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Breakcore

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Breakcore Defined

Breakcore is a loosely defined electronic music style that brings together elements of jungle, hardcore techno and IDM into a breakbeat-oriented sound that encourages speed, complexity, impact and maximum sonic density. Similar to Punk or Jazz music; Breakcore does not adhere to a predefined set of stylistic 'rules', instead following a looser set of musical ideals. The very nature of breakcore is anti-establishment, often using production techniques or sounds to intentionally alienate the non-breakcore listener. Musically, breakcore is centered around the deconstruction and creative reassembly of common breakbeats from other electronic genre.

Breakcore History

The style began to emerge at the peak of rave in years of 1993–1994. In Berlin and Cologne, the Bass Terror Crew provided a harder version of breakbeat by playing records on 45rpm instead of the intended 33rpm. At the same time, former hardcore techno DJ Tanith started a series of parties with 'breakcore' in bold fat letters on the flyer.

As hardcore techno artists were feeling a staleness in the Roland TR-909 and Roland TB-303 drum machine-based sounds, the commercial "childish" elements in Dutch gabber and the overall assaults of speedcore began to be adapted. Others felt an urge to take the ideas of early 1990s jungle and acid one step further. Artists began to incorporate more breakbeats (especially the Amen break), taking the conceptual extremity of hardcore and harsh industrial music and applying it to the drum and bass template. Straining out much of the "rave" influence on hardcore and adding a degree of complexity, breakcore was a more palatable genre for music fans who were turned off by the rave scene, and so there is something of a crossover audience for fans of extreme music of all types, including grindcore, harsh industrial music, noise music and "IDM". This advance in "complexity" was made possible primarily by the proliferation of cheap computers and it is worth noting that the majority of breakcore was produced on cheap computers using free software, especially trackers.

There is no one clear point of generation, but some key locations include Berlin, South London, Manchester, Newcastle, New South Wales, Rennes, France, Ghent, Belgium and the Midwestern US and Canada (including Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Winnipeg, Manitoba, greater New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Minneapolis, Minnesota). The first widely-known efforts did probably come from Force Inc./Riot Beats and Digital Hardcore Recordings. Breakcore as it is currently known has many of its origins on the internet, specifically around mailing lists like c8 and can be traced back to early efforts by the Bloody Fist camp in Australia; Ambush, Praxis, DHR, Breakcore Gives Me Wood and others in Europe; and Addict, Drop Bass, History of the Future and Low Res in the Midwestern US.

Breakcore related artists tend not to be loyal to one label, through label-artist links and artist-promoter links, the scene is very close knit, even with it's occasional conflicts. For a list of some more widely known Breakcore labels see below. Many hardcore/gabber, noise, breakbeat, and other experimental labels also have breakcore artists and releases in their rosters as well.

Breakcore is currently undergoing a revitalization as young fans begin to make their own music. A growing trend sees the rise and proliferation of the 'Net Label' wherein artists freely or cheaply distribute music via the internet, usually in the form of .mp3 or CDR.

Breakcore artists

Breakcore record labels

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