Überzone / Uberzone

Throughout the late '90s and into the 2000s, Überzone reigned as California's leading breaks producer, primarily singles for many of America's leading commercial dance labels, including City of Angels, Astralwerks, and Moonshine. Born Timothy Wiles yet adamantly billing himself as Q (as named after the "gizmo"-loving James Bond character), the Southern California native developed an affection for all kinds of electronic gear beginning in his early teens. He burst onto the dance scene in 1996-1997 with a pair of landmark singles, "Botz" and "The Freaks," among other productions, for City of Angels. These two singles in particular caused quite a stir at the time and led many in America to place Überzone alongside such hyped artists as the Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, and Crystal Method. Unlike these other artists, who tended to be album-oriented live performers, Überzone never quite lived up to his commercial billing, as either an album artist or live performer. Nevertheless, America's leading commercial dance label at the time, Astralwerks, signed him and released his debut full-length album, Faith in the Future, in 2001. The relationship with Astralwerks quickly disintegrated after the release, and a year later Überzone moved to Moonshine, America's other leading commercial dance label. Moonshine released The Digital Mix in 2002, a computer-aided mix album featuring numerous Überzone tracks, including several new productions and a special mix of "The Freaks."