Breaks

Putting The Science Into Music

Breaks developed as a club-focused branch of breakbeat music during the 1990s, built on syncopated drum patterns rather than the steady four-to-the-floor rhythm of house and techno. The style drew from hip hop, electro, funk, acid house, techno and the breakbeat-based sounds of British rave culture.

Early scenes formed around regional styles such as Florida breaks, funky breaks and progressive breaks. Producers combined sampled or programmed drums with electronic basslines, synthesiser sequences, vocal fragments and effects suited to club sound systems.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, nu skool breaks brought heavier bass, more detailed production and influences from electro, UK garage and drum and bass. Labels including Botchit & Scarper, Marine Parade and Finger Lickin' connected the sound with clubs and DJs in Britain and overseas.

Artists including Rennie Pilgrem, Adam Freeland, Hybrid, Plump DJs, Stanton Warriors and Freestylers became closely associated with different corners of the Breaks scene. Their music ranged from melodic progressive productions to harder tracks built on distorted bass and sharply edited drums.

Breaks later overlapped with bass music, dubstep, electro house and newer forms of UK club music, while keeping its broken rhythmic foundation throughout. The category now covers several club styles linked by syncopated percussion, prominent bass and arrangements built for movement outside a conventional straight house beat.

At Scientific Sound Asia, breaks is a defining feature of Ministry Of Breaks, with further appearances on Mixtape Addict and Boom Bap Show.