This week, we’ve got breakbeat and tech-funk from Stephen Cole. Stephen hails from North Carolina where good things like powered flight by man and Krispy Kreme both started. Early in his life, Stephen was exposed to a wide variety of music. This influence shows up in the selection of music he plays in his sets; both live and in his mix we have for you this week.

Stephen Cole has been in the electronic dance music (EDM) scene for a decade; playing at numerous clubs, radio stations, and events along America’s east coast. While attending courses for recording and engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, he began producing his own music.

 In 2007, he kicked off with the Sweet Melody remix released on A-Squared Muzik. Hotwired was up next; released on N-mitysound and produced with his frequent collaborator Matthew McCurry. Both the original and the Introspective remix of Hotwired have received a wide range of support; showing up in notable playlists such as Elite Force’s Strongarm Sessions and Annie Nightingale’s Radio 1 show. Stephen finished up 2007 with The Fringe, which landed on Introspective’s Ministry Of Sound compilation.

In 2008, Stephen released his Born To Roll EP which included productions by himself and a collaboration with Matthew McCurry. Then, in 2009, Stephen and Matthew remixed I Am Sweet for Lot49 label owner Dylan Rhymes, Back With It by Boonos, Basscake by Headflux & Tom Wilkes and Midnights by Benjamin Vial. The latter remix you’ll find titled Echotech Remix. Echotech is the new alias of the Stephen Cole and Matthew McCurry duo. Stephen will be rounding out 2009 with new releases on Dead Famous, KDB, N-mitysound and Audio Logic.

You can next catch Stephen Cole on Monday October 19th @ Tutto Mondo (Charlotte, NC). Keep up to date on his other live performances at his website Noctural Breaks and the Jungo Road calendar.

More about Stephen Cole on his site, Facebook, MySpace, MySpace for Echotech, Twitter, and SoundCloud.

Booking: Click to reveal email

Play individual tracks and then click on the links below to purchase!

1. Product.01 – Ready To Rage (Vandal Remix) [Dead Famous]
2. Boonos – Back With It (JHz Remix) [XSSR]
3. Access Denied – One More Time (Stephen Cole Remix) [KDB Records]
4. Benjamin Vial – Midnights (Echotech Remix) [Plasmapool]
5. The Loops of Fury – Flick A Switch (DJ Dan & Mike Balance Remix) [U&A]
6. Armand Van Helden – NYC Beat (MSTRKRFT Remix) [Southern Fried Records]
7. Stanton Warriors – Precinct (Plump DJs Remix) [Punks]
8. Dylan Rhymes – Kemptown (Peo De Pitte Remix) [Lot49]
9. The Whip – Trash (Crookers Remix) [Southern Fried Records]
10. Elite Force & Meat Katie – Believe [U&A]
11. Hedflux & Tom Wilkes – Basscake (Stephen Cole & Matthew McCurry Remix) [Broken Robot Recordings]

Label co-owner and breaks legend Dylan Rhymes gives the full compliment of remixers plenty to work with on his original. From the filthy bass that wastes no time in making its intention known, to the HUGE synths and Underworld-like vocals. No filler here, just pure dance floor mayhem.

Ctrl-z’s break-y approach is exactly what the doctor ordered in the clubs dominated by 4×4 sounds right now. The perfect peak-time breakbeat track, this one bumps and squeeks in all the right places. Tom Real takes this track exactly where my style is right now… groovy, techy, and straight-up BUMPin’. No need to go hands in the air on this one to get down. Says a lot in it’s reserved approach to the mix. Sexiest track of the bunch. Matt and Stephen continue to impress. No longer a couple promising producers from Stateside, the McCurry/Cole combination has become synonymous with pure tech-funk class. The drums on this track absolutely KILL. They bring the hammer on their remix – top notch. Klaus Hill delivers the perfect big-room sound on his take. Solid! The Hyperion remix, however, takes the cake for me. Just relentless! This kind of maximal tech-funk-techno is the kind of take-no-prisoners track that will pack the floor every single time. Just massive!

The whole package is just phenomenal. Get it. Now.