Drumfunk
Breaks · 1995 · 170 to 180 BPM · also known as Drum Funk
The cult of the breakbeat taken to its furthest extreme: entire drum patterns recomposed hit by hit, living polyrhythms built from scratch, and a permanent homage to the session drummers of the 1970s. Paradox stands as the genre's guardian, with Photek preceding him as its aesthete. It remains a tiny and obstinate scene, but an essential one for understanding just how far the art of the break can be pushed.
13 reference tracks
- Source Direct: Snake Style (1995)
- Photek: Ni Ten Ichi Ryu (1997)
- Paradox: A Certain Sound (2003)
- Equinox: Acid Rain (2004)
- Seba & Paradox: Move On (2005)
- Fanu: Siren Song (2005)
- dgoHn: Rhythmic Movement Disorder (2007)
- Fanu: Amok
- Fanu: Tears Of The Killer
- Fanu: From Afterlife She Speaks
- Fanu: My Beautiful Paranoia
- Fanu: Toshiro
- Breakage: Losing Track
At a glance
- Tempo: 170 to 180 BPM
- First appeared: around 1995
- Machines: Akai S950, Akai S3000, Steinberg Cubase
- The sound: Breaks rares entiers, Édition frappe par frappe, Akai S950 pour le grain, Compression vintage
- Labels: Reinforced Records, Certificate 18, Paradox Music, Scientific Wax, Lightless Recordings
- Key artists: Paradox, Photek (période Ni Ten Ichi Ryu), Equinox, Fanu, Breakage (débuts)
Producing Drumfunk
Drumfunk sits between 165 and 172 BPM, a touch slower than standard drum and bass so the breaks have room to breathe, and the feel is entirely borrowed from the original drummer's playing, the swing is the one captured on a 1972 recording, not a setting. There is no fixed grid, patterns shift bar to bar with polyrhythms, three against two, from the breaks themselves, no quantization added. Source rare, whole breaks from funk, jazz-rock, and 1970s soundtracks, chop each one hit by hit at the exact start of its transient, then recombine a kick from one break, a snare from another, and a hi-hat from a third, preserving each hit's original timing.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Drumfunk?
The cult of the breakbeat taken to its furthest extreme: entire drum patterns recomposed hit by hit, living polyrhythms built from scratch, and a permanent homage to the session drummers of the 1970s. Paradox stands as the genre's guardian, with Photek preceding him as its aesthete. It remains a…
What tempo is Drumfunk played at?
Between 170 and 180 BPM.
Who are the key Drumfunk artists?
Paradox, Photek (période Ni Ten Ichi Ryu), Equinox, Fanu, Breakage (débuts).
