What is Breakcore? Create your own Breakcore tunes today

Breakcore is a chaotic, high-energy experimental genre of electronic music centered around breakbeats. Its distinctively punk ethos, frenetic layering, and creative manipulation of samples has earned it a cult following throughout underground music circles across the world. In this article, we’ll do a deep dive into the past, present, and future of breakcore, and provide some top tips on how you can make your own breakcore beats today!

The History of Breakcore

Early Influences and Roots

The early 1990s was a global turning point for electronic music. Throughout the 1980s, electronic music was proliferating, but was still largely in its infancy. The 90s marked the beginning of the Second Summer of Love in the United Kingdom, infamous nightclubs like Tresor and Berghain in Berlin were established following the fall of the Berlin Wall, and music hardware was becoming cheaper to produce and more readily available to consumers. Early breakcore trailblazers were keen to rebel against the formulaic nature the House and Techno that had dominated the previous decade, taking influence from a variety of genres : 

• Jungle and Drum & Bass: Breakcore owes a massive amount of its foundation to Jungle and Drum & Bass, genres which popularized rapid, looped samples - most notably the ‘Amen Break,’ a six-second drum loop sampled from The Winstons influential track, ‘Amen Brother’ (1969). 

• Hardcore Techno and Gabber: The uncompromising, raw nature of Breakcore can be traced back to music found in clubs throughout Germany in the 1990s. The aggressive, driving Techno and Gabber beats acted as the spine of breakcore tracks, whilst complex rhythms and melodies sat over the top of kick drums saturated with distortion. 

• Industrial and Punk: There was a lot of crossover between Industrial, Punk and Breakcore scenes, in a large part due to the uncompromising nature of the genres and their rebellious, DIY aesthetic. 

Emergence in the Mid-90s

The mid-1990s really marked the point that Breakcore emerged as a genre in its own right. Cities throughout Europe were hotspots of the burgeoning genre, with London, Rotterdam and Berlin becoming bastions of Breakcore and other experimental electronic music. 

Some of the most pioneering artists including Venetian Snares, Squarepusher, Alec Empire, and DJ Scud, really pushed the boundaries of what was found in popular electronic music at the time. Using samples from classical music, jazz, video games and even polka, Breakcore producers gained a reputation for fearless experimentation, Venetian Snares in particular ripping up the 4/4 rulebook and integrating dynamic use of changing time signatures in his tracks. 

Modern Day Breakcore

Today, breakcore remains firmly entrenched in the underground music scene, though its influence can be seen in mainstream electronic music. Artists like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher have incorporated breakcore’s breakbeats, tempos, and chaotic structures into their own work, albeit in more accessible forms. Additionally, breakcore’s aesthetic has found a home within internet culture, with its embrace of meme aesthetics, glitch art, and DIY ethos resonating with younger audiences via social media. 

5 Main Characteristics of Breakcore

While breakcore embraces a variety of sounds and approaches, certain elements define the genre:

1. Breakbeats: The hallmark of breakcore is its use of breakbeats—rapid, often chopped, and rearranged drum loops. These can be anything from a traditional "Amen Break" to more obscure or experimental drum breaks.

2. High Tempos: Breakcore tracks generally have fast tempos, usually ranging from 160 to 220 BPM, though some tracks can reach even higher speeds. The rapid pace adds to the frenetic energy of the genre.

3. Eclectic Sampling: Breakcore artists pull samples from a wide array of sources—classical music, movies, video games, and even found sound. These samples are then manipulated, cut, and re-contextualized to fit the track’s rhythm.

4. Distortion and Noise: The genre often embraces distortion, giving the sound a rough, abrasive quality. Noise elements—such as feedback, static, or harsh synths—are also a core feature, contributing to breakcore’s anarchic vibe.

5. Unpredictable Structure: Breakcore compositions tend to eschew traditional song structures like verses and choruses. Instead, the genre thrives on sudden transitions, unexpected changes in tempo, and jarring shifts in rhythm and texture.

How To Make Breakcore

Preparation

One of the first things you need to do in order to make Breakcore is have access to quality samples and a variety of potential sound sources. Selecting a DAW which has flexibility and integration with sample libraries is crucial. Platforms like Soundtrap are integrating with Freesound, one of the largest sources of royalty-free sounds and samples available today. Having a folder easily accessible which contains a number of breaks is also something I would recommend. Start with the Funky Drummer, Apache, and Amen Break. Then go crate digging! Find some Funk tracks with cool drum breaks that you’d like to use, and gradually build up an arsenal of breaks. 

The Breakbeat

The best way to get started making Breakcore is by simply dragging and dropping a drum break into your DAW, and experimenting with altering it. Chop the break up, alter its speed, and add swing into certain parts of the track to give a bit of unpredictability. Breakbeats are the foundation of every Breakcore track, and once you get your head around how to craft them in the style of Breakcore, the other parts of your production will fall into place. 

Layers & Layers

Unlike a lot of popular genres such as House and Techno, there needs to be an element of melodic complexity and even sound design involved with Breakcore. The breakbeats are often chaotic, but the melodies and variations are often no different. Experiment having a variety of different melodic lines and refrains throughout the track, and create unique sounds through layering multiple samples. 

Tempo and Rhythm

One of the great things about Breakcore is that it’s part of a select few genres of Dance music where tempo and time signatures can rapidly fluctuate. There is a fluidity to Breakcore which ties in with its anarchical aesthetic, and integrating multiple time signatures or tempo changes into your track can be a great way of keeping a level of interest and dynamism. 

Effects

Typically, because the breakbeats are front and center, you typically want them sounding pretty dry and not being drowned out in reverb and delay and other effects. Save your effects for the sound design and melodic parts of your track, which will act as a contrast against the dryness of the rhythm section. One of the key effects you have to use on your drums however, is distortion in the form of saturation. I always recommend producers that when using an effect, apply it until it sounds ridiculous at first, then dial it back until it sounds how you want it to. Pitch shifting and Reverb are other great options for Breakcore effects.

Experiment

Have fun! That’s what makes Breakcore such an enjoyable experience creatively. Integrating bizarre sounds and samples into your track and making it work can be an immensely satisfying experience. Experiment with song structure, with rhythm, tempo, and samples. Try and combine multiple genres into one track, with the breakbeats providing the aesthetic unity to tie the production together. The main thing to keep in mind is the energy of the track- keep the bpm high and listeners interested. Also, just because Breakcore doesn’t follow traditional songwriting conventions, doesn’t mean you can’t still build those moments of tension and release in a track.

Final Touches

Typically, I always recommend mixing the part of the song that is the most important first (unless it’s vocals, but that’s for another time). In this case, when you come to mixdown, start with the drums. Use plenty of compression to give the drums a consistent energy throughout the track, maybe even a limiter to pin down the drums along with some distortion and saturation effects. Build your mix around the breakbeats, and your mix will be balanced appropriately for the genre. 

Conclusion

Breakcore is continuing to evolve as it finds a new audience with a younger generation, with new tools and technologies offering fresh ways to experiment with sound. One of the main USPs that Breakcore has though, is the community and DIY approach that many Breakcore producers champion. 

Using platforms like Soundtrap, where you can collaborate with producers in realtime, is a great way to foster that community feeling that defines Breakcore, as well as get fresh ideas and new perspectives on how to make Breakcore. 

About the author

Max McLellan is a composer, songwriter, and audio engineer with credits ranging across film, TV and radio. He provides composition, mixing, and mastering services through his company MKM Audio.