Freestyle or Latin Freestyle, also called Latin Hip Hop in its early years, is a form of electronic music that is heavily influenced by Latin American culture. Florida breaks, also referred to as Florida breakbeat, Funky Breaks, and Tampa Breaks, is a Genre of Breakbeat music which as the The City of New York Orlando is a major City in central Florida, USA and is the County seat of Orange County Florida. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Electronic music is music that employs Electronic musical instruments and Electronic Music technology in its production Performers such as Safire, Information Society, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, TKA, George Lamond, and Expose are notable performers of this genre. Sa-Fire was born Wilma Cosmé 1967, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Information Society (also known as InSoc) is a US band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, primarily consisting of Kurt TKA was a Latin Freestyle trio that was prominent in the 1980s and early 1990s mainly in New York City and Miami Florida. George Lamond (born George Garcia on February 25, 1967) is an American Freestyle music singer Exposé is an American Vocal group. Primarily consisting of lead vocalists Ann Curless, Jeanette Jurado, and Gioia Bruno Freestyle originated in New York in the early 80's. It continues to be produced today and enjoys some degree of popularity, especially in urban Latino and Italian American communities. Another popular modern dance music genre, Florida breaks, evolved from this sound. Florida breaks, also referred to as Florida breakbeat, Funky Breaks, and Tampa Breaks, is a Genre of Breakbeat music which as the

The music first developed primarily in New York City and Miami in the mid-1980s. The City of New York It eventually spread to many other cities with Hispanic populations. Initially, it was a fusion of the vocal styles found in 1970s disco music with the syncopated, synthetic instrumentation of 1980s electro, as favored by fans of breakdancing. Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define Electro ( electro-boogie, electro-funk) is a Genre of Electronic music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 and Funk Breakdance, breaking, b-boying or b-girling is a Street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement among It was also influenced by sampling, as found in hip hop music. In Music, sampling is the act of taking a portion or sample, of one Sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with In the 1990s, the electro and hip hop influences were supplanted by house music. House music is a style of Electronic dance music initially popularized in mid-1980s Discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino

Term usage

Why Freestyle is actually called freestyle is subject to speculation.

Some feel the term freestyle may refer to the difference between the mixing techniques used by DJs spinning this form of music (at least in its pre-house incarnations) and those who were spinning disco, the only other widely played dance music that incorporated sung vocals. Disco, with its relatively predictable beat structure, could be mixed with smooth, slow, and consistent techniques, but freestyle's syncopated beat structures demanded that DJs get creative, incorporating aspects of both disco and hip-hop techniques; they often had to (or had more freedom to) mix more quickly and more responsively to the individual pieces of music. Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with

Others believe it refers to the vocal technique: singing melodic pop vocals over the kind of beats that were previously used only with rap and semi-chanted electro-funk vocal styles was a form of freestyling —getting creative by mixing up the styles— somewhat akin to the use of the term in reference to competitive freestyle rap. Freestyle rap is an Improvisational form of Rapping, performed with few or no previously composed Lyrics, which is said to reflect a direct mapping of the

Another explanation is that the dancing associated with this music allows for a great degree of freedom of expression than the other music that was prevalent at the time. Each individual dancer is free to create his or her own style.

In Miami, the freestyle name evolved after confusion between Tony Butler's track Freestyle Express by Freestyle and Debbie Deb's When I Hear Music, a slightly older but more popular track that was produced by Butler. The sound became synonymous with Butler's production, and the name of the group he was in, Freestyle, became the genre's name.

