Omar Santana and Caulon Haze collide for a heavyweight collaboration on “Insomniac,” the latest hard dance single dropping via Basscon Records on July 25. With decades of underground prowess between them, the duo distills a legacy of East Coast rave culture into a relentless, bass-throttled anthem engineered for the after-hours faithful.
Listen here : https://basscon.ffm.to/insomniac
Built on a foundation of thrashing distorted bass pulses, “Insomniac” is a masterclass in hardhop’s enduring rawness. MC vocal samples cut through with hypnotic clarity, while ominous string swells and razor-edged melodic leads push the tension into overdrive. True to form, Santana and Haze deliver a sonic assault that respects the roots while charging fearlessly forward.
Establishing the tone for their new collab, Omar Santana describes the single, saying, “The night is not a time of rest, but a time of reckoning.”
Omar Santana’s impact on electronic music stretches back to the 1980s, evolving from Queens block parties with Dynamic Rockers into studio sessions with legends like Public Enemy, Janet Jackson, and The Rolling Stones. His H2oh Recordings and Tricked Out Recordings labels became vital touchstones for hardcore and hardhop, while aliases such as Hard Hop Heathen and Imperial Stormtroopers showcased his range from acid to breakbeats.
For Caulon Haze, “Insomniac” represents the culmination of a 20-year journey from warehouse dance floors across NYC and Pennsylvania to producing original tracks that honor his formative influences. A lifelong student of hard electronic music, Haze’s first encounter with an Omar Santana record sparked an obsession that now comes full circle.
This latest offering marks their ninth release together, following a potent run of singles including “Skull Breaker” and “Brain Pain.” With Santana’s upcoming set locked in for Wasteland in August, “Insomniac” lands as both a personal and communal rallying cry—a no-sleep soundtrack for those who spend their weekends in the warehouse.
Omar Santana and Caulon Haze’s new single, “Insomniac,” is available on all platforms via Basscon Records.
More About Omar Santana
Originating from Queens, New York, Omar rose to prominence as a DJ with the Dynamic Rockers crew, fostering a vibrant underground scene through jams and sound battles. His talent quickly caught the attention of industry figures like Arthur Baker and labels such as Tommy Boy and Sleeping Bag Records. This led to extensive studio work in the 1980s, where Omar became a prolific producer, collaborating with sound pioneers including Mantronix, Boogie Boys, T La Rock, and Stetsasonic. He solidified his reputation by editing and remixing tracks for an impressive roster of artists, from Public Enemy and Janet Jackson to Quincy Jones and The Rolling Stones, earning him the title of an “Editing King” and inspiring future generations in beat manipulation. To house his own material, Omar launched H2oh Recordings, known for its “Hardcore flava.” Its success led to a sister label, Tricked Out Recordings, which further pushed the boundaries of Hard Hop/breaks sounds in America, cementing Omar’s influence in the electronic music landscape.
More About Caulon Haze
Born in the 1980s, came Caulon Haze. Who grew into his own by grabbing any and all mix tapes he could get his hands on. His interests peaked with electronic music, which led him down a rabbit hole of turntables and mixers. While mixing at a friends house, Caulon made it very clear that none of the records he was getting was anything he would be interested in playing. His friend made a suggestion and handed him a record by an artist, “Omar Santana.” The lightbulb finally clicked on. From that moment, the search for Hard Electronic music consumed his every waking moment. Dance floors and ware houses from NYC, Upstate NY, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania have felt the wrath of his passion. Remembering what a mentor once told him, “Be known for writing your own tracks, not playing other artists tracks,” a new target was in sight. With 20 years of refinement and searching, things came full circle back to the individual that sparked the interest, Omar Santana.
More About Basscon
Bursting onto the scene in 2013, Basscon has cemented its status as the epicenter for all hard dance genres. With a footprint covering some the most renowned stages in the world—including EDC Las Vegas, Wasteland, Project: Z and Bullseye—they’ve fostered a die-hard community that celebrates every tempo of high-octane dance music from hardstyle, hardcore, rawstyle, hard house, uptempo and beyond. The same ethos driving the vision behind its live events has carried over to its dedicated Basscon Records imprint, which has been a home for dancefloor-defining artists from the likes of Adrenalize, Lil Texas, Audiofreq, Deadly Gunz, Atmozfears, Lady Faith, Water Spirit, Rob Gee, Dead X, Sephyx, LINK, Technikore, LLLLNNNN, and many more. Between its ever-growing roster of artists and world-class parties, Basscon represents the next level of hard dance.