| Breakcore | |
|---|---|
A breakcore sample | |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Mid-1990s, Australia, Europe, UK |
| Subgenres | |
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| Other topics | |
Breakcore is a style ofelectronic dance music that emerged fromjungle,hardcore, anddrum and bass in the mid-to-late 1990s.[1][2] It is characterized by very complex and intricatebreakbeats and a wide palette ofsampling sources played at high tempos.
As the early days of "hardcore techno" or just "hardcore" began to settle in Europe, breakcore as a genre began to take more concrete forms in other parts of the world. Inspired by new labels such as Addict, from Milwaukee, US; Peace Off from Rennes, France; Sonic Belligeranza from Bologna, Italy; andPlanet Mu, from London, it began to take a new shape, adding in more elements ofmashup andIDM[4] to the hardcore sounds. Each of these labels began to draw in aspects of their own social and aesthetic scenes, allowing for an even broader definition of what was possible in the music.
In Europe, the breakcore genre was solidified by raves and club events such as Belgium's Breakcore Gives Me Wood,[5] featuring local acts such asUndaCova and Sickboy; Breakcore A Go Go, in the Netherlands, which was run by FFF and Bong-Ra; as well as Anticartel, inRennes, the seat of PeaceOff, and later,Wasted[5] in Berlin and Bangface in London.
Breakcore has been subject to changing and branching. Many newer breakcore artists (such asMochipet etc.) focus on melodic progressions and complex drum programming while other artists still focus on distorted hardcore breakbeats and dark-edged musical influences (such asheavy metal andindustrial). The artistVenetian Snares has produced breakcore blended with elements ofclassical music.[6][7] Other artists such asShitmat, Sickboy,DJ Scotch Egg, andDrop the Lime[8] take another direction towards mash-up,happy hardcore, andrave to make a lighter, more humorous sound. The rise ofChiptune music has also blended with breakcore with artists such asTarmvred. The UKfree party scene has also expressed a large interest in producing and distributing its own takes on breakcore, with crews and labels such as Life4land, Hekate, Headfuk, and Bad Sekta helping to push the scene and sound forward, as well as bringing over a number of international artists to play at their parties and club nights. Breakcore is steadily gaining in popularity, and aspiring artists are found scattered across the Internet.[9]
Sociologist Andrew Whelan notes thatVenetian Snares has become "synonymous with breakcore such that alternative styles are being sidelined."[10] He adds that breakcore is the best example of a music genre whose development is intrinsically linked to online and peer-to-peer distribution.[11]
In the 2020s breakcore underwent a revival, bringing with it a noticeably different sound than the music produced in the 1990s and 2000s. According toBandcamp Daily writer James Gui, 2020s breakcore is nostalgic, atmospheric, and sentimental, and grew out of thedigital hardcore scene of the 2010s. It is accompanied by an aesthetic that draws fromvideo games,anime, andinternet culture with artists such asMachine Girl andGoreshit being influential to the revival's aesthetic and sound.[12]
The most defining characteristic of breakcore is the drum work, which is often based on the manipulation of theAmen break[13] and other classic jungle and hip-hop breaks at highBPM. The techniques applied to achieve this differ from musician to musician, some preferring to cut up and rearrange the breaks, while others merely distort and loop breaks or apply various effects such as delay and chorus to alter the break's timbre.
Melodically, there is nothing that defines breakcore. Classic rave sounds such asacid bass lines,Hoovers and Reese bass are common, but breakcore is mostly known for sampling sounds from all over the musical spectrum to accommodate the frantic and fast-paced nature of the rhythm section. Around the turn of the century, more and more breakcore musicians began employing traditional synthesis techniques to compose elaborate melodies and harmonies. There are a growing number of musicians who make use of recorded live instrumentation in their music, such as Istari Lasterfahrer,Hecate,Benn Jordan, Ruby My Dear, Qüatros,Venetian Snares,Drumcorps, andIgorrr.
