Big Beat/Funky Breaks

Big Beat/Funky Breaks:
Composed of layered musical clichés borrowed from the 1980s, this general grouping of breakbeat innovators took electronic music further into the mainstream than any of their pre-1997 progenitors. Popularized by the Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Bentley Rhythm Ace and the Crystal Method, its chunky rhythms vibrate dance floors with rock textures, hip-swinging House and Techno grooves -- all seasoned with a heavy dose of hip-hop. With a premium on excitement and intensity, Big Beat tracks sound sliced and diced, with steep buildups, rough crescendos, quick drops, drum rolls and heavy sample usage. The sub-genre most commonly reflected by the “electronica” label created to describe their popular breakthrough in the mid to late 90s, this sub-genre has since dwindled, with only the newer innovators such as The Avalanches surviving by melding the style more with other sub-genres, with some of the former perennials resigning themselves to greatest hits collections, DJ mixes, and retirement decrees.

Sub/Related Genres:
Breakbeat, Turntablism, Club Music
Noteworthy Artists:
The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Death in Vegas, Crystal Method, Propellerheads
Noteworthy Albums:
The Chemical Brothers, Dig Your Own Hole (1997) Fatboy Slim, You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby (1998) The Prodigy, The Fat of the Land (1997) The Crystal Method, Vegas (1997) The Avalanches, Since I Left You (2001)

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