Beat Assassins - Promo Mix - Nov 2008

Biography of Beat Assassins

The event that inspired the formation of Beat Assassins was when DJ Wooz walked up to Jimmy Mofo and said, “I wanna make breakbeat like this!” He was referring to Moguai’s U Know Y, which had just sent everyone wild in Bar Vinyl one drunken Friday night out in Camden, London. A few phone calls later and Jimmy was sat next to Wooz in his Hertfordshire recording studio remixing Platinum Mules’ The Hammer, which was released on their own label Mofo Recordings in May 2006. The remix got consistent plays by Jay Cunning on his Kiss FM radio show and received airtime on Radio 1 courtesy of Annie Nightingale.

As their production style evolved, the hip-hop influences could not be contained. Wooz was one half of the 2002 UK DMC championship team, The Flaredycats, while Jimmy has been checking hip-hop tunes since Grandmaster Flash first dropped the Message. The result saw the September 2006 release of Beat Assassins’ remix of B-Phreak’s Repeated Groove, dropping hip-hop flavours on a 135 bpm breakbeat tempo. You couldn’t go to a breakbeat night without hearing this release and the breakbeat community soon realised that there were new kids on the block looking to be major players.

2007 was an outstanding year for Beat Assassins with multiple releases on Mofo Recordings. Keeping It Jiggy sold records all over the world (as did Shake Down Vauxhall & Brixton Ft MC Reno) and was voted breakbeat tune of the month by Carl Loben in DJ Magazine. Beat Assassins’ Be-Bop Aloola hit No 1 in Jay Cunning’s Kiss FM chart (supplied by Know How Records) and went on to be the longest running track to remain in the Top 5 in 2007. Beat Assassins then finished 2007 by dropping their monstrous kut We Run Tings backed by Play The Game, one of their most successful releases to date hitting No 1 at Juno and Know How Records. We Run Tings invented a new territory in breakbeat production called “urban electro” that brought together breakbeat, electro and dancehall, delivering an exciting and individual sound for Beat Assassins. These exhilarating achievements culminated in a nomination for Best Breakthrough Producers at Breakspoll International Breakbeat Awards 2007.

In addition to achieving a reputation for high-quality breakbeat productions, Beat Assassins have been recognised as an accomplished DJ duo, combining their skills to throw down a dynamic, high-octane set with world-class scratching mixed with hip-hop and ragga accapellas that’ll bring on the party vibes. In 2007, Beat Assassins performed a killer set to 6000+ ravers at the Floridance Festival in Spain, plus DJ spots in Austria, Poland and across the UK. They also delivered DJ mixes for the prestigious Annie Nightingales’s Radio 1 show, Jay Cunning’s Kiss FM show and Rennie Pilgrem’s Galaxy FM.

Kick-starting 2008, Beat Assassins dropped Generation MTV Ft Nine Lives The Cat, which was championed by Jay Cunning and received regular plays on his Kiss FM show. The track also hit No 1 in the DJ Download breakbeat sales chart. The June 2008 follow up release was The Hotness featuring the Ragga Twins and Yolanda from Massive Attack. The Hotness was reviewed as tune of the month in Mixmag, DJ Magazine and IDJ Magazine, whilst the AA flipside Direct Hit smashed the breakbeat online sales charts with Top 5 positions on Beatport, TrackItDown and DJ Download. As their profile has continued to increase in 2008, Beat Assassins have been given high-status DJ slots at the Breakspoll After Party, Glade Festival (playing at midnight in the Breaksday tent) and a warm up set for Pendulum in Jersey, plus DJ sets at prestigious London breakbeat clubs NSB, Vinyl Touch, C64, Social and Supatronix.

The future looks bright for Beat Assassins who have just finished collaboration with Sweetie Irie from the Gorillaz that is set to smash clubs across the land, plus further collaborations are on the cards with The Ragga Twins and Michie One. Also watch out for more releases on their bootleg label The Joint.