Breakstep, or breakbeat garage, is a genre of music combining breakbeat and UK garage. It is a key factor in the emergence of dubstep.
History[]
This style of breakbeat and garage hit the mainstream with DJ Dee Kline's "I Don't Smoke". It sold 15,000 units on Rat Records, then got signed to EastWest in 2000. It was #11 on the UK Top40. 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).
Structure[]
Breakstep evolved from the 2-step garage scene. Garage is usually soulful, but breakstep traded the slow 2-step shuffle for a more straightforward breakbeat, specifically drum & bass breaks.