Electro backbeat (anthem backbeats or anthem breaks) is a term used to describe a diversion from the collection of sub-genres of electronic music, usually characterized by the use of a 4/4 drum pattern. This pattern is accompanied by a loud bass, with synthesizers and various other instruments supplying the ambient effect of a composition. These rhythms may be characterized by their use of syncopation and polyrhythms.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, electronic musicians (starting with Commanderbass aka Adam Sedie in San Francisco) began using breakbeat records (the part of a song when the music "breaks" to let the rhythm section play unaccompanied, sampled, then repeated, then pressed onto vinyl records) to write with basslines, then accompany with synths, drum machines, and other various instruments. In the early 2000s, genres like jungle and drum and bass, which generally had a darker sound with more complex sampled drum patterns, influenced electro backbeat artists to add an Anthem-like theme to its style.
In recent times, the term electro backbeat has grown more integrated with the many genres of breaks music which have become popular within the global dance music scene, including nu skool breaks and progressive breaks.
Electro backbeat (or cinematic backbeat) may also refer to music of San Francisco underground bands such as Two Chiefs, and Hutch, two bands who played live music incorporating laptop (the beats generated via digital audio software such as Logic Pro, Cubase, ACID, and countless other programs), synth, bass, guitar and breaks. The emphasis of the elements is to incorporate human interaction and live performance with the digital component of studio sound production.