Breakbeat

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This article is about breakbeat, the electronic dance music genre. For the technique and the meaning of the term with hip-hop and funk music see break (music).

Breakbeat
Stylistic origins:	Rave, Techno, Hip-hop, Dancehall
Cultural origins:	mid-1990s, London, Brighton, Bristol
Typical instruments:	Synthesizer - Drum machine - Sequencer - Keyboard - Sampler - Laptop
Mainstream popularity:	Small, largely in late 1990s United Kingdom as well as Florida and Europe. Since the 1990s Florida has been a breeding ground for the breaks scene in the US producing many heavy breaks hitters. Australia has taken up the reputation among the major breaks DJs as the other home of breaks , specifically Sydney. Main room dance floors of clubs will often feature a breaks DJ, to a massive crowd, when the usual combination of House gets boring & old. <tr><th align="left" valign="top">Derivative forms:</th><td valign="top">Big beat</td></tr><tr><th align="center" bgcolor="silver" colspan=2 valign="top">Subgenres</th></tr><tr><td align=center colspan="2" valign="top">2Step - Hardcore - Breakcore - Broken beat - Drill n bass - Drum'n'bass - Grime - Jungle - Nu skool breaks - Techstep</td></tr><tr><th align="center" bgcolor="silver" colspan=2 valign="top">Other topics</th></tr><tr><td align=center colspan="2" valign="top">Notable breakbeat artists</td></tr>

Breakbeat (sometimes breakbeats or breaks) is a term used to describe a collection of sub-genres of electronic music, usually characterized by the use of a non-straighted 4/4 drum pattern (as opposed to the steady beat of house or trance). These rhythms may be characterised by their intensive use of syncopation and polyrhythms, which are prominent in all music of African origin, including African American music.

[edit] History

In the 1970s, hip-hop DJs (starting with DJ Kool Herc) began using several breaks (the part of a funk or jazz song in which the music "breaks" to let the rhythm section play unaccompanied) in a row to use as the rhythmic basis for hip-hop songs. One of the most commonly-used breaks was the Amen Break, which has appeared in many songs from many different genres.

In the early 1990s, acid house artists and producers started using breakbeat samples in their music to create Hardcore breakbeat, aka rave music. The hardcore scene then diverged into sub-genres like Jungle and Drum and Bass, which generally had a darker sound and focused more on complex sampled drum patterns. A good example of this is Goldie's album 'Timeless'.

Other more popular genres also became combined with breakbeats. One album which demonstrates the cross between breakbeat and Rock/Metal is The Prodigy's Music for the Jilted Generation. Many such fusions are thought of as the big beat genre.

"Amidst the Raindrops" (file info) — play in browser (beta)

A clip of progressive breaks music.

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Problems playing the files? See media help. </li> </ul> </div> </div> In recent times, the term breakbeat has become synonymous with the many genres of breaks music which have become popular within the global dance music scene, including nu skool breaks and progressive breaks. DJs from a variety of genres, including house and techno, work breaks tracks into their sets. This may occur because the tempo of breaks tracks (ranging from 115 to 150 beats per minute) means they can be readily mixed with these genres, whereas the comparatively fast speed of jungle and drum and bass (165-180 bpm) may have restricted the utility of these subgenres to DJs playing slower-tempo music. Breakbeat (or funky breakbeat) may also refer to the music of bands such as Breakestra, who play funk and soul music with an emphasis on the elements that became popular in hip-hop and later breaks-based music. This sound is characterized by slower tempos (80-110 bpm) and organic, "human" rhythms. It is sometimes differentiated by the term "broken beat".

[edit] Artists

[edit] See also

Big beat

Breakbeat/Breaks
2Step - Big beat - Breakcore - Broken beat - Drill n bass - Florida - Hardcore - Hardcore Breaks - Nu skool - Progressive
Other electronic music genres
Ambient \| Breakbeat \| Dance \| Drum and bass \| Electronica \| Electronic art music \| Hard dance \| Hardcore \| House \| Industrial \| Synthpop \| Techno \| Trance