The Sound

It is a genre with rather clear features: a dance tempo with stress on beats 2 & 4; syncopation on a bassline, lead synth, or percussion, with optional stabs (provided as synthesized brass or orchestral samples); 16th beat high-hat; a chord progression which lasts 8, 16, or 32 beats and is usually in a minor key; relatively complex, upbeat melodies with singing, verses, and a chorus, with themes about love or dancing. A bassline (also spelled bass line) is the term used in many styles of Popular music, such as jazz blues funk and electronic Music for the low-pitched In Music, a stab is a single Staccato chord that adds dramatic impact to a composition In Music, sampling is the act of taking a portion or sample, of one Sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence) is a series of chords played in order Love is any of a number of Emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong Affection. Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic Freestyle music in general is heavily influenced by Latin music, especially with respect to rhythms and brass/horn and keyboard parts. The Latin "clave" rhythm can be felt in many songs (such as in the defining Clave Rocks by Amoretto). The tempo of Freestyle music is almost always between 110 and 130 beats per minute (BPM), typically around 118 BPM. Beats per minute ( BPM) is a unit typically used as either a measure of Tempo in music or a measure of one's Heart rate. The keyboard parts are often elegant and clever, with many short melodies and countermelodies, again a strong influence from Latin music. It also features complicated drum machine patterns that a human drummer would have extreme difficulty playing. For the early "drum machine" computers that used a rotating cylinder as their main memory see Drum memory A drum machine is an

Freestyle in New York

Many people list Let the Music Play by Shannon as the first Freestyle track. " Let the Music Play " is a famous and critically acclaimed Latin freestyle song recorded by Washington DC, area singer Shannon in 1983 Shannon was also an alias used by singer Marty Wilde. Shannon (born Shannon Brenda Greene on May 2, 1958, in Indeed, Let the Music Play became freestyle's biggest record, still getting heavy airplay through radio and other venues. The song was produced by Chris Barbosa, a Latino from New York City. Chris Barbosa is a producer from New York who redefined electro Funk as Latin freestyle in the early 1980s with Shannon 's " Let the Music Play Barbosa changed and refined the electro funk sound, adding Latin American rhythms and a totally syncopated drum sound. In Music, syncopation includes a variety of Rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone.

This new, exciting sound rejuvenated the funk, soul and hip hop club scenes in New York City. While most of the neighborhood clubs were closing their doors for good, some Manhattan clubs were suddenly thriving. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York Places like the Roxy, the Funhouse, Broadway 96, Gothams West, and Roseland that played this were packed. For other people and places named Roxy see Roxy and Roxy Theatre Roxy NYC (sometimes A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on Amusement park and Carnival midways in which patrons can have a number of unusual and The Roseland Ballroom (also referred to as Roseland Dance City) is a catering hall/music venue/dance hall in a converted Ice skating rink with a colorful ballroom Records like "Play At Your Own Risk" by Planet Patrol, "One More Shot" by C Bank, "Al-Naafiyish (The Soul)" by Hashim, and "I. Planet Patrol is an Electro group from the 1980s The members were Arthur Baker (musician, John Robie (musician a quintet of vocalists led Hashim ( Arabic: ہاشم) is a Male Arabic Given name.It means pulverizer destroyer of evil or generous O. U. " by Freeez became huge hits. Freeez was a musical group initially known for its emergence as one of the UK's first and leading jazz-funk bands of the very early eighties More established European artists like Kraftwerk ("Numbers") and New Order ("Confusion," "State of the Nation") both inspired the original Freestyle sound and then responded to it by incorporating certain Freestyle elements into their own productions. Kraftwerk (ˈkʁaftvɛɐk German for " power plant " or " Power station " is an influential Electronic music band from New Order are an English rock group formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner ( vocals, Guitars Synthesizers, Peter Hook

Other producers from around the world soon began to replicate the sound in more radio-friendly productions. Records like "Let Me Be the One" by Safire, "I Remember What You Like" by Jenny Burton, "Running" by soon-to-be pop stars Information Society, and "Give Me Tonight" by Shannon were all over New York radio. Sa-Fire was born Wilma Cosmé 1967, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Jenny Burton, born November 18 1957 in New York, is a female R&B singer who had several hits on the dance chart Information Society (also known as InSoc) is a US band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, primarily consisting of Kurt Shannon was also an alias used by singer Marty Wilde. Shannon (born Shannon Brenda Greene on May 2, 1958, in New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

