Florida Breaks
Breaks · 1987 · 125 to 135 BPM · also known as Funky Breaks, Florida Breakbeat
1990s Florida: Miami electro crossed with rave culture, funky breaks around 130 to 140, round 808 basses, beach town euphoria. Orlando and Tampa turned it into a full regional culture, with DJ Icey as its local hero. Rarely exported but durable at home, it stands as America's own school of club breakbeat, distinct from both the English rave sound and the rap leaning Miami bass around it.
8 reference tracks
- Dynamix II: Just Give The DJ A Break (1987)
- Rabbit in the Moon: Out of Body Experience (1994)
- K5: Passion (2001)
- DJ Icey: Escape (1996)
- Baby Anne: Bounce That Ass (2000)
- DJ Icey: Generate (1998)
- Rabbit In The Moon: Floori.D.A. (1993)
- Dynamix II: Techno Bass (1993)
At a glance
- Tempo: 125 to 135 BPM
- First appeared: around 1987
- Machines: Roland TR-808, Akai MPC60, Platines vinyle
- The sound: Breaks electro funky, Basses 808 rondes, Stabs rave, Scratches
- Labels: FFR, Zone Records, Nu Breed
- Key artists: DJ Icey, Rabbit in the Moon, DJ Sharaz, Dynamix II (charnière)
Producing Florida Breaks
Florida breaks run between 130 and 140 BPM, often 135, faster than its English nu skool cousin. The feel comes from Miami electro, funky and bouncy, with a light swing on the sixteenths and a bouncing 808 bass. A sampled break, usually electro or funk, mostly kept whole, sits over 808 programming: kick on beat one, the and of two and the a of three, 808 snare or clap on two and four, 808 hats in sixteenths opening on the offbeats, and triplet hat rolls on the last beat every four bars. Add 808 cowbells in a clave pattern and scratches as percussion. The 808 kick itself, with a long decay tuned to the root, works as the bass on strong beats, while a funky synth line on the offbeats fills the gaps with the root and seventh.
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 Florida Breaks?
1990s Florida: Miami electro crossed with rave culture, funky breaks around 130 to 140, round 808 basses, beach town euphoria. Orlando and Tampa turned it into a full regional culture, with DJ Icey as its local hero. Rarely exported but durable at home, it stands as America's own school of club…
What tempo is Florida Breaks played at?
Between 125 and 135 BPM.
Who are the key Florida Breaks artists?
DJ Icey, Rabbit in the Moon, DJ Sharaz, Dynamix II (charnière).
In the same family
- Breakbeat
- Breakbeat Hardcore
- Darkcore
- Jungle
- Drum and Bass
- Techstep
- Neurofunk
- Darkstep
- Liquid Drum and Bass
- Jump-Up
- Drumfunk
- Drumstep
Listen to Florida Breaks in the atlas · Cette page en français
