Florida breaks, referred to as Florida breakbeat and Funky Breaks, is a genre of broken beat music which, as the name suggests, is most popular in the areas around the US state of Florida. Its sound has a lot in common with UK nu skool breaks although it also contains influences of other music popular in the same area such as freestyle, electro and Miami bass due to the parallel electronic dance music sub-genre of electro bass being billed at many of the same events as Florida breaks. Also may be referred to as Orlando breaks, Tampa Breaks, or The Orlando Sound. genre of breakbeat dance music that originated in central region of the State of Florida, United States. Florida Breaks originates from a mixture of hip-hop, Miami bass and electro that often includes recognizable sampling of early jazz or funk beats from rare groove or popular film. Florida's breakbeat style feature vocal elements and retains the hip-hop rhythms on which is based. The Florida breakbeat style however is faster, more syncopated, and has a heavier and unrelenting bassline. The beat frequently slows and breaks down complex beat patterns and then rebuilds to creative an uplifting, happy, or positive mood in the listener.
History
Late 1980s - Early 1990s
The unique Florida style was first encountered during the late '80s inside the historic Beacham Theatre in Orlando. The breaks genre continued to gain popularity as a local underground music subculture became developed during Orlando's Summer of Love era from roughly 1989 to 1992 and simply "exploded" into prominence in mid-1993.
Mid 1990s popularity
The "Orlando Sound" was wildly popular among DJs and club goers in Florida and the sound was marketed internationally as "Orlando friendly". During the mid 1990s. However, there did not seem to universal consensus on the exact elements that constituted the Florida Sound. until Nick Newton, an English breaks DJ and producer, called his 1996 record Orlando.Due to its wide popularity
The genre received limited local radio play in Central Florida on radio stations WXXL (106.7 FM) and on college radio WPRK (91.5 FM), as well as WUCF (89.9 FM), WFIT (89.5 FM on Space Coast), and WMNF (88.5 FM in Tampa).
2000s
The international and local popularity of Florida breaks peaked and began to wane in 2000. However, the genre is still quite popular. Especially among those who remember the era in Central Florida and the genres unique role in electronic music history.
Florida Breaks artists
Some local Florida break artist during the genres peaking years aimed for main-stream & news media and gave up the idea sense of rave and the Florida funk values for popularity while many others purposely remained true to the underground scene and continued to thrive and be successful in their own rights. Some of which are: DJs Icey, Stylus, Kimball Collins, Dave Cannalte, Chris Fortier, Dj Marmik,
Rick West, Huda Hudia, Sharazz, Baby Anne,, [Skynet (Band)|Afco-Skynet]], DJ Fixx, Keith Macenzie, Tommy Who, Mondo, Mike & Charlie, DJ X, Dave London, Funk lab, Rob E, Brad Smith, Friction & Spice Teknatronik were a few of the early artist in no particular order who dj popular events, produced & exported music, staged shows all over the state and were influential in how the scene developed and continually progressed over the years since its inception.
Early Florida Breaks venues
AAHZ (Orlando), The Edge (Orlando). The Abyss (Orlando), The Club at Firestone (Orlando), The Beach Club (Orlando), Icon (Orlando), Simon's (Gainesville), Marz (Cocoa Beach), The Edge (Fort. Lauderdale), and Masquerade (Tampa) were early Florida Breaks venues.
See also
- Break beat (element of music)
- Breakbeat (genre)
- Breakdown (music)
- Broken beat (genre)
References
External links
- Florida Breaks from Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music
- [1] from Local breaks