Listening to "Freestylers'" new CD "We Rock Hard" was to me the equivalent of stepping into a time machine that took me back to my school days, when break dancing was the rage and most boom boxes were bigger than my dog. What amazes me is that I recognize more of the samples used for the mixes in this CD than I care to admit (makes me feel old).

"We Rock Hard" is a amalgam of electronica, break dancing and street beats, with a healthy dosage of R&B and hip-hop thrown in for good measure. I used to despise electronic music, but after 3 years living in Germany, I developed a taste for it, and I was lucky to find out about "The Prodigy" before MTV got a hold of them. Still, electronic music in the states is lagging behind in recognition. In Europe it is played side-by-side with classic rock and everybody thinks is the most natural thing. Those that remember the good old days of break dancing and all that good stuff are going to have a ball just trying to recognize some of the samples the "Freestylers" used in "We Rock Hard."

The other thing you're going to like is that this is a big group. There are ten people on stage, and that doesn't include the dancers! They're the first band in years to make a serious push to bring break back into main stream. Their efforts were rewarded when Musik magazine named them their Band of The Year for 1998. "We Rock Hard" grows on me every time I play it. Instead of trying to fool themselves into doing an "artsy" CD like other dance groups ended up doing just to survive, these guys have one, and only one, priority - party music. The principle is simple. They stick to it and they make it work. Hopefully others will follow suit.