Many of the original freestyle artists – and the DJs who played the music, such as Jellybean, Tony Torres, Raul Soto and Roman Ricardo – were of Latino or Italian ancestry. John Benitez better known as "Jellybean Benitez" (born November 7, 1957) is a Drummer, Guitarist, Songwriter, This was one reason why the style came to be very popular among Hispanic Americans and Italian Americans, especially in the New York City area. Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans of Hispanic or Latino descent, which comprises ancestry or origins in Hispanic America An Italian American is an American of Italian descent and/or dual citizenship The City of New York This marks a notable merging of underground Hispanic and African-American urban cultures, hence, the names Latin Hip Hop or Latin Freestyle. Now, the more neutral term Freestyle is generally preferred. Of course, performers and producers associated with the style came from around the world. For example, Information Society's notable hit "Running", was written by Murat Konar, who is of Turkish descent, and produced by the band, who are of Scandinavian descent. Two other popular freestyle artists, Freeez and Samantha Fox, were both of British descent. Freeez was a musical group initially known for its emergence as one of the UK's first and leading jazz-funk bands of the very early eighties This article is about the English model and singer for the American pornographic actress see Samantha Fox (porn star. Latin freestyle also touch the Asian community with the release of "Youngboys" by an Asian artist by the name of Leonard (aka Leon Youngboy), with a remix by Eddie Davis ( "Hungry For Your Love" by Hanson and Davis) and became the famous "SYB War Mix". Freestyle became more than a Latin thing, it became an instrument to bring together and unite the dance music lovers of all nationalities.

Freestyle radio in New York was exemplified by the production team of Tony Moran and Albert Cabrera, known as the Latin Rascals. Anthony "Tony" Moran is a Remixer / producer and DJ known for remixing popular songs Their original music on WKTU included Freestyle classics like 1984's Arabian Nights, and later more hip-hop oriented projects, such as the Cover Girls Show Me (1986). WKTU (1035 FM, "KTU" is a radio station based in New York City. The Cover Girls are a New York City -based freestyle / urban / Dance-pop Girl group who achieved the majority of their chart success Tony Moran later went on to form his own project, Concept of One, and the duo continued to produce big name Freestyle artists into the early 1990s. (Shapiro, 2000:104-105)

Freestyle around the USA

KPWR (Power 106) in Los Angeles, WQHT-FM (Hot 97. KPWR (1059 FM, "Power 106" is a commercial Radio station located in Los Angeles California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles WQHT, more commonly known as "Hot 97", is a high-profile Rhythmic Radio station in New York City under the corporate ownership of 1) in New York, and XHRM-FM (Hot 92. XHRM-FM or Magic 925 is a Rhythmic Adult Contemporary outlet licensed in the Mexican state of Baja California 5) in San Diego began playing hits by artists like TKA, Sweet Sensation, and Exposé, Safire on the same playlists as Pop superstars like Michael Jackson and Madonna. TKA was a Latin Freestyle trio that was prominent in the 1980s and early 1990s mainly in New York City and Miami Florida. Sweet Sensation was the name of a female Dance music trio from the Bronx, New York, who specialized in freestyle from 1987 until Exposé is an American Vocal group. Primarily consisting of lead vocalists Ann Curless, Jeanette Jurado, and Gioia Bruno Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16 1958 known as Madonna, is an American Tracks like TKA's One Way Love, Safire's Don't Break My Heart and Sweet Sensation's Hooked On You received new life and the success of these tracks as well as the just-released Show Me by the Cover Girls helped get them added to stations around the country. The Cover Girls are a New York City -based freestyle / urban / Dance-pop Girl group who achieved the majority of their chart success "(You Are My) All and All. " by Joyce Sims became the first Freestyle record to cross over into the R&B market. Joyce Sims (born August 6 1959 in Rochester New York) is an American Singer-songwriter and Pianist. It was also one of the first Freestyle records to crack the European market. Although still in its early stages, Freestyle was now getting national attention, and was fast becoming dance music for the 80s.

