Breakbeats, Drum N Bass, & Trip Hop - My Top 10 Tracks
Apr 24 '01
The Bottom Line If you are interested in listening to any of the tracks on this list or on my others lists (Techno, Trance), contact me.
Breaks, based predominantly in drums, percussion, and bass, is a fusion of re-arranged, sped up old school hip hop beats with the futuristic edge of techno and electronic music. Unlike the 4/4 beats (doo, doo, doo, doo), breaks aka breakbeat chops up, loops, and mixes beats to create a matrix of quarter or less count combinations (bauda cha chink doo)...if you have a better way to describe the sound of a beat, please do leave a comment.
Despite the commonality of the modification of beats into breaks, the skilled musician adds a personalized artistry to their tracks by incorporating different instruments and background styles.
I have left out modern Jungle (darkest, hardest, and fastest with a Raggae influence) tracks, a significant sub-genre of breaks, because I don’t keep up with Jungle as closely and therefore cannot competently recommend anything. The only Jungle mixed tape I can recommend with confidence is “Wake Up L.A.” by the amazingly talented, R.A.W. I remember when Jungle started to hit the L.A. rave scene and people didn’t know how to dance to it. Jungle, at first listen, sounds really fast, but there’s an underlying rhythm that can be found that’s actually slower than most songs.
If I’ve completely confused you, the best way to understand is to listen. Next to each title I’ve added what specific genre (Techno Breaks, Drum N Bass, Trip Hop, Jungle) the track best exemplifies.
Acen – Trip II the Moon (Jungle, Techno Breaks)
Acen Ravzi from Tottenham, UK has orchestrated some of the best rave tracks of all time. His 1992 release, “Close Your Eyes,” is considered one of the best Techno tracks (I listed it as #1 on my old school Techno list). Trip to the Moon is a sampled smorgasbord featuring film composer John Barry’s sped up version of "Space Theme: Capsule in Space" from the Bond flick, You Only Live Twice. Split between left and right audio outs, electronic chirps, beeps, and a blaring, warbling whoosh noises give the track a trippy effect along with furious, but danceable ruffneck breakbeat. Samples “Take me higher…I can’t believe this feeling,” truly add to the tune’s astronomical qualities. Trip II the Moon has several versions including Parts 2-3, remixes, and a rumored re-release as Part 2001.
Also Recommended: Close Your Eyes, Obsession, Window in the Sky, Life & Crimes of a Ruffneck.
Orca – 4am (Techno Breaks)
This song brings back many good memories of raving in Los Angeles during the early 90’s. Midnight, I’d get ready, putting on my baggy pants, Sjobeck cap, Adidas sneakers, and a cute, brightly-colored tank top. Around 2am we’d get to the party, those like Citrusonic, No Doz, or What? and dance throughout the night. Finally, while everyone was asleep in their beds, I’d stumble out of the warehouse and my bloodshot saw perfection: a shimmering L.A. skyline at dawn. Now to the song…
4am starts out with a kicking, tweaked-out breakbeat, repeatedly running forward then backwards. Suddenly, a penetrating piano section takes over. A girl sings “It’s 4 o’clock in the morning and it’s starting to get light.” A sampled, forceful “Uh” dances around the wickedly quick breaks.
Aphrodite & Mickey Finn – Bad A$$ (Drum N Bass)
With a warbling rhythm, hectic bassline, and angry urban rap, this track is bad a$$. “The man controls the day, but we will control the night” and “Send out the message, Watts Riots” are the two samples used for this song of urban revolt. Police sirens blare in the background while a dark, heavy bass ricochets like a rhythmic machine gun.
Aphrodite’s Gavin King has skillfully remixed hip hop songs with a jungle edge including Warren G’s “This DJ,” Pharcyde’s “Passing Me By,” the Luniz' "I Got Five on It," and “No Diggity” by Blackstreet.
DJ Shadow – Midnight in a Perfect World (Trip Hop)
With a trancey, ambient edge, this track mixes a slow trip-hop bassline, melancholy piano melody, and inarticulate floating female vocals. A deep sounding cello and slowly played rock guitar adds to the track’s enigmatic groove. “The clock on the wall reads a quarter past midnight,” raps a deep-voiced male to begin the song. A restrained voice saying “Now approaching midnight” resonates at the end. Midnight is featured on the surreally dreamy, Entroducing, an album created entirely of samples, termed “cut n paste,” by California-based Shadow.