According toSimon Reynolds ofThe New York Times, "purveyed by artists likeDJ/Rupture and Teamshadetek, the [breakcore] music combines rumbling bass lines, fidgety beats and grainyragga vocals to create a home-listening surrogate for the 'bashment' vibe of a Jamaican sound system party. Others within the breakcore genre, like Knifehandchop,Kid606 and Soundmurderer, hark back to rave's own early days, their music evoking the rowdy fervor of a time when huge crowds flailed their limbs to a barrage of abstract noise and convulsive rhythm. It's a poignant aural mirage of a time when techno music was made for the popular vanguard rather than aconnoisseurial elite, as it is today."[14]
Raggacore is a style of music derived fromragga jungle that somewhat predates breakcore, characterized byragga anddancehall rhythms and vocals.[15] Its roots can arguably be traced back tojungle producer Remarc, who was one of the first producers to mix ragga and dancehall vocals with chaotic and intricately rearranged break beats. While only a few producers primarily work in the style, it still has a sizable following among breakcore fans. Notable releases in this style include those by Aaron Spectre and Bong-Ra.[2]
The term "mashcore" was coined by English breakcore artistShitmat to describe his music such as his track "There’s No Business Like Propa’ Rungleclotted Mashup Bizznizz".[16][17] Mashcore primarily draws from themashup[17][18] genre of music and shows an irreverence towards the idea that free or pirated music is worthless.[19]
In London, DJ Scud co-founded Ambush Records in 1997 with fellow producer Aphasic to focus on more extremenoise-oriented hardcoredrum and bass. Some artists released on Ambush are Christoph Fringeli, Slepcy,The Panacea, and Noize Creator. "Scud and Nomex tracks like 'Total Destruction' helped create the blueprint for much of breakcore's sound, a high-bpm mash-up of hyperkinetic, post-jungle breaks, feedback, noise, and Jamaican elements paired with a devil-may-care attitude towards sampling that pulls from the broadest musical spectrum of styles (hip-hop, rock, industrial, pop, and beyond)."[5]
At the same time,Bloody Fist Records based inNewcastle, Australia, released many records ofhardcore/gabber,industrial, and noise. Artists signed to Bloody Fist in its lifetime include Syndicate, Xylocaine, Epsilon andNasenbluten. Label founder Mark Newlands said, in 1997, "I think that the uncomfortableness also comes from a reaction towards the mainstream and popular culture that's constantly shoved down our throats, that's forced on the people via television, radio, mass media, etc. I think that also fuels the fire and keeps the aggressiveness there and the uncomfortableness."[20] Newlands described their music as products of "cut'n'paste mentality" and an industrial environment.[21] In herExperimental Music, Gail Priest credits the label as recognized globally for its contributions to the breakcore genre,[22][23] and for spurring its 1990s development.[21] The Bloody Fist sound became breakcore from what was the noise genre, with added elements of highbeats per minute and "extreme", thick, low-fi textures".[23] By way of example,Nasenbluten's 1996Fuck Anna Wood exemplified this style with controversialpublic affairsaudio samples collaged into dialogue atopearly hardcore beats.[23]
Formed in 1994,Digital Hardcore Recordings released music by artists such asAlec Empire, Shizuo,Atari Teenage Riot,EC8OR, and Bomb20, shaping the breakcore sound.[5] This label is also responsible fordigital hardcore, a genre developed simultaneously to breakcore. The Alec Empire albumThe Destroyer is often noted as the first breakcore album.[by whom?]
English producer Shoebill has noted thatautism, and especially its interaction withgender identity, has influenced "almost everyone" they know in the breakcore scene.[24]
Vice magazine compared the genre to the types of music used duringGuantanamo Bay interrogations,[2] and has also stated that reizokore sounds like "a new genre of dubstep made with chainsaws and Ritalin".[25]
Tigerbeat 6 were just one node in an international network of breakcore — labels like Broklyn Beats, Irritant, Mashit, Cock Rock Disco, producers like Spreedranch Janksy, Hrvatski, V/Vm, knife-hand-chop, Donna Summer.
Ironically, the scene started as an offshoot of IDM, a.k.a. 'Intelligent Dance Music'.
Whelan focuses on three practices that he describes as "shibboleths," or "terms indicative of social location or origin, the use of which therefore serves to distinguish between groups" (p.14). These are the use of 1) nigga/nigger (Chapter 5); 2) gay/ghey (Chapter 7), and 3) the "Amen break" (Chapter 8), a widely sampled drum break from The Winstons' 1969 hit, "Amen Brother".
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Media related toBreakcore at Wikimedia Commons