Breakbeat

While beats may be the rhythmic root of everything from hip-hop to electronica, the snap-crackle-pop of carefully selected thunder-clap drum loops are the star of breakbeat singles. No wonder why such breakthrough artists as Adam Freeland, the Chemical Brothers, and the Crystal Method sound like rock 'n' roll stars from the near future, where the grind and the grit of guitars are replaced by heavily distorted bass lines and drums that could reduce a skyscraper to rubble. Guess who's waiting to jump on the ones-and-twos once these guys are done? None other than the Prodigy, the Chemical Brothers, and our Next Steps' supporting cast, who won't stop 'til you get enough.

Of all the talk about a Stateside techno takeover in the mid-'90s, few sub-genres took cramped dance floors by storm quite like the instant satisfaction sound of breakbeat, which we can thank for floor-stormers like "Smack My Bitch Up," "Renegade Master," and "Spybreak!" And the reason? Let's just say it's hard to resist the way classic hip-hop, punk, and rock motifs get battered and beaten to an infectious, funky pulp by everybody from Krafty Kuts to the Freestylers. Things get really crazy in our Deep Cuts, too, as funk, hardcore techno and ambient grooves are thrown into the ring for 12 rounds with some rather uncompromising synths and samplers.

The best breakbeat cuts leave us energized, adrenalized and dazed . . . which is exactly how you'll feel once Evil Nine (English DJ duo Tom Beaufoy and Pat Pardy) have laid "For Lovers, Not Fighters" on your ears. The same can be said of Metcalfe's "Chameleon," Plump DJs' "System Addict," and the juiced lava-lamp melodies of Stereo 8's "Flipmode." You probably won't be able to stand up straight once these tracks are done testing your dancing shoes, but at least you'll have a smile on your face as you sleep soundly tonight. (If you want something a little more chilled, plug into the orchestral flourishes of Hybrid's "Kid 2000.")

Before you fully submit yourself to the full force of our Breakbeat Essentials, consider the genre's history, which starts with emergence of hip-hop (from the South Bronx), when DJs discovered that the breaks were the real floor-fillers. Right around this time, Sugar Hill Records 12-inches featured a house band, but by the mid-'80s that concept became extinct as rap pioneers immersed themselves in sampling. Today, breaks are used by superstar DJs, rock groups, pop icons, and even in advertising. Bernard Purdie (check out the Chemical Brothers "Block Rockin' Beats"), Clyde "Funky Drummer" Stubblefield, James Gadson, and Ziggy Modeliste are just a few of the drum pioneers you'll hear celebrated among this diverse set of beats, breaks, and rare grooves, all of which have been overhauled to set your dancefloor ablaze.