"Pretty Tony" Butler produced several huge freestyle hits on Jam-Packed records out of Miami. Most notable for Debbie Deb - "When I Hear Music" and "Lookout Weekend" and the queen diva of freestyle Trinere- "I'll Be All You'll Ever Need". Debbie Deb is an American dance-pop singer best known for 1980s freestyle dance classics such as "Lookout Weekend" and "When I Hear Music" Trinere is a recording artist who had several major dance hits in the 1980s and early 90s

Company B, Stevie B, Paris By Air, Linear, Will to Power, and Exposé's later hits defined Miami Freestyle. Company B was a Dance-pop trio formed in 1986 by Cuban-American producer Ish "Angel" Ledesma ( Foxy, Oxo) featuring Stevie B (real name Steven Bernard Hill) is a African - American Singer, Songwriter, and Record producer that was highly Will to Power is an American Dance music group led by Music producer, Remixer, and One of the most important pioneers and influential players within the Miami freestyle scene is the entrepreneur, music executive and music producer Tolga Katas. He is accredited as being one of the first persons to create a hit record entirely on a computer. His top notch productions influenced many copy cat producers that tried (and failed) to copy the sound he created for hits such as “Party Your Body”, “In my Eyes” and “Dreaming of Love”, all performed by Stevie B. His record label Futura Records became an incubator for great, high quality Freestyle music. The group Linear, who got its start there, was eventually picked up by Atlantic Records which resulted in the group achieving international success. Many labels confused New York Freestyle and Miami Freestyle, thinking they had the same audience. They thought their promotional strategy would work for both genres, which resulted in skipping the all too important step of cultivating a record at the street and club level before going to radio. This often led to poor results for the New York-based Freestyle. New York Freestyle, even in its most polished forms, retained a raw edge and underground sound, using minor chords that made the tracks darker and more moody. The lyrics also tended to be about unrequited love or other more somber themes, dealing with the reality of what inner city teens were experiencing emotionally.

Miami records on the other hand, tended to be more optimistic, using major chords similar to those used in early disco giving them a more upbeat sound. This is probably why the Miami records fared better at mainstream Pop radio than New York Freestyle. Some Miami artists like Stevie B, after doing their first shows in the New York market, saw the difference and began using the Miami sound combined with New York Freestyle, often with successful results. Stevie B (real name Steven Bernard Hill) is a African - American Singer, Songwriter, and Record producer that was highly

California Freestyle

Although Freestyle's main territory was Miami and New York, it did have a recognizable following in California, particularly on San Francisco Bay Area stations Hot 97.7 and 107.7 KSOL (now Wild 94.9), XHRM-FM (Hot 92. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, or the Bay, is a geographically and ethnically diverse metropolitan region that surrounds the KFFG is an FM Radio station licensed to Los Altos California, broadcasting on 97 KSOL 989 FM (" Radio Estereo Sol 989 y 991 " is a Spanish language Radio station in San Francisco California KYLD (949 FM, "WiLD 949" is a commercial Radio station in San Francisco California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. XHRM-FM or Magic 925 is a Rhythmic Adult Contemporary outlet licensed in the Mexican state of Baja California 5) in San Diego and on Los Angeles radio station Power 106. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West KPWR (1059 FM, "Power 106" is a commercial Radio station located in Los Angeles California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles Given California's large Latino community (predominantly Mexican), they greatly enjoyed the sounds of the Latin club scene in the East Coast, and although California Freestyle wasn't as prevalent New York or Miami Freestyle, there were a number of successful California Freestyle artists that also gained popularity from Freestyle fans in the East Coast. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. California Freestyle leans more toward a high-tempo dance beat, referred to as Hi-NRG, but still retains the sound of freestyle. Hi-NRG (High Energy is a type of high-speed Electronic dance music which was popular in Nightclubs in the late 1970s and 1980s

Timmy T, Jocelyn Enriquez, S-Factor, Angelina, Buffy, Daize, One Voice, M:G and DJ Spanish Fly were very notable Freestyle artists from California. Timmy T (born Timothy Torres in Fresno California on September 21, 1967) is a Freestyle performer and musician Jocelyn Enriquez is a Dance-pop singer from San Francisco (born December 28 1974) DJ Spanish Fly is a DJ and Rapper from Memphis, Tennessee who began his career during the early 1980s

