Music
10 new breaks acts pushing the sound forward
The breakbeat sound has always been undervalued – but a fresh wave of producers are branching the sound in fresh directions, touching on grime, 4/4 and d'n'b. Get acquainted with the new crop here.
Few things charge up the dance like a breakbeat. Few things have been quite as ubiquitous in electronic music, too. Over the last few years, you'll have found breaks lurking in the shadows of every genre from techno to trap – just as likely to crop up in the thick of a Craig Richards romp as they are in a Bicep blowout.
But you probably already knew that: We already explored breakbeat’s comeback way back in 2015. Now, three years on, a wealth of new-generation breaksmiths are breaking out, each with their own distinctive spin on the sound. “What’s fascinating right now is you have a scene really finding its feet and laying down the foundations for something to be as big as drum'n'bass is today,” considers London-based Echo Knight, an act recently spotted rinsing his broken bass hybrid on bass behemoth UKF’s On Air series.
“On the one side you have artists like AC Slater, Negativ, Barely Royal and Phlegmatic Dogs flying the flag for the lower end style bass and breaks. On the other you have artists such as Holy Goof, FineArt, Chris Lorenzo and Taiki Nulight doing the more 4/4 dancefloor smashers. It’s great to see such a pool of ideas coming together to push one similar sound. It really is reminiscent of the early days of d'n'b, which were years I loved.”
It’s great to see such a pool of ideas coming together to push one similar sound
Knight makes a vital observation: the new breakbeat designs coming through right now are part of a much wider sound. Unlike the previous incarnation of breaks, where rules were imposed by its purist fanbase, this time breakbeats are the engine or fuel helping to power a movement, rather than the chassis or vehicle itself. As such, this style of broken bass music doesn’t have its own name, its own category or its own rules – which allows for much more experimentation.
Rising Manchester duo Figures Of Eighty have a clear view of the scene – not only have the pair released on labels including Punks, Drum WRKS, Broken and their own Torre XVI, but in a former incarnation they were The Magnet Men, giving them a clear view of both breakbeat eras.
“Percussion-wise, breaks in the early 2000s had mostly just a kick and snare approach. While effective, it limited how you could construct a track,” explains WHO?. “Now you can write a track where the drums are a side-note, a whisper even and people will still vibe to it. Or in contrast you can write a track where the break is front and centre. There is no formula.”
This freeform energy can be felt everywhere, as artists from all corners of the genre are moulding, shaping and fusing their own sounds using any type of fractured rhythm they can conjure. There's creativity everywhere – from the dizzying dark jungle designs of Special Request and Akkord to acts such as dubstep murker Hypho, and the more techno-aligned Silas & Snare Surgeon – and the breakbeat is the glue holding it all together. Read on for 10 acts pushing the scene forwards right now.
Echo Knight
Echo Knight has had a busy 18 months, with releases on Saucy, Punks and Broken Syndicate. His sound is an unapologetic blend of thundering 4/4s, rasping bass and a dark, jungle-influenced tone that’s best felt in recent theatrical outings such as Jaws and his rather cheeky bootleg of Riton and Kah-Lo. Last year’s cut Code 1 on Stanton Warriors’ Punks imprint still singes skin at 50 paces, too.
Look out for: His next release Xscape/Games on YosH later in September – then in December, a track called Lost with Lø.
Daze Prism
Daze Prism covers a lot of ground. One minute, the London producer can be found gullying us up with stuttering slammers like Wob, the next he’s wooing us out with twinkling, emotionally-charged progressive outings like Class. His sound often nods to UKG, but it’s clear that Daze Prism is driven by the original breakbeat framework of "anything goes". He's currently working on a more minimal breaks sound, and he promises that plenty more is to follow…
Look out for: A track is forthcoming on the next Southpoint compilation. He’s also currently working on a new EP for Broken.
Movement
Everything you need to know about Brighton bass meddler Movement’s sound can be found across his last two releases – a stinking dark breaks rave homage EP entitled Raindance on his own Dissident Sound label, and his sprightly, jazz-tinged UKG stepper Sunflowaz. These are polar parameters Movement works in and you can find pretty much everything in between, including some rampant jungle (Auto) and a filth-flinging UK funky hybrid in the form of a remix of UKG legend Scott Diaz (Chancery Lane). All that, just in the last few months alone. Movement is living up to his name.