Jonny L – Hurt You So (Techno Breaks)
When people recommended this song to me, I put off getting it because the title sounds like some cheezy house tune. Then I finally got it – I love it! A female voice sped up to sound girly sings "Don't you know I love it, baby, when it hurts you so" throughout the track. Electronic synth riffs and tinkering Atari beeps blend with playful breakbeats. Jonny L. aka Jonny Listners composed this blissful breakbeat tune back in 1992 and since has gone on to darker drum n bass including a track with Deee Lite’s Lady Kier.
Omni Trio – Mainline (Drum N Bass)
Omni Trio aka Robert Haigh fuses a solid breakbeat with blues vocals and downtempo organ riffs. A muted trumpet adds to the rolling, but unhurried tempo. Mainline is a compelling mix of fast breaks and a soulful electronic melody meant more for hearing than dancing. Mainline is featured on the amazing 1995 Drum N Bass album, Music for the Next Millennium.
Also recommended: Renegade Snares and Living for the Future.
Roni Size – Brown Paper Bag (Jungle, Drum N Bass)
Size has become the current, respected guru of jungle and drum n bass by spicing up his beats with jazz and soulful rap. Brown Paper Bag combines guitars, bass, and swirling electronica under modern jazz vocals and heavy, intelligent rap. The track, like many of Size’s music, has a lush groove to accompany the fast, harsh percussion and deep bass. Size scored a recent hit with the single Ultra Obscene, released under Breakbeat Era / Reprazent composed of Size, DJ Krust, Die, Suv, MC Dynamite, and vocalist Onallee.
Prodigy – Out of Space (Jungle, Techno Breaks)
I’m not a huge fan of today’s Prodigy, but I think the older Prodigy stuff is much more interesting and innovative. Out of Space mixes Raggae, a tripped-out techno anthem, hip hop scratching, and a solid breakbeat. “I’ll take your brain to another dimension…pay close attention,” is one sampled mantra. With a boing noise, a rasta sounding sample by Max Romeo declares, “I'm gonna send you to outer space, to find another race.”
Also Recommended: Everybody in the Place, Your Love, Ruff in the Jungle
DJ Krome + Mr. Time – This Sound is for the Underground (Techno Breaks)
Krome + Time are respected drum n bass musicians and I found it difficult to choose between This Sound and The Slammer. Since the Slammer is a bouncing, happy tune and I have many of those on my list, I chose this darker track. This Sound starts out minimally with some choppy breakbeat then hits with a frantic rave rhythm. A woman belts a yearning call while the sampled title reminds the listener where electronic music came from. This was the song that had kids putting their heads in the bassbin to be wholly submerge by the sounds.
Also Recommended: The Slammer, Non Stop Rocking, License
Massive Attack featuring Portishead– Tear Drop (Trip Hop)
The slowest, most downtempo track on my list - For the cerebral listener. Really a beautiful, poetic gem that I came across recently. Elizabeth Frazer, from Cocteau Twins, sings a melancholy yet sensual prose (below) over a dusty dub groove of slight breaks and atmospheric organ harmonics. Trip Hop musician, Tricky, was once a member of UK’s Massive Attack. Portishead is known for their moody hit, Sour Times.
Lyrics
Love, love is a verb
Love is a doing word
Fearless on my breath
Gentle impulsion
Shakes me makes me lighter
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath
Nine night of matter
Black flowers blossom
Fearless on my breath
Black flowers blossom
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath
Water is my eye
Most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire of a confession
Fearless on my breath
Most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath
Stumbling a little
Stumbling a little
Almost but not quite:
Brothers Grimm- Exodus, Field of Dreams
Dust Brothers (now known as Chemical Brothers) – My Mercury Mouth
Breakbeat Era– Ultra Obscene
D’Cruze – Life
Origin Unknown – Valley of the Shadows
DJ Huda Hudia - Can You Feel It?
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