Omar Santana

This tale from the hardside begins back in the early 80s in the metropolis we know as New York City…

John "Jellybean" Benitezs residency at The Funhouse Club in Manhattan had fulfilled the job of inspiring a whole new generation to take the sound of dance music well into the future and beyond.

One of these disciples went by the name of Omar Santana. Straight out of the borough of Queens in New York, Omar slowly began to make a name for himself by DJing as a part of the Dynamic Rockers crew, putting on jams, sound-battles, and creating a solid underground vibe to rock the city.

Through this, Omar started linking up with the likes of Arthur Baker as well as the Tommy Boy and Sleeping Bag Records camps. This led to lots of studio work as he started producing on a major level. During the 80s, he worked alongside some of the true sound pioneers like Mantronix, Boogie Boys, T La Rock, and Stetsasonic.

Omar was now on a proper roll and going from strength to strength by editing and remixing such artists as Public Enemy, Janet Jackson, Simply Red, Quincy Jones, and The Rolling Stones. The list is endless.

Omar was now in serious demand and very quickly became known as one of the "Edit Kings" who would consequently stand the test of time as an inspiration for all future warriors in the trade of cut-up beats and sound.

The time had now come for Omar to create a unique outlet for his material, so H2OH Recordings came into being. Releasing its own brand of Hardcore flavor, the label built up a strong reputation for itself and was such a success that a sister label, Tricked Out Recordings, was brought into operation.