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| breakbeat | |
|---|---|
| Name | breakbeat |
| Cultural origins | 1970s New York City, Bronx, Harlem |
| Derivative forms | jungle music, drum and bass, big beat, UK garage |
| Fusion genres | hip hop, funk, electronic dance music |
breakbeat Breakbeat is an electronic music approach that centers on syncopated, sampled drum patterns derived from funk, soul, and R&B recordings. It evolved as DJs and producers in urban centers manipulated percussive breaks to create rhythmic variation for dancing, improvisation, and production. The form influenced multiple popular and underground movements, intersecting with scenes fostered by labels, clubs, and radio programs.
Breakbeat is defined by its emphasis on looped or rearranged drum breaks, non-four-on-the-floor rhythms, and variable tempos that range across dancefloor and listening contexts. Producers and DJs such as DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, J Dilla, and Madlib manipulated breaks from records by artists like James Brown, The Winstons, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, and Curtis Mayfield to create syncopation, ghost notes, and swing. The sound is characterized by chopped snares, layered kick drums, shuffled hi-hats, and timbral processing often applied by studios and labels such as Tommy Boy Records, Def Jam Recordings, Stones Throw Records, Warp Records, and Ninja Tune.
Origins trace to 1970s Bronx block parties, sound systems, and radio shows where DJs extended percussive sections from funk and soul records by performers like James Brown, Bobby Byrd, The Isley Brothers, and Funkadelic. Innovators including DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa used turntables and mixers associated with venues such as CBGB and institutions like WBLS and KISS FM to popularize break-focused techniques. The technique spread through scenes in London, Manchester, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit, linking to movements around labels and events including Mo' Wax, Rage parties, Heaven club nights, The Hacienda, and festivals like Glastonbury Festival and Sonar Festival.
Breakbeat spawned diverse subgenres and related styles. Early forms fed into hip hop and funk-influenced tracks from artists on Sugar Hill Records and Def Jam Recordings. UK-adjacent developments produced big beat artists connected to Skint Records and acts like The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy, and Orbital. Heavier, faster variants evolved into jungle music and drum and bass scenes with pioneers such as Goldie, LTJ Bukem, Roni Size, Shy FX, and labels like Metalheadz and Hospital Records. Downtempo and experimental strains intersected with trip hop—artists and labels including Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead, and Mo' Wax—while break-influenced UK garage and 2-step involved parties and stations like Rinse FM and Kiss FM.
Production emphasizes sampling, editing, layering, and time-stretching of breaks originally captured on records by crews including The Funk Brothers, The J.B.'s, Stax Records session players, and others. Producers use hardware and software from makers such as Akai MPC, Roland, Ensoniq, Ableton Live, Propellerhead Reason, Steinberg Cubase, and Logic Pro to chop, quantize, and resample loops. Legal and commercial contexts involved publishers, collectives, and lawsuits citing entities like EMI, Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and publishers connected to cases affecting sampling practice. Techniques include layering multiple breaks, parallel compression, EQ by engineers associated with studios like Electric Lady Studios, pitch-shifting favored by producers such as Prince Paul, and granular processing employed by experimental artists tied to Warp Records.
Breakbeat affected club culture, radio programming, and mainstream pop through crossover success on charts tracked by institutions such as Billboard and broadcasts on networks including BBC Radio 1 and MTV. Scenes formed around clubs, pirate radio stations, and festivals—examples include Fabric, Ministry of Sound, Rough Trade, BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, and SXSW—shaping youth subcultures, fashion, and dance forms. Critical reception varied across publications like NME, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Pitchfork, and The Wire, and academic inquiry appeared in journals allied with universities such as New York University and Goldsmiths, University of London addressing issues of race, technology, and urban culture.
Key pioneers and tracks include early break-users and producers: DJ Kool Herc sets, Grandmaster Flash recordings, Afrika Bambaataa releases, James Brown breaks sampled on records, and sampled classics like The Winstons' "Amen, Brother". Important producers and acts spanning eras include Jungle Brothers, Coldcut, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy, Goldie, Roni Size, LTJ Bukem, Dillinja, Shy FX, Aphrodite (musician), Plump DJs, Dieselboy, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Bomb the Bass, Leftfield, Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead, Squarepusher, Aphex Twin, Mr. Scruff, Steinski, Prince Paul, Madlib, J Dilla, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Q-Tip, The Dust Brothers, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Run-DMC, Naughty by Nature, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Mobb Deep, and The Chemical Brothers' singles and albums that featured break-derived rhythms. Landmark tracks with notable sampled breaks include songs that circulated on labels like Mo' Wax, Skint Records, XL Recordings, and 4AD.
Live practice revolves around turntablism, beat juggling, and hybrid DJ/producer sets in clubs, warehouses, and festivals where performers use gear from Technics, Pioneer DJ, Akai, and controllers running Serato DJ or Traktor. Battles and showcases at venues such as Red Bull Music Academy, DMC World DJ Championships, Boiler Room, FACT stages, and club nights at Fabric and Ministry of Sound spotlight techniques pioneered by figures like Grandmaster Flash, DJ Qbert, A-Trak, Cut Chemist, and DJ Shadow. Live bands and electronic ensembles combine sampled breaks with live percussion in contexts involving orchestras and collectives tied to institutions such as Royal Albert Hall and city festivals like Glastonbury Festival.
Category:Music genres