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Biography
The Freestylers could quite possibly be called one of the first ever electronica supergroups. The trio that formed the band were already massively acclaimed DJ’s and producers from Britain’s thriving dance music scene since the late 80’s, and in 1996 Matt Cantor, Aston Harvey and Andrew Galea joined forces to form the band Freestylers. Initially, the collaboration was between Harvey and Galea as the Sol Brothers, but after a string of five 12 inch singles, Cantor was recruited to make the band a trio. The Sol Brothers had already got some serious attention so the decision was made to change the name to Freestylers, named in homage to the act that they took their very first sample from, Freestyle.
Their first single “Drop The Bomb (AK-48)” was dancefloor hit on both sides of the Atlantic, as popular in the clubs of Miami as it was in the U.K. However, Galea became disillusioned with the creative path that the band seemed to be going down and left the group after the release of their “Freestyle E.P”. While initially the Freestylers were a relatively intimate collaboration between three producers, Harvey and Cantor transformed the band utterly when Galea left. They expanded the group to an eleven piece by adding two M.C’s, three breakdancers, a drummer, a guitarist, a bassist and a scratch DJ to compliment the duo’s production skills. Obviously this could have all blown up spectacularly but it actually worked, and their 1998 album “We Rock Hard” and its lead single “B-Boy Stance” were hits all over the world.
Ever since then, the Freestylers have remained one of the best breakbeat acts around, with four acclaimed albums released since their debut and a run of equally well received singles released under the pseudonym Raw As F**K. They were even embraced by a new generation of electronica fans when Flux Pavilion remixed their track “Cracks” into a true dubstep anthem with 25 million hits on YouTube alone. With Chris Bishop joining the fold as a producer in 2012, and a record deal with a subsidiary of Black Hole Recordings, there’s still no stopping the Freestylers over fifteen years after their debut. For that, they come highly recommended.
Live reviews
Camera Obscura are a band that you enjoy at home, safe in the knowledge that none of your friends have a clue who they are, but I was wrong. Not only are they, at their best, a group of bad ass thirty somethings that make you close your eyes and soak in every sense in the room – and despite the fact I went alone, I found 5 of my mates already there. Their stage presence isn't something that has come with overnight success, because CO definitely haven’t had that. You can see why they’ve slowly built up such a powerful cult like fan base, when you’re in the room with Tracyanne Campbell’s vocals you’re just mesmerised. Nothing about Camera Obscura is predictable and nor is their live show, French Navy (the song you hear half way through Come Dine With Me) is a wonder to see live, the whole seemingly cool crowd joins in and boogies down! They kept me waiting with Razzle Dazzle Rose but it’s such a perfect closer, it rocks! I was left speechless and there’s no better way to feel at the end of a gig. My advice – go see them… now! I took the leap and it was worth every penny and I found out I already knew some fellow fans – finally people to talk to about how awesome they are.
Ben1
Breakbeat and electro quartet The Freestylers rose in prominence during the UK's house revival of the 90s and despite not perhaps being as recognisable as the likes of Fatboy Slim, you cannot discredit the strength of their discography. They are a band who has simply gotten on with their career without shouting about it, which lends a nice surprise when you see them live as they are a really good performance outfit.
The four musicians have great dynamics onstage with both each other and the crowd as there is always somebody free to hype them up and make sure they are equally enthused. Although they were never a successful band regarding album sales, they released some great music and the solidity of this is evident through the mixes tonight. Older, cult-like fans make themselves known during early singles 'Push Up' and 'Boom Blast'. A 90 minute set seems to fly by as the whole room has its hand raised applauding for the four musicians, it is easy to see that The Freestylers are still acclaimed on the circuit.
sean-ward
