Introduced to electronic/dance music in the late 90s through the soulful sounds of Chicago House, dj release (Michael Velez to some, Ike to most) spent the early part of his career collecting and recording mixtapes by US rave scene innovators like Mark Farina, Derrick Carter, Miles Maeda, Paul Johnson, among others. It wasn't until he came across classic mixtapes by Chicago jungle pioneers Phantom 45, Casper, and Danny the Wildchild that he fully identified with electronic music through the ever-evolving, futuristic sounds of drum and bass.Like many electronic/dance music enthusiasts during that time, he took his passion for music further by developing his skills as a dj and producer. Upon moving to Chicago after graduating from college in 2003, dj release quickly established himself in the local scene, playing regularly for Chicago drum and bass events like Rotation, Standard, Bass By The Pound's The Seminar(Lava) and Dynamite!(Sonotheque), and Junglefly(Smartbar).With original productions released and forthcoming on Fokuz (NL), BIOS (Germany), and Peer Pressure (USA), look for dj release to play a prominent role in the development of deep, soulful drum and bass in America.
::Out Now::
Stunna+Release - Hallucinate - Discoveries of the Deep LP - FOKUZLP001 (Fokuz Recordings)
Release - Satinesque (Peer Pressure Recs Digital)
::Forthcoming::
Stunna+Release - A Life Like This (BIOS Digital)
Stunna, Amaning, Release, Sol.ID - Can't Get U Off My Mind (BIOS)
Release - On Edge (BIOS Digital)
Release - Out From Under (Peer Pressure Recs)
Release - Undercover Lover (Peer Pressure Recs)
