breakbeats

Chopped percussion loops

Breakbeats are drum patterns sampled from the instrumental breaks of funk, soul, and R&B records—the moments when other instruments drop out and the drummer plays alone.

These looped rhythms became the foundation of hip-hop, jungle, drum and bass, and other electronic genres.

The most famous is the "Amen break," a six-second drum solo sampled thousands of times.

The producer chopped up breakbeats to create the track's backbone.

production

sampling

Extracting subset for study

loopingMoving in circles
choppingCutting into pieces
sequencerOrders signals chronologically

turntablism · remix · multitrack · splice · edit · arrangement · producer · studio · layering · filtering

rhythm

syncopation

Stressed unexpected beats

grooveNarrow cut or routine
tempoRate of musical performance
pulseArterial blood throb

swing · polyrhythm · backbeat · downbeat · upbeat · meter · cadence · pattern · timing · measure

hiphop

DJ

Music mixer performer

MCVocal performer or host
b-boyMale street dancer
BronxNYC's northernmost borough

cypher · boombox · old-school · freestyle · graffiti · crew · mixtape · emcee · beatbox · rap

genre

jungle

Dense tropical forest

trip-hopAtmospheric, slow electronic music
hardcoreUncompromisingly devoted
raveEnthusiastic praise or nightlong dance

grime · dubstep · electro · ragga · darkside · footwork · juke

classics

Apache

Southwestern indigenous nation

breakbeats

sampling

syncopation

DJ

jungle

Apache

breakbeats

Opposites

Categories

Family