Erique Dial

Erique Dial (born May 15, 1958), also known as E-Raze or Raze, is an American musician, producer, and DJ, best known for co-producing the house music classic "Break 4 Love" by Raze in 1988. A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Dial has worked across funk, house, and electronic music since the early 1980s.

Early life Dial was born in Washington, D.C., in 1958 into a musical family. He was influenced early on by jazz, funk, and soul music, and mentored by John C. Freeman, co-writer of the Main Ingredient's "Just Don't Wanna Be Lonely". In the early 1980s, he co-wrote and played keyboards on "You Can Do It" by Vaughan Mason & Butch Dayo, released by Salsoul Records.

He toured with Gil Scott-Heron during the 1980s, performing with the Amnesia Express band.

Career Raze and "Break 4 Love" In 1988, Dial collaborated with funk guitarist and producer Vaughan Mason, who had transitioned into house music under the project name Raze. Dial contributed the signature keyboard sounds, programming, and sampled vocal textures on the single "Break 4 Love". The track became a seminal house anthem, reaching number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in the U.S. and peaking at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Break 4 Love" was re-released several times and has sold millions of copies worldwide. It is widely regarded as a foundational record in the history of house music.

In 1990, Dial co-wrote and produced the follow-up single "All 4 Love (Break 4 Love 1990)", which reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart.

DJ work and later career Performing under the alias DJ E-Raze or Raze, Dial has appeared internationally at venues including La Terrrazza and BLVD in Spain, as well as UK venues like Heaven, Promised Land, and The Garage.

Legacy “Break 4 Love” is considered one of the defining tracks of the house music genre. It was included in the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and has been sampled and covered by numerous artists. In a retrospective by Mixmag, it was described as "a quintessential house record that defined soulful deep house for a generation."