Top 5 breakbeats Of All Time -
The top 5 break beats of all time..... The most sampled and used sound samples..... broken down and the first artists to use them..
Searching for dates and release times has lead to 5 great break beats, some of which are still used today and record release counts would reach millions.....
I broke it down to the 5 that I believe to be the most used and inspiring break beats of all time....
And heres why.... In no particular order....
1. Donald Byrd - Hot Pants..
This breakbeat was first used by Big Daddy Kane on a track called RAW released on Cold Chillin Records in the mid 80s. Big Daddy Kane at that time was a newcomer to the hip hop scene and brought with him his very own unique style and was an instant hit with the underground audience. Today this breakbeat would be the original drum n bass drum loop that producers tend to copy and can get the credit for inspiring a new form of music. The original BPM being around 103 - when used in drum n bass tracks is speeded up to around 180 bpm.
2. Bob James - Take me to the Mardi gras....
This breakbeat was first used by RUN DMC on a track called PETER PIPER (Also used by LL Cool J on Rock The bells as its chorus at around the sametime)and released in the mid 80s on an album called RAISING HELL (Some consider it to be one of the best and most inspiring hip hop albums of all time.)This breakbeat with its very unique sounding bells runs at around 104 bpm and has been used by nearly all genres of music including hip hop - drum n bass - house - ragga etc.
3. The Winstons - Amen.....
The Amen break beat which in recent years being the base of a lot of drum n bass releases. The Amen break didnt actually become popular until the birth drum n bass, first used in mixes and Hip Hop Records... First reproduction on the Breaks N Beats LP.
4. James Brown - Funky Drummer.....
I had alittle difficulty in finding the first ever track it was used on. But I broke it down to maybe 2 artists, LL Cool J or the Ultramagnetic MCs on a track called GIVE THE DRUMMER SOME. However at the time there could have been releases that used this breakbeat as a break down in a track or as a scratch sample rather than loop the whole drum pattern. This drum loop I would say has been used the most times ever. It has been used by nearly every genre including pop - rock and even classical music. This drum loop is around 95 bpm.
5. Lyn Collins - THINK....
This breakbeat was first used by ROB BASE AND DJ EZ ROCK on a track called IT TAKES TWO released in the mid to late 80s. With its very distinct oh yeah vocal is still used today as it was when first released. Today mostly used in Drum and Bass tracks. The original being around 109 bpm and used up to around 180 bpm for drum n bass.
I would also like to mention afew breaks that came close like Apache by The Incredible Bongo Band - Fab Five Freddie who has been the spiration behind DJ scratch patterns - Led Zeppelin - James Browns Funky President.
I also have to mention that the BPMs quoted are roughly calculated as the original recordings are live drumming inside a studio - live drumming is always off beat and varies in tempo.
And there you have it. My top 5 break beats of all time - The most used and the first artists to use breakbeats.
Hi Five .......