Freestyle as a pop-crossover genre

By 1989, Freestyle was at its peak as an underground genre. Around this time, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, one of the first Latino freestyle acts to get behind the microphone, began to make it big on the freestyle scene. Their records were produced by Full Force, who also made UTFO's music and even once worked together with James Brown. Full Force is a group of R&B and Hip Hop performers and producers from Brooklyn, New York, calling themselves "the original UTFO (which stands for U n' t' ouchable F orce O rganization was a Old school hip-hop group from the 1980s mentored by the Contemporary James Joseph Brown Jr (May 3 1933 – December 25 2006 commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul" the "King of Funk" and "The The music of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam was less electro and more pop, and that was also probably the reason why groups such as Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam,Safire, TKA, Sweet Sensation and especially the Cover Girls were able to crossover into the pop market at the end of the 1980s. TKA was a Latin Freestyle trio that was prominent in the 1980s and early 1990s mainly in New York City and Miami Florida. Sweet Sensation was the name of a female Dance music trio from the Bronx, New York, who specialized in freestyle from 1987 until The Cover Girls are a New York City -based freestyle / urban / Dance-pop Girl group who achieved the majority of their chart success

Soon thereafter, however, freestyle was seemingly swallowed up by the mainstream pop industry: MC Hammer, Paula Abdul, Bobby Brown, New Kids on the Block and Milli Vanilli had definite freestyle influences, with their hip hop beats and electro samples, but were undoubtedly a new pop-mainstream form of the underground dance music of the 1980s, repackaged with catchier tunes, slicker production and MTV-friendly videos. MC Hammer (born Stanley Kirk Burrell; March 30, 1962) is an American MC most popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s known for his Paula Julie Abdul ( "AB-dool" born June 19, 1962) is a Grammy Award -winning American pop Singer Bobby Brown (born Robert Barisford Brown, on February 5 1969) is an American R&B Singer, Songwriter, and New Kids on the Block (also known as NKOTB) are an award-winning American pop group that enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a Boy band Milli Vanilli were a pop and Dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988 fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. An exception to this was Linear with their cross over hit “Sending all My Love”. The reason to this exception is that Tolga Katas, inspired by Milli Vanilli commercial success, incorporated their sound with his own which resulted in a top ten hit that definitely benefited from the groups MTV – friendly video. Along with this pop appropriation of the genre and the success of these artists, not only on crossover stations but R&B stations as well, freestyle ceased to be as important as an underground genre, giving way to newer genres, such as Gangsta rap and new forms of Dance music coming from Europe, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Detroit, such as Trance, Rave and Eurodance, which seemed younger, fresher and newer than freestyle. For the Ice T album see Gangsta Rap (album. Gangsta rap is a term originated by the mainstream media to describe a certain subgenre This article is about music for dancing in general You may also be looking for Electronic dance music. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Trance is a style of Electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s A rave (or rave party) is a term in use since the 1980s to describe Dance Parties (often all-night events Eurodance is a subgenre of Electronic dance music originating in the early 1990s.

The Freestyle Comeback

Freestyle, staying largely an underground genre with still a sizeable following in New York, has seen a recognizable comeback in the cities the music once dominated. In Miami, a Latin radio station shoved aside their Reggaeton music blocks to make room for Freestyle playlists. Reggaeton (also spelled reggaetón, and known as reguetón and reggaetón in Spanish) is a form of urban music which became popular A summer 2006 Madison Square Garden concert showcasing Freestyle's greatest performers went very well-received, and new Freestyle being released appears to be well-taken by longtime Freestyle enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. Black Eyed Peas often use Freestyle lyrics, and Miami rapper Pitbull collaborated with Miami Freestyle artist Stevie B to create an updated version of Stevie B's 1988 hit "Spring Love. The Black Eyed Peas is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles. Armando Christian Pérez, better known by his stage name Pitbull, or his other nicknames Lil' Chico or Mr Stevie B (real name Steven Bernard Hill) is a African - American Singer, Songwriter, and Record producer that was highly "

In 2008, famed freestyle music producer Carlos "After Dark" Berrios released a double CD titled "Don't Look Back" Sessions One and Two with 22 new tracks of freestyle and Latin freestyle. Known artists George Lamond, Lisette Melendez, Joei Mae (formerly of C-BANK), and K7 perform on the album as do new artist Katya and Jessica Fabus. Berrios produced most of the albums while Frankie Cutlass and Eddie Frente produced a track a piece as well.

References

• The History of Freestyle on Joey Gardner's Homepage (respected authority on Freestyle House)
• 100 Greatest Freestyle Songsshenda

ARTISTS ]