Darksyde: Tough Break.

Darksyde play the Moonbar this Friday.

Sydney collective Darksyde made a name for themselves last year touring English producer Oris Jay around Australia. They've started pushing a unique sound for breaks and are often mentioned by Aust DJ of the Year Kid Kenobi as one of the best DJ crews around. I caught up with Farj from the two-man show (he works with Paul Fraser) before their show at the Moonbar this Friday.

You boys seem to be the champions of the garage sounds in Sydney, and probably all over Oz, so why Garage and 2 Step?

"A wide range of musical influences exists in our backgrounds. We have always had a lot of respect for drum and bass and hip hop and although we didn't play it, it was through going to clubs and following these sounds that kept us interested in the beats and the bass. We started our DJ careers playing Speed Garage which as a genre gave birth to the 2 Step sound that we took such a liking too."

Can you define 2 Step as opposed to breaks?

"Geographically 2 Step is a London thing, where as Breakbeats are global. Musically the main difference lies in the beat construction and programming. 2 Step tends to be written using 'off-beat' and 'off-time' methods to create a sense of 'swing' that rarely appears in traditional Breakbeat, due to the more habitual and far more rigid approach when producing. Recently many producers have used elements from both sides, and a lot more, and then yet another category, 'Breakstep' was born."

Define Breakstep?

"Breakstep is essentially the fusion of the breaks scene with the darker sub-genres from the 2Step/UK Garage movement. The new underground sound has been a melting pot of styles, drawing in the likes of Freq Nasty from breaks to Zed Bias from UKG and Zinc from drum and bass."

You toured Oris Jay last year to resounding praise from all circles of breaks lovers, how was it for you guys?

"It was a great experience. Oris is one of the most innovative producers in the UK at the moment, and having him in Sydney was a great source of inspiration for everyone involved. His knowledge of the music industry, endless contacts, not to mention his production techniques have all been of huge help to us. Look out for his next Australian tour, Brisbane included!"