Breaking Music & Breakdancing in 2024
B-boys and B-girls will be watching intently on the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Will this cause a resurgence of old-school funk and Hip Hop?
Want a guide to planning wedding music for the ceremony and reception? Check out my Etsy store of PDFs of the Wedding Songs Checklist and a Bride’s Guide to Wedding Music.
Welcome WML subscribers! Here’s this week’s music deep dive, and playlist - which is for paying members only (always at the bottom of this email).
Let’s talk Breakdancing!
Playlist of Article:
Breaking at Olympics
Breakdancing movements
Brief History of Breakdancing Music
Popular Breakdancing Dancers
11 Breakdance Hits for Weddings
Breaking at Olympics
Well, I would have been like Nostradamus to predict breakdancing (aka breaking) would see a huge resurgence in 2024. Let’s see if it comes true after the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Breaking will be a competition to take place on the Olympic stage on August 9th and 10th. See the official page for the event.
The below chart shows the interest in breakdancing in Google searches for the past 20 years. Yup. Pretty abysmal.
Let me start by answering - Why is breaking in the Olympics? First, breaking is a discipline of the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF). Breaking made its way into the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires and was added to the 2024 Olympics.
The IOC (International Olympic Committee) wanted to add breakdancing as part of an effort to draw more interest from young people in the Olympics.
Breaking, also called b-boying, b-girling, or breakdancing, is a style of street dance developed by African American and Puerto Rican communities in The Bronx, New York City in the 1970s. However, the term "breakdancing" has become an umbrella term that includes California-based dance styles such as popping, locking, and electric boogaloo, in addition to the New York-based b-boying. [source]
Breakdancing consists mainly of four kinds of movement:
toprock - foot movement performed while standing, serving as the opening display of style, and as a warm-up for transitions into the more acrobatic maneuvers of downrock.
downrock - performed with the body supported on the hands and feet.
power moves - moves relying on speed, momentum, and acrobatic elements for performance.
freezes - a technique that involves halting all body motion, often in an interesting or balance-intensive position.
Let’s see breakdancing in action!
Brief History of Breakdancing Music
The most common feature of breakdance music exists in musical breaks, or compilations formed from samples taken from different songs which are then looped and chained together by the DJ.
The tempo generally ranges between 110 and 135 beats per minute with shuffled sixteenth and quarter beats in the percussive pattern. History credits DJ Kool Herc for the invention of this concept later termed the break beat.
1970s - Emergence of Breakbeats in Hip Hop: In the early 1970s, DJs like DJ Kool Herc began using funk breaks, such as those from James Brown's "Funky Drummer" and The Winstons' "Amen, Brother", as the rhythmic base for hip hop songs. This involved playing the same record on two turntables and repeating the break, a technique later perfected by artists such as Grandmaster Flash.
1980s - Technological Advancements and Commercialization: Breakbeats gained prominence in hip hop. By the 1980s, advancements in technology made sampling breaks easier and more affordable. Techniques like pausing tapes allowed anyone with a tape recorder to find and use breakbeats, nurturing the commercialization of hip hop.
1990s - Breakbeat's Evolution as Electronic Dance Genre: Breakbeat became integral to various genres within the global dance music scene, including acid breaks, electro-funk, Miami bass, big beat, and nu skool breaks.
Early 1990s - Breakbeat Hardcore and Subgenres: Acid house artists started incorporating breakbeat samples into their music, leading to the emergence of breakbeat hardcore. This scene later diversified into subgenres like jungle and drum and bass, characterized by faster tempos and complex sampled drum patterns.
Mid to Late 1990s - Florida Breaks and Funky Breaks: The Florida breaks subgenre gained international popularity in the early-to-mid 1990s, incorporating elements from various genres. In the late 1990s, funky breaks emerged, blending trance, hip hop, and jungle elements, with artists like The Chemical Brothers and James Lavelle's Mo'Wax Records leading the way.
1994 - Autechre's Anti EP: Autechre released the Anti EP in response to legislation targeting rave culture, using advanced algorithmic programming to create non-repetitive breakbeats, challenging legal definitions.
Late 1990s - Commercial Peak of Funky Breaks: Funky breaks reached its commercial peak in 1997, with artists like The Prodigy, Death in Vegas, The Crystal Method, and Propellerheads topping pop charts and being featured in commercials.
Popular Breakdancing Dancers
Popular breakdancing crews and groups included:
Rock Steady Crew: One of the most famous breakdancing crews of all time, founded in the Bronx in the 1970s. They were featured in the movie "Wild Style" and helped to popularize breakdancing around the world.
Zulu Nation: This influential hip-hop collective included many talented breakdancers, DJs, and graffiti artists.
Floor Lords: A legendary crew from Los Angeles known for their innovative footwork and freezes.
Modern breakdancing artists:
Roxrite: A French b-boy who is considered one of the best in the world. He is known for his incredible power moves and his smooth transitions.
Menno: A Dutch b-boy who is known for his creativity and his unique style. He has won numerous competitions and is a popular figure in the breakdancing community.
BBoy Lilou: A French b-boy who is known for his technical skills and his musicality. He has won several world championships and is a respected figure in the dance world.
11 Breakdance Hits for Weddings
In the context of this newsletter, you do not need 100 breakdancing songs for a wedding. Those song lists are reserved for competitions.
Thus, I selected 11 breakdancing songs I would consider playing at a wedding if a guest approached me to play a breakdancing song that would make a wide-ranging audience happy.
If you have a favorite, please share it below in the comments!