Ghetto Funk
Breaks · 2003 · 105 to 115 BPM · also known as Ghetto Funk Breaks, Glitch Funk
The 2010s label for a festive breakbeat sound blending sampled funk, light dubstep bass and scratching, built for fanfare festivals and afterparties. The spirit is big beat gone more glitchy, unpretentious and effective. A DJ scene more than an album scene, somewhere between Bristol and summer tours, where a funk break and a wobble bass sit comfortably side by side.
6 reference tracks
- A.Skillz and Krafty Kuts: Tricka Technology (2003)
- Chinese Man: I ve Got That Tune (2008)
- A Skillz: Sunshine (2009)
- Basement Freaks: Something Freaky (2008)
- Featurecast: Ain't My Style (2010)
- Stickybuds: Crowd Murder (2015)
At a glance
- Tempo: 105 to 115 BPM
- First appeared: around 2003
- Machines: Ableton Live, Akai MPC, Platines vinyle
- The sound: Samples funk retravaillés, Basses wobble légères, Breaks festifs, Scratchs
- Labels: Jalapeno Records, Ghetto Funk, Scour Records
- Key artists: A.Skillz, Featurecast, Slynk, Stickybuds
Producing Ghetto Funk
Play between 100 and 115 bpm, the slowest of the breakbeat family, with a party hip hop feel: MPC swing at 58 to 62 percent, a dragging funk break, and a bass that bounces in half time. Build it from a funk break, Funky Drummer style, played nearly whole, with a stacked hip hop kick and punchy snare on top, the break's own hats plus a programmed open hat, scratches, crowd claps and stutter fills from Beat Repeat. For bass, keep the wobble light and melodic: a saw with an LFO synced to a quarter on a resonant low-pass at modest depth, following the funk sample's riff in half time, backed by a sub sine. Layer reworked funk samples, brass, wah guitars, Hammond organ, shouted vocal phrases, and light glitch from Beat Repeat.
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 Ghetto Funk?
The 2010s label for a festive breakbeat sound blending sampled funk, light dubstep bass and scratching, built for fanfare festivals and afterparties. The spirit is big beat gone more glitchy, unpretentious and effective. A DJ scene more than an album scene, somewhere between Bristol and summer…
What tempo is Ghetto Funk played at?
Between 105 and 115 BPM.
Who are the key Ghetto Funk artists?
A.Skillz, Featurecast, Slynk, Stickybuds.
