Breakbeat is a genre of electronic music built on syncopated, fragmented drum patterns that reject the steady four-on-the-floor pulse of house and techno. Emerging from hip-hop sampling culture and rave experimentation in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it takes its name from the practice of isolating and looping the percussive "breaks" from funk, soul, and jazz records—those explosive moments when the band drops out and the drummer takes center stage. This rhythmic foundation creates a restless, dynamic energy that propels tracks forward with unpredictable momentum, making breakbeat feel alive and volatile rather than metronomic.
Unlike its more aggressive offspring like drum and bass (which accelerates tempos to dizzying speeds) or big beat (which layers breakbeats under maximalist rock bombast), core breakbeat sits in a mid-tempo sweet spot—typically 120-150 BPM—that balances dancefloor functionality with rhythmic complexity. It thrives on texture and groove rather than sheer velocity or stadium-sized hooks, favoring deep basslines, sci-fi atmospherics, and turntablist flair. From the raw warehouse aesthetics of early UK rave culture to sophisticated studio productions blending jazz, dub, and downtempo influences, breakbeat has served as a laboratory for rhythmic innovation across electronic music.
Breakbeat demands you listen actively, rewarding those who lean into its broken grooves and off-kilter swing. It's music that refuses to sit still—endlessly adaptable, perpetually evolving, and essential for anyone who wants to understand how electronic music learned to dance outside the grid.
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List updated:
| #82 | ByVarious Artists | Released:1987 | |||
| #92 | ByBomb the Bass | Released:1988-10 | breakbeat | ||
| #94 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:1991-02-25 | |||
| #98 | ByThe Orb | Released:1991-03-01 | |||
| #47 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:1991-08-12 | |||
| #53 | ByLiquid | Released:1992-03-09 | |||
| #11 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:1992-09-21 | |||
| #43 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:1992-11-09 | |||
| #62 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:1995-02-27 | |||
| #34 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:1995-03 | |||
| #35 | ByThe Chemical Brothers | Released:1995-06-26 | |||
| #23 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:1996-03-15 | |||
| #51 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:1996-11-11 | |||
| #100 | ByBlue Boy | Released:1997-01-20 | |||
| #83 | ByApollo 440 | Released:1997-02-27 | |||
| #18 | ByThe Chemical Brothers | Released:1997-03-25 | |||
| #5 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:1997-06-30 | |||
| #14 | ByThe Crystal Method | Released:1997-08-26 | |||
| #63 | ByBT | Released:1997-09-08 | |||
| #58 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:1997-11-17 | |||
| #64 | ByDJ Shadow | Released:1998-01-13 | |||
| #80 | ByJuno Reactor | Released:1999-06-01 | breakbeatgoa trance | ||
| #27 | ByThe Chemical Brothers | Released:1999-06-07 | |||
| #46 | ByHybrid | Released:1999-07-16 | |||
| #79 | ByBT | Released:1999-10-18 | |||
| #99 | ByJunkie XL | Released:1999-10-18 | |||
| #13 | ByBomfunk MC's | Released:1999 | |||
| #33 | ByBomfunk MC's | Released:1999 | |||
| #44 | ByThe Crystal Method | Released:2001-01-01 | |||
| #74 | ByBomfunk MC's | Released:2002-04-25 | rapbreakbeat | ||
| #78 | ByDJ Shadow | Released:2002-05-22 | |||
| #50 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:2002-07-01 | |||
