Breakbeat facts for kids

Breakbeat (also called breaks) is a type of electronic music that uses a special kind of rhythm. This rhythm is made from short parts of drum solos, called "breaks," taken from other songs. The name "breakbeat" also refers to these unique drum rhythms themselves.

The Story of Breakbeat Music

Breakbeats have been used in music for a long time, even almost a hundred years ago. But the modern idea of breakbeat music started in the United States in the 1980s with hip hop music. DJs (Disc Jockeys) would use turntables to play and repeat the drum "breaks" from songs.

Later, in the late 1980s, breakbeat music became very popular in the United Kingdom as part of the early rave music scene. People added breakbeats to their music, creating a style called breakbeat hardcore. Even though the UK rave scene helped make breakbeat famous, American hip hop DJs were already using these drum breaks in their instrumental sets before rave music began. You could say that both places helped breakbeat music grow at the same time.

Today, breakbeat sounds are still used in many different types of music. You can hear them in hip hop, drum and bass, hardcore techno, and UK garage music, like 2-step garage and dubstep. Since the 1990s, breakbeat has also been used as background music in TV adverts and in action film soundtracks.

Why Is It Called "Breakbeat"?

The name "breakbeat" most likely comes from how the drum parts were used. DJs would find a part of a song where all the other instruments stopped, leaving just the drums. This part was called a "break". DJs would then "sample" (record and reuse) these drum breaks and repeat them to create a new rhythm.

In the early 1990s, artists making acid house music started using these sampled breakbeats. This led to the creation of breakbeat hardcore, which was also known as rave music. Over time, the hardcore scene grew into other styles like jungle and drum and bass. These new styles often had a darker sound and focused more on complex drum patterns made from samples. A famous example is Goldie's album Timeless.

How Breakbeat Music Grew

In the 1980s, breakbeats became a key part of many dance music styles around the world. These included big beat, nu skool breaks, acid breaks, and Miami bass.

DJs who play different kinds of music often include breakbeat tracks in their sets. This is because breakbeat songs usually have a tempo (speed) that ranges from 110 to 150 beats per minute. This makes them easy to mix with many other music genres.

Some artists who are well-known for using breakbeats include Afrika Bambaataa, Whodini, Davy DMX, Deekline, Dynamix II, 2 Live Crew, Cybotron, Nubreed, Hybrid, Phil K, Dirty Harry, NAPT, DJ Icey, Stanton Warriors, FreQ Nasty, Krafty Kuts, Freestylers, K-Swing, Soul Of Man, DJ Sharaz, Annie Nightingale and the performance group Lucent Dossier Experience.

You can hear breakbeats in many hip hop, jungle, and hardcore techno songs. They also appear in other popular music and even in background music for commercials on the radio or TV.

The "Amen Break"

The Amen Break is a very famous drum break from a song called "Amen, Brother" by The Winstons. Many people think it's one of the most used and sampled drum breaks in music history. It was first used in the song "King of the Beats" by Mantronix. Since then, it has appeared in thousands of other songs.

Other popular drum breaks come from James Brown's songs Funky Drummer (1970) and Give it Up or Turnit a Loose. Another famous one is from The Incredible Bongo Band's 1973 cover of "Apache" by The Shadows. And don't forget Lyn Collins' 1972 song "Think (About It)".

Using Samples and Copyright

As breakbeat music became more popular and digital music samplers became common, some companies started selling "breakbeat packages." These packages contained many breakbeat samples from different songs and artists. Sometimes, these samples were used without the original artist's permission or even their knowledge.

For example, The Winstons own the copyright to the "Amen Break." However, a company called Zero-G Limited released a "jungle construction kit" with hundreds of audio samples. One of these samples seemed to be an exact copy of the Amen Break, just sped up a little. Zero-G Limited initially claimed they owned the copyright for their product. But when they found out that someone else might own the copyright for that specific sample, they removed it from their product. The Winstons have not received royalties (payments) for other people using samples of the break from their original song. This shows how important it is to get permission when using parts of other people's music.

Types of Breakbeat Music

Big Beat

Big beat is a term that started in the mid-1990s in the British music press. It describes music made by artists like The Prodigy, Cut La Roc, Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, and Propellerheads. This style often combines breakbeats with other electronic sounds and strong bass lines.

Acid Breaks

In electronic music, "acid breaks" is a mix of breakbeat and other forms of electronic dance music. Its drum rhythm usually sounds like most breakbeat music. However, it often doesn't have the strong kick drum sound found in other electronic dance music. One of the first electronic instruments used to make acid music was the Roland TB-303 synthesizer, which creates a unique "acid" sound.

More recently, artists like Champion Breaks have helped bring back this sound. They mainly use Amen breaks, a deep bass sound called "Reese bass," and the special "303 acid lines" to create energetic and sometimes wild acid breaks songs.

See also

In Spanish: Breakbeat para niños