Broken beat

Broken beat is an electronic music genre first appearing at the end of the 20th century and pioneered by Goya Mu

Broken beat is an electronic music genre first appearing at the end of the 20th century and pioneered by Goya Music Distribution. Appearing in the western parts of London, the genre is also referred to as West London, mainly because Goya Music's offices were in London's Ladbroke Grove, W11, as were most of the participating artists studios. Regular nights which play this genre of music include Co-op at Plastic People in Shoreditch and Inspiration Information at Notting Hill Arts Club. Elsewhere, DJs from the Kyoto Jazz Massive regularly play at The Room in Tokyo. Distribution outlet Goya Music played a massive hand in establishing the early UK sound, supporting early labels such as People, Bita Sweet, Mainsqueeze and numerous others.

Artists in this area mostly have a drum and bass, house, hip hop, techno or acid jazz background. As a result of these various influences, Goya Music's broken beat is sometimes considered more sophisticated than regular dance music, on the scale of jazz, soul or funk. It can be characterized by syncopated rhythm typically in 4/4 metre, with staggered or punctuated snare beats and/or hand claps. Broken beat also has its roots in 70's jazz fusion and has been influenced by artists such as Lonnie Liston Smith, The Mizell Brothers (producers for Donald Byrd, Bobbi Humphrey and Johnny Hammond in the mid-70's), Herbie Hancock, George Duke, and others. One might also hear echos of Disco, 80's Rn'B (Shalamar, Prince), early Electronica (Kraftwerk), hip hop (Planet Rock), 80s New Wave (Depeche Mode, New Order), House and Techno in Broken beat.