist Joachim Garraud supported Wutam & J-Break's new productions. This led to remix offers from world-renowned labels such as Eddie Amador's Mochico primo Records, Paul Oakenfold's Perfecto Records, David Guetta's & Joachim Garraud's Gum Records, and Melleefresh's Play Records. Later that year, their next album "Night & Day" featured 6 singles that charted on Beatport, including 2 top ten appearances. The #1 hit single "Don’t You," was featured on DJ Reid Speed's "Under The Influence" mix CD on Moist Music. Wutam & J-Break signed with dPulse/ Sony BMG /Universal Music Group as Sidetrax with David "Scratch D" Noller from Dynamix II, a gold certified electro artist from Miami, Florida.
By 2010, J-Break teamed up with Jägermeister house artist, DJ IDeaL, including a remix of BT's classic hit, "Remember" and was featured on Paul Oakenfold's Perfecto XM/Sirius radio show. International artists such as The Crystal Method, Manuel De La Mare, and Donald Glaude quickly began supporting their original productions.
In 2011, IDeaL & J-Break headlined several shows during the Winter Music Conference and Miami Music Week, culminating with their live set at the sold out Ultra Music Festival in downtown Miami for over 150,000 people. After much hype from the massive event, their set was featured on Ultra Music Festival's UMF Radio Show on XM/Sirius Radio the following week. Their remix of Eddie Amador & Kimberly Cole - "Arrow Through My Heart" hit the Billboard Charts for over 10 weeks.
After rocking Ultra Music Festival '12 along with the Madonna album release party during Miami Music Week, the duo spent the rest of the year working in the studio on remixes for Adam Lambert, Mickey Avalon, Kerli, and the newest Billboard artist, Warren Nomi.
Within weeks of 2013, IDeaL & J-Break teamed back up with house legend, Eddie Amador, to produce "I Need You" featured Tom Napack of Vanity Police and formerly of Dangerous Muse. The track was soon signed to Tiesto's old label, Black Hole Recordings. In April, the duo remixed former Pussycat Dolls singer, Jessica Sutta "Again", which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
In 2014, IDeaL & J-Break remixed "The Rising" by Five Knives on Red Bull Records, which peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The duo also had success with remixes for Gia "Bombs Away" (#3 on Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart), "Tonight" by Aiden Jude (#4 on Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart and #35 on Beatport Top 100 chart), as well as remixes for Carmen Electra "Werq" and "Around the World" (#23 on Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart).
In March 2015, IDeaL & J-Break remixed Grammy Nominated Eddie Amador & Ultra Nate "Take Care Of My Heart," which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Breakout chart and #24 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The duo also remixed Philip George's "Wish You Were Mine," which peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart, #1 on the UK Dance chart and #7 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The track was certified gold in the UK by BPI with over 400,000 units sold. Other remixes include Motown's Rich White Ladies "Wimbledon" and "No Bad Vibes", as well as Paris Hilton's "High Off My Love" which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs and #35 on Hot Dance / Electronic Songs charts.
2016 brought new remixes for the duo, including Lady Gaga's "Til It Happens To You", which was nominated for the 2016 Academy Awards for Best Original Song and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs, #27 on the Hot Digital Songs, and #19 on the Adult Contemporary charts.