L2 is one of the lesser known sub labels owned by DJ Icey. L2 has released some of Icey's best works to date. The releases on this label are not set to the typical Icey release format that Tree and Zone are known for. All three releases on the L2 label come as a "single" with different re-mixes. The releases on L2, come with the quintessential breakbeat mix but also include trance and house mixes by some top notch artists. The first release on L2 was the beautiful "Miss You So" which was the timeless classic that Icey ended many a nights sets at the EDGE nightclub in Orlando Florida. The timeless track "Your Love" was originally releases on L2, which in turn was re-pressed several times on Zone records years later. L2 hasn’t had a release in quite a few years, but this is the one Icey sub label that if there was a release coming out, I would be first in line to buy a copy. If you are an Icey fan this is the one label that you must have.

This is the compilation that helped kick start my 15 year obsession with electronic dance music. This was the first “mixed” CD that I purchased; prior to this I had only experienced dance mixes on tape. One afternoon I went to the local record shop to pick up a new mix tape to listen to and I had asked the shop owner to recommend a few different titles to me. One of his recommendations was Sasha & John Digweed “Renaissance:” I looked at the price and about shit. “Renaissance” had only been out for a short while, and personally I don’t recall any kind of hype surrounding its release. At least not in my area. I would never have spent any where near that amount on a mix cd, but the art work intrigued me very much, and added to that fact I had just recently seen Sasha play just a few weeks earlier in Orlando. So off I went with my new purchase. When I got home I inserted the cd into the player and donned a pair of head phones and pressed play. To my delight I was taken on an aural journey that changed my listening habits from that moment on... I will say that if you have never listened to this mix collection thru a pair of good quality head phones, you are missing out on one of the finer pleasures in life. “Renaissance: - The Mix Collection” as I have come to find possesses two amazing abilities. Firstly, when I am completely burned out on EDM and need to take a break for a moment, I can play any one of the three discs and almost instantly I will remember why I started listening to EDM. Secondly, this collection has helped introduce dance/club music to people inexperienced with the genre. The mixing is spot on and quite creative. The track selection is phenomenal and most if not all of these tracks sound just as good today as they did when they were released. One of the comments stated that this was digitally mixed… honestly what commercial release is not digitally mixed? On a final note, I of course purchased the “remastered” edition when it was released a few years back; I was a bit disappointed as they couldn’t secure the rights to a few of the tracks. This made for a different “feel” that the original had.

It doesn’t happen often, but every so often a record will come along that dramatically impacts peoples listening habits. “Passion” by K5 just so happens to be one of those. Released in 1996 this breakbeat stormer brought dance music out of the clubs and into the main stream. Almost immediately after its release “Passion” could be heard on countless radio stations, not only during the night time dance party mixes, but during the daytime broadcasts as well. “Passion” was one of the first songs that led to the term “female vocal” being used loosely as a description for sub-genre of breaks. Regardless of how Jaded or Old Skool you have become over the years, “Passion” is one of those rare tunes that no matter how over played as it has become, chances are that you can remember where you were the first time you heard that breakbeat and those vocals. At the time there really was nothing else quite like it.

Attention all freaks, we are now boarding the flight to planet e... When “Bump in the Night” was initially released in 1995, dance floors across Central Florida went absolutely crazy. Everybody wanted to know what that record was with that speaker blowing 808 kick, that snappy snare drum, the wickedly crisp ride cymbal, and that ultra catchy vocal sample. This gem was well thought out, and an instant classic with the Orlando late night crowd. This was the first release from Rojo Records and boy did they come out stepping. “Bump in the Night” is one of those tunes that once you hear it, you will understand why breakbeats became so popular with the Florida crowd.