| Breakcore | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Hardcore techno Drum and Bass Digital hardcore Industrial music Noise music IDM |
| Cultural origins | Mid-'90s Germany, United Kingdom. |
| Typical instruments | Personal computer, Keyboard, synthesizer, drum machine, sequencer, sampler |
| Mainstream popularity | Low; cult following, but with a recent rise in popularity in the '00s, particularly Europe. |
| Subgenres | |
| Raggacore | |
| Other topics | |
| Power noise | |
Breakcore is a style of electronic dance music largely influenced by hardcore techno, drum and bass and industrial music that is characterized by its use of heavy kick drums, breaks and a wide pallet of sampling sources, played at high tempos.
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Breakcore is hard to accurately describe as musicians and djs like Electric Kettle, Drop the Lime, Christoph Fringeli and Dj Balli have argued that breakcore is a catch-all term that encompasses various related, though different styles of electronic music that are related through mindset or aesthetics rather than sound. Regardless, there seems to be a common element of aggression or chaos, unconventional song structures and sudden shifts of rhythm in breakcore music. Perhaps the most defining characteristic of breakcore is the drum work which more often than not is based on the manipulation of the Amen break and other classic jungle and hip-hop breaks in high BPM. 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. Distorted Roland TR-909 bass drum sounds aren't uncommon either, which has led to breakcore, either mockingly or affectionately, to be referred to as "gabber kicks and Amen breaks". While that formula is prominent in a lot of the music, it is certainly not a necessity, or the end all, be all characteristic of the style.
Melodically, there is nothing that defines breakcore. Classic rave sounds such as Acid 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 Drumcorps, Hecate, Benn Jordan and Venetian Snares.
Raggacore is a type of breakcore that is highly influenced by ragga jungle, a style of music that somewhat predates breakcore, characterized by ragga and dancehall rhythms and vocals. Its roots can arguably be traced back to jungle 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 examples of this style include Bong-Ra, Enduser, Aaron Spectre and FFF.
In London, DJ Scud co-founded Ambush Records with fellow producer Aphasic to focus on more extreme noise-oriented hardcore drum 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)."[1]
At the same time, Bloody Fist Records based in Newcastle, Australia released many records of hardcore/gabber, industrial, and noise. 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."[2] Artists signed to Bloody Fist in its lifetime include Syndicate, Xylocaine, Epsilon and Nasenbluten.
Formed in 1994, Digital Hardcore Recordings released music by artists such as Alec Empire, Patric Catani, Shizuo, Atari Teenage Riot, EC8OR and Bomb20, shaping the breakcore sound.[1] The Alec Empire album The Destroyer is often noted as the first breakcore album.
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, USA; Peace Off from Rennes, France; Sonic Belligeranza from Bologna, Italy; and Planet Mu, from London, began to take a new shape, adding in more elements of mashup and IDM to the hardcore sounds. Each of these labels began to draw in aspects of their own social and aesthetic scenes into their music, allowing for an even broader definition of what was possible in the music.
One of the most controversial issues in breakcore is that of the mere existence of the genre. Because it pulls liberally from other musical genres, there is not a consensus on what is and what is not breakcore, or even over the usefulness of the term itself. Because of the fragmentation, the breakcore scene is not centered in any one geographical location, but is rather scattered into disparate groups. Perhaps the one place where breakcore's "voice" can be heard is virtually, through the internet and various online forums, such as those at C8 and Widerstand (Eiterherd's website, now defunct).
According to Simon Reynolds, of The New York Times, breakcore is "purveyed by artists like DJ/Rupture and Teamshadetek, the music combines rumbling bass lines, fidgety beats and grainy ragga vocals to create a home-listening surrogate for the bashment vibe of a Jamaican sound system party. Others within the breakcore genre, like Knifehandchop, Kid 606 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 a connoisseurial elite, as it is today."[3]
In Europe, the breakcore genre was solidified by raves and club events such as Belgium's Breakcore Gives Me Wood,[1] featuring local acts such as UndaCova, Sickboy and Droon; Breakcore A Go Go, in the Netherlands, which was run by FFF and Bong-Ra; as well as Anticartel, in Rennes, the seat of PeaceOff, and later, Wasted,[1] in Berlin.
Since the genre as a whole still is developing and growing rapidly, the music itself is largely downloaded via peer-to-peer networks, and discussed on internet forums. Whereas the early days of breakcore were based in select urban cities, the genre now has no geographical center. The music itself tends to reflect this multiplicity of media diffusion itself by incorporating many different forms of music hacked together. It remains a relatively small genre, but compared to its size prior to the 1990s web boom, it continues to grow substantially.
Breakcore has forever been changing and branching. Many newer breakcore artists focus on melodic progressions and complex drum programming while other artists still focus on distorted hardcore breakbeats and dark-edged musical influences (such as heavy metal, and industrial). The prolific Venetian Snares has produced breakcore blended with elements of classical music.[4] Other artists such as Shitmat, Sickboy, DJ Scotch Egg, and Drop the Lime[5] take another direction towards mash-up, happy hardcore, and rave to make a lighter, more humorous sound. The rise of chiptune music has also blended with breakcore with artists such as Patric Catani, Tarmvred, and Renard. Some musicians such as Edgey from the power noise scene have begun to take influence from breakcore. The UK Free Party scene has also expressed a large interest in producing and distributing its own takes on breakcore, with crews and labels such as Hekate, Audacious 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.
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