Breakstep

Breakstep
Stylistic origins	UK Garage, 2-Step Garage, Nu Skool Breaks, Techstep
Cultural origins	1999, London, UK
Level of recognition	Minor Genre
Derivatives
Proto-Dubstep
Regional scenes
UK
Local scenes
London

Breakstep, or breakbeat garage, is a genre of music combining breakbeat and UK garage specifically 2-step. It is a key factor in the emergence of dubstep.

Characteristics

Garage is usually soulful, but breakstep traded the R&B elements for a darker, more minimal sound closer to jungle and the hardcore rave scene. The BPM was that of 2-step. The drum pattern emulated breakbeat and sometimes a slower form of drum and bass.

History

As the late 1990s were changing the sound of UK garage from a house derived genre into a unique UK scene, many artists began to experiment with different basses. Speed garage, specifically the kind of speed garage Armand Van Heldan developed in 1997, may be the first example of a gritty, deep UK garage kind of bass. 2-step would also prove a very popular genre, which outlasted speed garage and put more influence on broken, jittery beat patterns. This would culminate in breakstep's creation as some artists like Wookie, Deekline, and DJ Zinc would take a more minimal approach to 2-step, one inspired more by genres like nu skool breaks and techstep.

Breakstep hit the mainstream with Deekline's "I Don't Smoke". It sold 15,000 units on Rat Records in 1999, then got signed to EastWest in 2000. It was #11 on the UK Top 40. Another popular breakstep track was "138 Trek" by DJ Zinc, an experimental track consisting of a drum and bass style song being played at garage tempo (138). This popularity would not last as by 2002 the scene already began to decline. This can be attributed to UK garage's decline in general and the development of dubstep. By 2007-2008 the genre was virtually non-existent.

Around 2020 breakstep got a revival as new and old artists began to produce the genre again. With tracks like Floating Points' 'Problems' or 'Bias' and Joy Orbison's 'Flight Fm' examples of how artists are bringing the sound back in new unique ways. The tracks mentioned are certainly future garage adjacent but you can hear the influence of breakstep.