Category:Broken Beat

Broken Beat (also known as "bruk") is an electronic dance music genre that originated in West London in the late 1990s. It is characterized by syncopated, stuttered, or offbeat rhythms—often breaking away from the rigid, constant pulse of four-to-the-floor house music. Broken beat draws heavily from a wide variety of influences, including jazz-funk, house, drum & bass, hip hop, techno, acid jazz, R&B, funk, Latin, and Afrobeat.

Characteristics

• Choppy, irregular drum patterns (hence "broken" beat), often with shuffled or “off” snares
• Heavy use of syncopation, giving a unique groove and rhythmic complexity
• Jazz-inspired harmony, live instrumentation, and experimental use of samples, synthesizers, and analog equipment
• Strong emphasis on musical and rhythmic experimentation, favoring eclecticism over a strict formula

Artists

Broken beat is deeply associated with the multicultural club culture of West London and artists like:

• Bugz in the Attic
• 4hero
• IG Culture

The music sits between house, jazz, garage, and future soul, maintaining a danceable groove while pushing boundaries of what "dance music" can be.