Tayo

With a long list of mix albums to his credit, Tayo is a pioneering London-based breaks DJ who also produces tracks, often in collaboration with others. Born Tayo Popoola, he helped jump-start the nu-breaks scene in London when, in partnership with Rennie Pilgrem and Adam Freeland, he founded the influential Friction club night in 1996. Around the turn of the century, he began releasing commercial mix albums annually, most notable among them Planet of the Breakz (1999), Nu Horizons: The Next Generation of Breaks, Vol. 3 (2001), Y4K: Further Still (2001), Y4K: Summer Breaks (2002), Y4K Next Level Breaks: Dread at the Controls (2003), Mob Deep, Vol. 1 (2003), Beatz & Bobz, Vol. 3 (2004), These Are the Breaks (2006), and Fabriclive.32 (2007). The latter mix, Fabriclive.32, won DJ Magazine's Best of British Award and showcases how diverse Tayo's musical style had become over the years, drawing from a variety of bass-heavy breakbeat styles, including dub, dubstep, Baltimore club, and hip-hop. In addition to his DJing, Tayo also produced tracks, often in collaboration and often reserved for DJ play rather than commercial release. He also founded the label Mob Records in 1999, and though he split from the label five years later, it remained operational, releasing 12" EPs by a wide range of producers. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi