the_tenstrip

F-4-T is a live Breaks and Drum-n-Bass band hailing from Miami, Florida. For the past eight years, Jose Acevedo (the_tenstrip), and Ozzy Ruiz (Raiden) have been collecting synthesizers and sequencers, making, performing electronic music, and producing their own demo CDs. In 2002, the band debuted performing at the Synergy event held at the historic Churchill’s Pub in Miami, later on performing at three more Synergy events. Later that year, Sergei Balaour (Sinister Minister) joined the band, and with his expert piano playing skills, completed the bands’ sonic arsenal. Since then, F-4-T has composed a new set, featuring fast and edgy Drum-n-Bass tracks, as well as deeply progressive, analog driven Breakbeat songs. In 2004, F-4-T was performing regularly at “Subsonic Saturdays” in Coconut Grove, as well as the “P.O.M” weekly events at La Paloma’s Basement Lounge. In March 2005, F-4-T performed at several Winter Music Conference events in South Florida and ended WMC week with thier first performance at Ultra Music Festival 7.

Their many influences include: most notably The Chemical Brothers, also, The Prodigy, Underworld, The Crystal Method, Kraftwerk, Rabbit in the Moon, BT, Hybrid, Junkie XL, Deepsky, and Skinny Puppy to name a few. The list of bands could go on and on. F-4-T also draws influence from hard rock; giving their music it’s edgy drive. Their sound is mostly based on blending the rich, harmonic quality of the analog synths of the 70’s and 80’s with the tonal flexibility of newer digital instruments.

Sinister Minister- Born Sergei Alexandrovich Balaour on October 24th, 1980 in Moscow, Russia; Pyroz has been a global traveler. Having lived in his native land, in 1985 he lived in Helsinki, Finland. In 1990, he moved back to Moscow, and in 1996 he moved to Anchorage, Alaska. In Anchorage, he attended High School and formed a band with new friends Ben Saylor (guitar), Hayden Straight (bass), and Ryan Lettey (vocals & guitar). Sinister played drums for the band, but not on a drum set, but by tapping the beats on the keys using the drum kits off the Roland XP-80 and E-16 keyboards. Ben introduced SM to “Impulse Tracker”, an audio sequencing program for MS-DOS. This was the Minister's first step into electronic music making. In 1998, he moved to Miami. Here he finished High School and started attending music classes at MDCC with future band-mate the_tenstrip. SM introduced Tenstrip to his unique track making style and Tenstrip invited him to the studio for a jam session. Impressed with his playing style and overall good vibe, Tenstrip and Raiden asked him to join Flight-4-Twenty. Now, F-4-T is complete, and the Sinister one is ready. The stage is his playground, and the audience is the fuel that fires his soul.

the_tenstrip- Tenstrip, born and raised in Miami, has been performing music since his early teens playing trumpet and other horns with the concert band at the Middle School where he attended. In college at MDCC, he studied music theory and composition along with now band-mate Pyroz. There he learned how to apply traditional composition techniques to the technical aspect of making electronic music. In 2003, he graduated from the SAE Institute where he furthered his education in audio and was introduced to the world of record producing and high-end audio gear. Ever since, he has been honing his skills in production as well as in performance.

Raiden- Raiden, also born and raised in Miami, basically grew up around music. At the age of twelve, he played percussion in a salsa band with his father, a classical guitar player. Never formally trained in any instrument, Raiden taught himself by “playing by ear”, imitating beats on his drum set from songs that he would hear on the radio. Growing up in a musical household, he developed his talent, making a lot of noise with whatever instrument he could get his hands on. Musical influences vary, from bands to individual musicians. If it’s edgy, soulful, or just simply breathtaking, he loves and studies it. He doesn’t see music as notes, in a certain key, in a time signature, running at a certain tempo. To Raiden, music is a language, a form of communication, and a way to evoke people’s emotions through sonic art.

In 2005, the F-4-T pilots plan to keep busy by playing more shows, perfecting their performances in the studio and bringing to the stage a tighter, more explosive show, thus widening their fan base. Fresh out of their first Ultra performance, the guys plan to keep performing, venturing out to other locations in Florida and the Southeast U.S. Also for the '05, F-4-T plan to release their first album. The album will feature eight original songs, some cover/remixes from Coldplay, Busta Rhymes, James Brown, as well as tracks recorded live from some of their performances.