Born in 1977, Dan Stein—better known as DJ Fresh—ranks among the pivotal forces shaping the U.K. drum’n’bass landscape. He first gained traction inside the collective Bad Company (also styled Bad Company UK or simply BC to distinguish it from the classic rock act), before striking out alone and achieving wider commercial reach through forays into dubstep and electro-house. Alongside these moves he helped establish multiple respected imprints, most prominently Breakbeat Kaos.
Recordings smuggled home from illegal raves by older acquaintances sparked his interest, prompting him to purchase turntables while still a teenager. During his university years he began broadcasting late-night sessions on local pirate stations. Early solo material appeared under the aliases Fresh and Absolute Zero. In 1999, still operating within Bad Company, he launched the label BC Recordings and the influential site Dogs on Acid. After stepping away to focus on solo work he supplied remixes for Pet Shop Boys, DJ Shadow, and Apollo 440, then started the Breakbeat Punk label, which later combined with Adam F’s Kaos Recordings to form Breakbeat Kaos. A series of singles for Valve and Ram Records, together with mix compilations issued by Ministry of Sound and Human Imprint, preceded his first album, Escape from Planet Monday, which surfaced in 2006.
Although singles continued to flow, the 2009 track “Heavyweight” on Digital Soundboy marked a decisive shift toward a wobbling low-end aesthetic then emerging in dubstep circles. The cut reappeared on his second album, Kryptonite, which balanced drum’n’bass with dubstep excursions. That record yielded his breakthrough single, “Gold Dust” featuring dancehall reggae singer Ce’cile, which climbed to number 24. Capitalizing on the momentum, DJ Fresh issued “Louder” with Sian Evans in 2011; the song, licensed for a Lucozade campaign, became the first dubstep release to top the U.K. singles chart. He repeated the feat in 2012 with “Hot Right Now” featuring Rita Ora, the first drum’n’bass single to reach number one. Additional successes such as “The Power” alongside MC Dizzee Rascal and a re-recorded “Gold Dust” with Ms. Dynamite all featured on his third studio set, Nextlevelism, which peaked at number 14 on the U.K. album chart.
After that album’s arrival, further singles paved the way for a projected fourth project and increasingly explored trap and moombahton directions. The 2013 release “Earthquake,” a collaboration with vocalist Dominique Young Unique and co-produced by Diplo, reached the Top Five and earned silver certification. The following year’s “Dibby Dibby Sound,” uniting Ms. Dynamite and Jay Fay, matched that chart performance and certification. Also in 2014, “Make U Bounce,” Fresh’s update of an earlier TC track featuring Little Nikki, entered at number ten, while a fresh version of his Ellie Goulding collaboration “Flashlight” landed inside the Top 50. In 2015 he teamed with British soul singer Ella Eyre for “Gravity,” which hit number four, received gold status, and later appeared on her debut album Feline. Another joint effort, the soul-tinged single “Believer” with Adam F, followed. The How Love Begins EP arrived in 2016; its title track linked DJ Fresh with Dizzee Rascal, High Contrast, and Clare Maguire. Closing the year, “Bang Bang” reunited him with Diplo and showcased R. City, Selah Sue, and Craig David.
