Releases by Mixer / D.J.
THE BLADERUNNERS
(JOE BARRION, RAY ROC CHECO & JUAN KATO)
| Year | Release Title | Label | Mix Title | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | A Night At The Edit Block | Round About Records, Inc. | A NIGHT AT THE EDIT BLOCK Blade To The Rhythm | 00:10:42 |
| 1989 | Miami Bass Waves Volume II | Luke Skyywalker | MIAMI BASS WAVES VOLUME II Mega-Mixx | 00:07:50 |
| 1990 | War Party | 4th & Broadway | WAR PARTY The Megamix | 00:15:47 |
| 2009 | Nu Electro 1 | Street Sounds | NU ELECTRO VOLUME ONE Mastermix I | 00:13:20 |
Information:
Below is a summarised biography created using Google Gemini in April 2026...
The Bladerunners were a prolific New York-based editing and remix team active primarily from the late 1980s through the early 1990s. They were staples of the "megamix" culture, specializing in the high-energy, splice-heavy style that defined the transition from disco to freestyle and early house music. The core of the team consisted of three influential figures in the NYC club scene. They were Joe Barrion, Juan Kato and Ray "Roc" Checo (who later became a legendary figure in house music as part of the production duo Ray Roc & Gabe M).
Notable Work & Style
The Blade Runners were essentially the "hired guns" for labels like Warlock Records and Micmac Records—the heavyweights of the freestyle genre.
The "Warparty" Megamixes: Their most famous contribution is arguably the "Warparty" series (specifically Warparty 1990). They took various tracks from different artists and stitched them into seamless, 10-minute-plus dance floor odysseys.
Freestyle & Miami Bass: While they are often associated with freestyle (artists like TKA, Sa-Fire, or Johnny O), they also crossed over into the Miami Bass scene, contributing to compilations like Miami Bass Waves Volume II (1989).
The "Multi-Edit" Technique: Their style was characterized by "multi-edits"—using tape reels to create stutter effects, rapid-fire vocal loops, and rhythmic complexity that would eventually be automated by digital workstations (DAWs), but at the time required surgical precision with a razor blade.
Discography Highlights
"Warparty 1990" (The Megamix): A definitive snapshot of the NYC/Jersey club sound at the turn of the decade.
"To Be In Your Arms" (1992): One of their later vinyl releases under their own name.
Micmac Concert Mixes: They were frequently tapped to create the promotional megamixes for Micmac’s "Concert" series, which are now highly sought after by freestyle collectors.