Breakcore - A New Generation of Electronic Rave Music

Breakcore is a genre of electronic music that has grown out of other related music scenes such as IDM, drum and bass, hardcore techno, noise and industrial music. Musically, breakcore tends to feature heavy use of distorted kick drums, drum "breaks" (recordings of drum beats played repeatedly in a loop) and sampling from a wide variety of sources, played at high speeds.

Breakcore can be hard to define and even musicians and DJs involved in the genre content that "breakcore" is nothing more than an umbrella term used to describe a number of separate styles of music that are related mainly through the mentality of their producers rather than sound. Nonetheless, music typically described as breakcore often exhibits a common "feeling of chaos" with irregular song structures and sudden rhythmic shifts. The most recognizable characteristic of breakcore is its drum programming, which often features a manipulated or processed version of the famous "Amen break" (or another classic jungle drum loop) played back at a high BPM. Melodically, breakcore ranges across a varied musical spectrum with some producers creating electronica-influenced sounds and others using recordings of traditional instrumentation (or a mixture of both).

Prominent breakcore artists include producers such as Bong-Ra, Venetian Snares, Aaron Spectre, Alec Empire and Kid606, though the number of breakcore artists that receive any noticeable amount of mainstream recognition is small. Influential record labels that have made contributions to the genre have been London-based Ambush records, Bloody Fist Records (Australia), Digital Hardcore Recordings (Germany), Planet Mu (United Kingdom) and others. Live breakcore events enjoy moderate popularity, such as Belgiums "Breakcore Gives Me Wood," "Bang Face" in the United Kingdom and "Wasted" in Berlin. Smaller breakcore concerts, festivals and club events are held regularly throughout North America, Europe and Japan.

Recent years have seen further evolution in the sound of modern breakcore. While complex drum programming remains a central component, the inclusion of an even broader range of sample sources has led to more heavy metal, classical and industrial crossovers with breakcore. The growth of chiptune and dubstep music has also had an influence on breakcore and a number of breakcore artists have emerged who combine the aforementioned genres with breakcore elements. While the genre continues to grow in popularity, it remains relatively underground with little attention in popular music media outlets. Internet-based sources such as the satirically-named forum "I Hate Breakcore" are currently the most popular places for new artists to share their music with the breakcore community.