Can Someone Explain Breaks to me?
I can go on Beatport and listen to all the tunes, but I don’t understand the structural elements that make it a “break.”
Anyone who is in to them care to enlighten me? I found a few tunes I really enjoy…
just listen to them side by side with other genres. after awhile you’ll notice the differences and similarities that make the breaks sound.
i don’t think a written explanation would really help you any more than that would.
Thanks Duerr. Are they something that is often played in EDM clubs and I just haven’t taken notice?
check out the stanton warriors…older chemical brothers is considered breaks…
it has something to do with drumbreaks…but the difference is obvious…its not 4x4 house…
snarez
I do agree that the drum structure is different. There is no bass pedal on all 4 beats of a measure and as DD said, there is a definite snare.
Some go by this rule, while others don’t though. Personally I like the 4 to the floor stucture of variants of house. This seems like it would be a pain to mix.
Perfect! Thank you!
Progressive breaks from Way Out West.
Breaks/Breakbeat = drum rhythms made up of “broken beats”. Generally speaking the 3rd crotchet beat, namely the 2nd kick drum in a 4/4 phrase is staggered to the following off-beat resulting in a “broken” sounding drum loop.
Breakbeat… in it’s simplest form.
Hope that helped
Isn’t hiphop breakbeat mostly?
I would say breaks or a break beat are originated by using a sample of a drummer who took a small solo or fill in a live recording. As this sample is organically played by a human being it has a non-quantised feel as oppose to any beat programmed on sequencer. The sample is quantised by always starting playback of the sample on a sequencer, but during the course of the sample (say 4 beats or 1 bar) the original drummers’ feel and groove comes across. The amen break is a perfect example of this.
Other programmed beats can be added in the production of a breaks tune and so often a breaks tune can still have a steady 4 on the floor kick drum, but it is still recognised as a breaks tune due to the presence of some sample involving a human drummer.
“Broken beat” IMO can easily be confused with a very sub genre of EDM which is entirely made of stabs and hits samples but they are all short and quantised in a sequencer to build up a beat. They dont individually hold a groove of their own that predominates the rhythm of the song.
typically
here’s a side by side using an original and remix of a classic rave anthem from the day.
Breakbeat:
Not So Breakbeat:
breaks tend to sound like drum n bass at 130-135bpm.
or like hard electro with actual drums that don’t go 4/4.
stanton warriors
deekline & wizard
the freestylers
just to name some of my favorites.
Wont go on about it but i love nu breaks (funky bouncy summery good time tunes)
Have a listen to my mixes (bit of shameless plug!) But they are what i call Nu breaks
Cut & Run
Ed Solo
Deekline
Disco Cakes
Etc
https://soundcloud.com/dejavoo/dubsteps-dead-back-to-brakes
https://soundcloud.com/dejavoo/jungle-breakout
Love breaks good time tunes that are accessible to a wide audience 
Break beat is my fav genre. It was started in the 80s where they would take the drums from the end of a phrase where typically the pattern was broken up and funky, make it a loop and use it for the main drum part.
It is not hard to mix just because it isn’t 4 on the floor, you just have to be careful with the bass drums. Snares are still mostly on 2 and 4, but the bass drum patterns are many and varied.
Thank you all for the replies! The genre has taken my curiousity!
Breaks doesn’t use a 4.4 beat like house music. But just about everything else about it is house music. 
Beatport needs to make a moobahton tab like now. 110BPM is reaally out there and you can force it into house or dubstep. >.>