Freestylers

Active since 1996 in London, Freestylers are the producers and DJs Matt Cantor and Aston Harvey, who emerged from the early-1990s British dance scene; Cantor notably came through Strike and Harvey through Blapps Posse. From the start they developed a sound at the crossroads of breakbeat, big beat, hip-hop, electro and acid house, shaped by soundsystem culture, MCs and the energy of the dancefloor. The duo drew attention with their late-1990s singles and the album We Rock Hard (1998), followed by Pressure Point (2001). Over the years they broadened their palette by incorporating elements of trip hop, bass music, drum and bass and dubstep, while retaining a clear breakbeat foundation — evident on Raw as F**k (2004), Adventures in Freestyle (2006) and The Coming Storm (2013). Alongside their productions they have maintained a steady output of remixes and DJ mixes, including appearances on formats like the Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1 and FabricLive. Their trajectory continued with Other Worlds in 2021, confirming the continuity of a project rooted in the exchanges between clubs, raves and British urban culture.