Omar Santana

Omar Santana has operated as a breakbeat producer since the period associated with Arthur Baker and Jellybean, establishing himself at the forefront of a distinctly American strain of psychedelic breakbeat acid-techno. He has issued material under a wide array of aliases, among them Hard Hop Heathen, Liquid Metal, Dark Side of the Shroom, New York Terrorists, Car Jacker, Tales from the Hardside, and Wizard of Oh.

His initial work involved mix production and editing for a range of acts that extended from Debbie Harry to Dynamix II, along with contributions at Cutting Records, the pioneering freestyle label that also highlighted Todd Terry and Tony "Freestyle" Butler.

Toward the close of the 1980s Santana moved into the expanding acid house and rave milieu, scoring successes with "Mr. Dynomite" as Liquid Metal, "Slamma Jamma" as New York Terrorists, and "Boy Is Banging" as DJ Oh Oh Omar Santana. His signature "hardhop" variant of acid breakbeat techno grew prevalent across America's West Coast by the late 1990s, prompting him to curate several Moonshine Music mix albums such as Tricked Out, Hardhop Tricked Out, and Battle for Planet of the Breaks. He likewise assembled hardcore and gabba collections for the label, among them the 1998 release Hardcorps. Santana regularly collaborates in the studio with fellow breakbeat specialist Freddy Fresh under the Imperial Stormtroopers name. Two years afterward he issued Hardcore for the Headstrong.