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Breaking The Beats: A personal selection of West London sounds

by Various Artists

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Your Mother
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Your Mother Everything about this album is top-notch first rate in perfectly capturing the feel of a brilliant time especially for those living in London that went to the parties, listening on Pirate Radio and of course Carnival.

Great use of selecting the right photo as a album cover to create interest. Favorite track: Transcend M.E. ft. Melissa Browne.
DJ V From CHICAGO
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DJ V From CHICAGO Although ALL of the songs and tracks here are top quality (quite a few I already have on vinyl), this one is the song that grabbed me the most from this particular compilation. OUTSTANDING comp in its totality 4 sho. THANK YOU FOR THIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE CULTURE. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Favorite track: Hands.
Andrew Hickford
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Andrew Hickford Essential collection that does a fine job of curating highlights from the Broken Beat scene. Favorite track: Feed The Cat.
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about

At the end of the 90s, a movement began in West London that birthed a fresh direction in dance music. Though this movement never got mainstream press coverage, never had a crossover chart single, and never really transcended its community roots, there was a unique alchemy at work - a fertile moment of creativity, where a group of friends began to experiment with new cadences, rhythms and distilled influences, crafting a new direction in the attics and bedrooms of their neighbouring postcodes. Their music was a head-on collision between the sounds they had been raised on; the reggae sound system culture of Notting Hill Carnival, the sophistication and sheen of Electro-Funk, Jazz Fusion, Soulful House and Disco, the Afro-Beat sounds of Tony Allen and Fela Kuti, and the raw minimalism of early Hip Hop.

Though “Broken Beat” was never a tagline that the producers anticipated, and one that they often publicly resisted, those two words would gradually come to represent the scattered rhythms, rolling basslines and soaring changes that were inherent to this exciting new sound. It’s not clear who first coined the term “Broken Beat”, but try to imagine how it felt to hear it for the first time; the production was grounded in MPCs and SP1200s, the hand-me-down samplers of the Hip-Hop and Jungle golden eras, and the drums that tumbled out of these machines at the hands of these creators had a jagged, stuttering feel, almost as though the groove was close to collapse.

Much respect due to Dave Lee for truly using his DJ power, and taking the time and dedication to bring a solid selection of these optimistic, afro-futuristic jams to a fresh audience.

Mr Beatnick, May 2020

credits

released September 11, 2020

Compiled by Dave Lee and Will Fox. Sleeve notes by Mr Beatnick. Also available on vinyl LP, CD and streaming services.

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Z Records London, UK

Legendary producer Dave Lee founded Z Records back in 90, as the natural successor to his highly influential first label, Republic Records, which remains for many, the foundation stone of the UK house scene.

Using Z primarily as an outlet for his own material, Dave has continued to champion all things funky and soulful with a consistently high level of quality underground releases.
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