Biography
Miles Tackett, a dedicated collector of breaks, assembled Breakestra, an ever-shifting hip-hop orchestra headquartered in Los Angeles. The ensemble coalesced during 1997, sparked by Tackett's regular DJ sets at a local coffeehouse. A versatile multi-instrumentalist whose cello contributions have graced sessions for B.B. King, Macy Gray, and Black Eyed Peas, Tackett embraced funk early but discovered hip-hop in the late '80s through Ultramagnetic's Critical Beatdown, recognizing how the genre sustained funk's core energy.
His desire to interpret instrumental hip-hop within a live band setting drew the collective into existence, uniting Tackett with drummer Josh "Wallet" Cohen, reed player Geoff "Double G" Gallegos, trumpeters Todd Simon and Paul Vargas, trombone player Dan Osterman, keyboard player Carlos Guaico, percussionist Davy Chegwidden, guitarist Dan Ubick, and vocalists Sol Sista DeMya and Mixmaster Wolf (aka Stones Throw honcho Peanut Butter Wolf). The Root Down club night they hosted attracted enthusiastic audiences and attracted leading figures from the rap underground, among them Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, Company Flow, DJ Shadow, and Freestyle Fellowship, while their debut single, "Getcho Soul Togetha," surfaced on Stones Throw in 1999.
That same year yielded an exploratory demo titled The Live Mix Tape, which featured Breakestra renditions of numerous deep funk classics; however, its formal issuance, retitled The Live Mix, Pt. 1, arrived only in 2001 and remained exclusive to Japan. The follow-up volume appeared later that year via Stones Throw. In 2005 Breakestra issued the single Family Rap, which spotlighted Chali 2na and Soup from Jurassic 5 alongside Double K from People Under the Stairs, and simultaneously delivered their third studio album, Hit the Floor, through Ubiquity Records with an almost completely refreshed roster.
His desire to interpret instrumental hip-hop within a live band setting drew the collective into existence, uniting Tackett with drummer Josh "Wallet" Cohen, reed player Geoff "Double G" Gallegos, trumpeters Todd Simon and Paul Vargas, trombone player Dan Osterman, keyboard player Carlos Guaico, percussionist Davy Chegwidden, guitarist Dan Ubick, and vocalists Sol Sista DeMya and Mixmaster Wolf (aka Stones Throw honcho Peanut Butter Wolf). The Root Down club night they hosted attracted enthusiastic audiences and attracted leading figures from the rap underground, among them Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, Company Flow, DJ Shadow, and Freestyle Fellowship, while their debut single, "Getcho Soul Togetha," surfaced on Stones Throw in 1999.
That same year yielded an exploratory demo titled The Live Mix Tape, which featured Breakestra renditions of numerous deep funk classics; however, its formal issuance, retitled The Live Mix, Pt. 1, arrived only in 2001 and remained exclusive to Japan. The follow-up volume appeared later that year via Stones Throw. In 2005 Breakestra issued the single Family Rap, which spotlighted Chali 2na and Soup from Jurassic 5 alongside Double K from People Under the Stairs, and simultaneously delivered their third studio album, Hit the Floor, through Ubiquity Records with an almost completely refreshed roster.