Look out for: A UKG EP on Southpoint in October, a jungle EP on Boomsha Recordings and more material under his Heritage alias on Dissident Sound.
Zander
While a great deal of the new breakbeat movement is driven by jungle influences, Broken co-boss Zander has continually reminded us of the much more emotive and evocative potential to be found in busted drum fusions. Tracks such as Show Me and CryCry – both recorded with long-time friend and collaborator Taylor – take on much heavier and more poignant atmospheres, comparable to what’s happening in wave and vaporwave circles. He’s also not afraid of slightly slower, sludgier grooves either – see Gun Check, his 120 BPM twist on Nas’s Life’s A Bitch.
Look out for: A series of remixes on Broken, a possible collaboration EP with Isenberg on Stranger’s Tons & Tons label and a hard hitter called FTTB (Front To The Back) coming on his own Prime.
Left / Right
Dallas don Chris Lund has been lurking in the shadows since the original breakbeat chapter in the late 2000s and has pushed the scene forward as a promoter for many years as well as being one of the most versatile and exciting acts in the broken/4x4 bass axis. He co-runs Broken Music Syndicate with Zander, and his work can be found on some impressively big labels, such as Claude VonStroke’s mothership imprint Dirtybird and Insomniac’s In/Rotation and Monstercat. Dive deep into the emotional abyss of Fall, or check out Wow, a track that’s not dissimilar to Orbital in its sense of drama, fun and energy.
Look out for: A forthcoming release on Deadmau5’s Mau5trap in October and plenty more thereafter.
Hypho
Hypho's sound is a rich tapestry, with techno and dubstep entwined in his stern, stripped-back sagas. The Manchester producer has released on most of the usual suspect labels such as Punks, 877, Four40 and Jelly Bean Farm, and has a futuristic sound that’s warped, spacious and unpredictable. His recent cuts tell you everything you need to know. Particle Project, with Phrixus, mixes up techno, grime and dubstep with a distinctly Manchester feel, while Trench subverts the classic electro aesthetic with jittering kicks and eerie, extra-terrestrial textures.
Look out for: The Narrow EP on Encrypted Audio, the Edge EP on Miracle Drug Recordings and collaborations with Squane and Biome.
Negativ
London/Warsaw duo Negativ have been lurking in the low end shadows for five years, but it was their bone-rattling track Stealth on My Nu Leng’s 2016 Fabriclive mix that placed them right on the frontline. With a sound taking in glacial electro textures, rolling techno and the type of stripped back, sub-stacked 808 jams that Bassbin Twins used to excel at 10 to 15 years ago, you'll find their records in the collections of tech and bassline fans. As their latest track Missin' hints, there’s a touch of grime in their sound, too.
Look out for: Before the year is out, a single with MC J Casa on vocal duties. They describe it as "a grime and breaks hybrid" and they’re working on a B-side as you read this…
Figures Of Eighty
Formerly known as The Magnet Men, Adam Relf and Ned Woodman made their name in the late 2000s releasing on cult breaks labels such as Hardcore Breaks. Now renamed Figures Of Eighty, they've returned with a much darker, innovative contemporary broken sound. They’ve also launched their own label TorreXVI where you can find some of their most inventive broken workouts – such as the recent sci-fi soul steps of The Silk and the hurricane theatrics of Titan.
Look out for: More material with singer/songwriter Cristina Filomina, who collaborated with Figures Of Eighty on Flames.
Inkline
Close compadre with fellow Brighton basssmith Taiki Nulight, Inkline is similarly adept at a bass-burping 4/4 jam. But some of his best stuff so far has happened when he’s applied the breaks. For a glimpse of his sound, try the rusty mechanoid two-step of Sonar, purring vocal roller Crosshatch, or Sickening – a vicious collaboration with another Brighton kindred spirit Tengu and vocalists du jour Dread MC and Grove.
Look out for: A comprehensive four track EP is in the works – watch this space.
Tyler Clacey
Another Broken Syndicate graduate, Tyler Clacey shows off a real split personality, hopping between four-to-the-floor bass house and crystalline breaks. For taste of his breakier side, check the urgent soul and harmonic chimes of Feel Good, or the demonic technoid rolls of The End. Lately, Tyler split his personality a third way, with a new alias – Midnight Phulin – that employs shuffled drum patterns – see the UK funky meets breakbeat twist of Let Me.
Look out for: More material under his Midnight Phulin alias, including a few international collaborations (“they’re badbwoys”).
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