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Blake Jarrell

Background information

Blake Jarrell (born in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American DJ and record producer specializing in progressive house, progressive trance, and melodic techno. He has released over 300 productions on labels including Armada Music, Toolroom Records, Black Hole Recordings, Ultra Music, and UV. He launched the Concentrate Podcast^[1], a monthly radio series, in the late 2000s; it has since evolved into Concentrate Selections^[2], a weekly mix compilation series.

Contents

1. Early life and career
2. Musical style
3. Career
   • New Orleans (2000–2005)
   • Chicago and Armada Music (2005–2010)
   • Continued production, Concentrate Podcast to Concentrate Selections (2010–present)

1. External links

Early life and career

Blake grew up in New Orleans, drawn to the city's underground electronic scene as a teenager. He held early residencies at New Orleans clubs including Ampersand, 735, and the House of Blues, and released his debut track, "Apricot" (3 Beat Breaks, 2004), with production partner Adam "Starkid" Spears. Hurricane Katrina displaced him from New Orleans in August 2005; he relocated to Chicago, reshaping his musical direction.

Musical style

Blake's sound sits at the melodic end of the progressive spectrum: progressive house, progressive trance, and more recently melodic techno and deep house. Early work centered on progressive breakbeats before shifting to melodic trance after his move to Chicago. His productions favor more underground progressive house with layered synths, atmospheric pads, and extended builds.

Career

New Orleans (2000–2005). With Starkid, Blake helped shape a regional progressive breakbeat sound via "Apricot" (3 Beat Breaks, 2004), "Okoboji" (Proton Music, 2005), and "Destin Beach" (Release Grooves, 2005), which drew early support from the progressive breaks community.

Chicago and Armada Music (2005–2010). In Chicago, Blake immersed himself in the city's house, techno, and trance scene, accelerating his shift to melodic progressive trance. Armin van Buuren heard his demos and signed him to Armada Music, opening international distribution and touring access. In 2006, both Armin and Gabriel & Dresden named Blake their "hope for 2007" in DJ Magazine's Top 100 poll, with early support also coming from Tiësto, Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold, and Markus Schulz. John Digweed called him "someone to look out for in the future" — an endorsement Blake has cited as pivotal. His 2009 track "Boracay" (Electronic Elements) became one of his best-known releases, and Armada released his debut two-disc mix compilation during this period.

Continued production, Concentrate Podcast to Concentrate Selections (2010–present). Blake launched the Concentrate Podcast, a monthly two-hour show, in the late 2000s, distributed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, DI.fm, Sense.fm, ProtonRadio.com, and DanceRadio.gr; it has passed 150 episodes as of 2025. The series has since evolved into Concentrate Selections, a weekly mix compilation. In early 2017, Blake was diagnosed with cancer, which led to a 2 year hiatus from performing and releasing; he later returned to production and touring, relaunching the show at listeners' request.[1] Recent label work includes UV (FSOE), Ray of Light, and Mango Alley.

His production work has continued on labels including UV (FSOE), Ray of Light, and Mango Alley, with releases featuring both original tracks and remixes. Notable productions from this period include Twenty Miamis Ago (UV), a track that appeared in his own podcast episode 152 in 2025.

External Links:

• Blake Jarrell official website