I always loved DJ Premier’s production, and DJ Shadow really inspired me with the use of samples and songs with heavy beats with no MCs.Īt what point did you get into production, and what kind of gear were you using when you started out? I was so obsessed that I even played with pots and pans before I had a proper drum kit so I got the idea of beats and breaks pretty early on. I played the piano from age seven, and drums from about 12–13 years old, and always loved the sound of drums. When did you become aware or know what a breakbeat was? “I was so obsessed that I even played with pots and pans before I had a proper drum kit so I got the idea of beats and breaks pretty early on.” Who better to sit down with for an in-depth look at five essential breaks than the man Break himself? Having earned his stripes on imprints like Ram, Metalheadz, Shogun, Exit, Critical, Soul:r, Eastside and most recently, Playaz, the backbone of each Break tune is a master lesson in creating futuristic music built on the DNA of vintage grooves. It’s from this history that beat junkies like Bristol’s own Break has not only drawn his name from, but built his legacy on. Regardless, it was from this vinyl source that producers would then “sample” or record the “break” into a sampler, where they could then “chop” it into smaller elements, manipulate, shape, stretch, dissect and layer with other breaks and beats to create entirely new rhythms and forms. This was often found in the “breakdown” sections of songs, where the drummer would often get a solo or sometimes there were moments in a song where a simple roll or fill used to bridge one section to another would be enough. From the birth of hip-hop in the 1970s on through to revolutionary forms like breakbeat hardcore, UK garage, jungle and drum & bass, there is no denying that the art of sampling percussion-only breaks from vintage funk and soul records served, and continues to serve, as the raw backbone of entire genres of music.īut what is a breakbeat? In its rawest, classic form, DJs and producers would dig through countless crates of vinyl records, looking for those moments in a song when the percussive breaks or beats of a tune were clean and clear enough to sample.
If we look back at the history of sample-based music, there can be no denying the pivotal role that drum breaks have played in its ongoing evolution.
0 kommentar(er)
