| Florida breaks | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1980s and early 1990s,United States |
| Derivative forms | Acid breaks |
| Regional scenes | |
| |
| Local scenes | |
Florida breaks, which may also be referred to asThe Orlando Sound,Orlando breaks, orThe Breaks, is agenre ofbreakbeatdance music that originated in the central region ofFlorida,United States.[1]Florida Breaks draws onhip-hop,Miami bass andelectro. It often includessamples of earlyjazz orfunkbeats fromrare groove or popular film. It often features vocal elements.[2] Compared to the hip-hop on which it is based,[1] the style is faster, moresyncopated, and has a heavier and unrelenting bassline.[2] The beat frequently slows andbreaks down complex beat patterns and then rebuilds.[2] The genre has been described as being easy to dance to while creating an uplifting, happy, or positive mood in the listener.[2]
The style emerged during the late '80s at theBeacham Theatre in Orlando[2] and gained popularity in the local underground musicsubculture during the city's Summer of Love era, roughly 1989 to 1992.[3][4] Genre pioneerEddie Pappa, influenced by nights spent at the Beacham, honed his skill at The Edge when it opened in 1992. In 1993, it gained prominence state-wide and, propelled by large events at the Edge, elsewhere in the U.S. and Europe.[5]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 Nick Newton's -Planet Acid combines acid, electro, and breakbeat elements for a grittier Florida sound. |
The Breaks influenced producers who mixed breakbeat with progressive and trance, producing a mixture that became known as "The Orlando Sound" or Florida breaks.[5] The sound became popular among DJs and club goers during the mid-1990s. It was marketed internationally as "Orlando friendly."[2]
English breaks DJ and producer Nick Newton released a 1996 recordOrlando.[5]
There is only general consensus on the defining elements of the genre, which spawned regional and preference variations.[2] For example, the Orlando Sound of Central and Northern Florida were influenced bynew beat,trance, andprogressive house sounds. Producers in South Florida and Tampa chose adeep house flavor or retained more of thefunk andhip-hop influence of Miami's "ghetto-bass" or funky breaks.[2][6][7]
The genre received limited local radio play in Central Florida onradio stationsWXXL (106.7 FM)[2] and on college radioWPRK (91.5 FM),[2] as well asWUCF (89.9 FM),WFIT (89.5 FM onSpace Coast), andWMNF (88.5 FM inTampa).[5]
The international and local popularity of Florida breaks began to wane in 2000,[2] though it remains popular in Central Florida.[1][4]
In the 2020s, Florida breaks inspired a new generation of independent producers and performers experimenting with the style’s syncopated percussion and energetic basslines. Artists such as Dino and Lightbulb, active in virtual spaces like VRChat, have cited the influence of Florida’s classic breakbeat scene and labels such as Ravesta Records while developing new events and music under the project name "Rhythm." Their performances and mixes reflect ongoing interest in breakbeat and Florida breaks within both online and physical electronic-music communities, coinciding with a broader resurgence of breakbeat-influenced production across genres like bass house, UK breaks, and electro.[8][9][10][11]
AAHZ at theBeacham Theatre (Orlando),[1] The Edge (Orlando).[1] The Abyss (Orlando),[1] The Club atFirestone (Orlando),[2] The Beach Club (Orlando),[5] Icon (Orlando),[2] Simon's (Gainesville),[12] Marz (Cocoa Beach),[5] The Edge (Fort. Lauderdale),[12] and Masquerade (Tampa).[12]
The AAHZ days, though absolutely foundational, were an elementary phase in the late '80s and early '90s that heavily featured European house sounds. But the breaks – a breakbeat subgenre braided of hip-hop, Miami bass and electro – was the Orlando sound, our original chapter and contribution to the EDM world. And when the breaks surged in the mid '90s, it was the Orlando dance scene at its apex, when we weren't just playing the leading sounds but making and exporting them. When it comes to breaks, the names that really jump out on this heavyweight lineup are Icey and Stylus, the two DJs who actually specialized in the style.{blog of Orlando Weekly's music column}
Collins could not be aware of it at the time, but those Saturday nights -- eventually known as "Aahz"-- would kick-start an underground culture and spawn countless DJ careers. Orlando would never be the same...By 1991-1992, Orlando experienced its own "summer of love" through the culture that sprang up around the weekend acid-house nights at the Beacham Theatre presided over by Collins and Dave Cannalte, and nurtured by Beacham promoter StaceBass...only New York, San Francisco and L.A. had similar scenes, and they were characterized by warehouse parties. Orlando had a headquarters in the heart of its downtown district...From then on the crowds would refer to the Beacham as "Aahz" no matter what the owners called it.
The last thing on DJ and Orlando dance music linchpin Kimball Collins' mind back during the fabled Orlando Summer of Love in the early 1990s was that he would someday be responsible for preserving the legacy of Florida Breaks...Collins explains that this is...a celebration of an era when Orlando was ground zero for a new type of dance music, and a survey of how that music has changed over the years: "Florida, and Central Florida in particular, gravitated heavily to all types of genres that relied on a type of break-beat from electro, techno, freestyle, Miami bass to straight-up U.K. rave breaks. Those influences went on to develop what would soon become the signature 'Florida break-beat sound.' That explains [Orlando audiences'] love of breaks and why we are happy to do another...event celebrating this style"
The 1990s was formative in the electronic dance music awakening of America, and that fire-catching cultural momentum would vault Orlando to the vanguard of it all. As one of the premier global epicenters of the rave big bang, the city found itself on equal footing with not just New York or Los Angeles but also with the trailblazing U.K. scene (English breaks DJ-producer Nick Newton named his 1996 record Orlando), even siring its own sound (Florida breaks).