| #52 | ByThe Chemical Brothers | Released:2002-07-17 | |||
| #85 | ByThe Crystal Method | Released:2002-07-23 | electronicbreakbeat | ||
| #68 | ByAmon Tobin | Released:2002-10-10 | |||
| #40 | ByOverseer | Released:2003-08-25 | |||
| #91 | ByAfrika Bambaataa | Released:2003 | |||
| #26 | ByThe Crystal Method | Released:2004-01-13 | |||
| #54 | ByEvil Nine | Released:2004-08-02 | |||
| #16 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:2004-08-11 | |||
| #41 | ByAphex Twin | Released:2004-12 | |||
| #70 | ByTipper | Released:2005-01-01 | |||
| #69 | ByIls | Released:2005-02-25 | breakbeatelectronic | ||
| #95 | BySkalpel | Released:2005-04-04 | |||
| #48 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2005-04-11 | |||
| #77 | ByThe Chemical Brothers | Released:2005-05-02 | breakbeat | ||
| #29 | ByPendulum | Released:2005-07-25 | |||
| #32 | Bydeadmau5 | Released:2005-07-26 | |||
| #25 | ByHyper | Released:2006-05-08 | breakbeatelectronic | ||
| #75 | ByN.O.H.A. | Released:2006-05-11 | |||
| #30 | ByHybrid | Released:2006-08-08 | |||
| #71 | ByNubreed | Released:2007-04-18 | breakbeatbreaks | ||
| #45 | ByThe Chemical Brothers | Released:2007-05 | |||
| #67 | ByZomby | Released:2008-11-10 | |||
| #90 | ByThe Qemists | Released:2008-12 | |||
| #73 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:2009-02-17 | |||
| #1 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:2009-02-18 | |||
| #88 | ByThe Crystal Method | Released:2009-05-12 | |||
| #81 | ByGaia | Released:2009-11-02 | |||
| #8 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:2009-12-23 | |||
| #87 | ByHadouken! | Released:2010-01-25 | |||
| #72 | ByHybrid | Released:2010-03-29 | |||
| #22 | ByNetsky | Released:2010-04-12 | |||
| #97 | ByNoisia | Released:2010-05-30 | |||
| #55 | ByThe Qemists | Released:2010-07-07 | |||
| #89 | ByBuraka Som Sistema | Released:2011-10-03 | |||
| #12 | BySkrillex | Released:2012-01-24 | |||
| #76 | ByInfected Mushroom | Released:2012-05-08 | |||
| #28 | ByAzealia Banks | Released:2012-07-11 | |||
| #61 | ByC2C | Released:2012-08-03 | |||
| #10 | BySkrillex | Released:2012-11-23 | |||
| #9 | BySam Smith | Released:2014-01-01 | |||
| #86 | ByThe Crystal Method | Released:2014-01-13 | |||
| #96 | ByÉtienne de Crécy | Released:2015-01-16 | housebreakbeat | ||
| #17 | Bytwenty one pilots | Released:2016-05-01 | |||
| #24 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:2016-11-11 | |||
| #84 | ByESPRIT 空想 | Released:2016-12-25 | |||
| #38 | ByMachine Girl | Released:2017-09-22 | |||
| #39 | BySkee Mask | Released:2018-05-15 | |||
| #93 | ByFloating Points | Released:2019-10-18 | |||
| #21 | By⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ | Released:2019-10-31 | |||
| #65 | ByAlice Gas | Released:2019-12-16 | |||
| #56 | Bynascar aloe | Released:2020-04-10 | |||
| #59 | Bysewerslvt | Released:2020-07-13 | |||
| #60 | ByClown Core | Released:2020-09-23 | |||
| #57 | ByRory in early 20s | Released:2020-12-22 | |||
| #2 | ByNosgov | Released:2021-01-22 | breakbeat | ||
| #20 | Bymemo boy | Released:2021-06-04 | |||
| #66 | ByOvermono | Released:2021-06-16 | |||
| #19 | ByGOLEMM | Released:2021-10-26 | |||
| #37 | ByOvermono | Released:2021-11-19 | |||
| #42 | ByCapcom Sound Team | Released:2021-11 | |||
| #4 | ByJoey Valence & Brae | Released:2022-04-15 | |||
| #15 | ByKelela | Released:2023-02-10 | |||
| #31 | ByOvermono | Released:2023-05-12 | |||
| #7 | Byfemtanyl | Released:2023-05-28 | |||
| #49 | Byfemtanyl | Released:2023-08-27 | |||
| #3 | Bypinkpantheress | Released:2023-10-12 | |||
| #6 | Bypinkpantheress | Released:2023-11-10 | |||
| #36 | Bykiyosumi | Released:2024-02-09 |