- Broken beats of all shapes and sizes from the bruk originator and UK dance music lynchpin.
- Broken beat, or bruk, is intrinsically collaborative. Its London originators often recorded together, taking inspiration from jazz, hip-hop, deep house, drum & bass and Afrobeat. Because the genre was born of fusion, it brought together heads from all corners of the music spectrum—sound system purists to junglists to Latin Nuyorican aficionados—who each resonated with bruk's complex rhythms in their own ways.
Ian Grant, AKA IG Culture, is an early pioneer of bruk, and his story underlines the style's synergetic nature. Starting out as an MC, he struck fame in the early '90s as one half of Dodge City Productions but quickly grew disillusioned with the major label business. After immersing himself in early George Duke records, Fela Kuti, Fuji music, The Headhunters and the like, he started experimenting in the studio. The jazz inspiration, plus his roots in reggae and background in hip-hop and acid jazz, led to his now-seminal, late '90s productions as New Sector Movements—widely considered as the starting point in bruk history.
Since then, Grant has kept building infrastructure for the hybrid sound. Alongside Bugz in the Attic, Phil Asher, Dego of 4hero, Demus and Orin Walters, he cofounded the legendary CoOp party, which became a meeting place for diverse musical minds and enabled bruk to keep evolving. Grant remains deeply committed to co-creating, as seen by the Selectors Assemble collective he runs with Alex Phountzi (the two are also known as NameBrandSound), his releases with Psykhomantus as Shall I Bruk It, his Afrofuturist take on bruk as Likwid Continual Space Motion and various other projects.
On his RA Podcast, the veteran artist presents a forward-thinking portrayal of bruk, adjacent styles that were directly inspired by it and other global club cuts. There are cerebral, jazzy melodies from his CoOp label, Nigerian cruise music, percussive UK garage, 2-step swing, dancehall dub and much more. This is Grant's world, where rhythmic and swung beats reign supreme.
What have you been up to recently?
I have been quite busy with the labels I'm involved with, I A&R the CoOp Presents label with Alex Phountzi, and have been releasing artists from the UK and abroad. Recently, we released work from Mitch von Arx and also Melbourne-based songstress Kuzco, who are both featured in the mix. I also run the ™Shall I Bruk It label and have an album coming out on Amsterdam's Supersonic Jazz label under my LCSM moniker. A big release for me this year was the return of my New Sector Movements project which came out on First Word Records, which was a good fit for the record—Aly Gilani and Bobafatt are serious music people and gave me full support and thumbs up on my musical vision for the record, which I called These Times.
How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it?
The mix was recorded in my studio using a Roland DJ 808 controller. It's a selection of worldwide beats from bruk to the rough to the ready. I've also featured artists from my, CoOp Presents imprint, like Alex Phountzi, Kuzco, Oliver Night, EVM128 and Mitch von Arx's brand new release.
What's one club or party that had a major impact on you as an artist?
The party that has had the most impact on me was a party called CoOp that I was involved in in the early 2000s. It brought many different heads together who had never heard of the term broken beats before coming to the night, which eventually created a new type of party with a new type of energy. The DJs made their own music and played the tracks as dubplates. The night inspired a whole new club subculture DJs, artist, dancers and music lovers in general. and became world-renowned. The energy of that time still seeps into the music of the new artists on the CoOp Presents label.
How has the broken beat/bruk scene evolved since you relaunched the CoOp parties? What excites you right now musically?
A lot of new players in the bruk genre have stepped up to the plate. There has been new interest from young artists overseas who send demos to our CoOp presents label. Artists like Kuzco, Oliver Night, Mitch von Arx and NameBrandSound put their own slant on bruk, and labels like ™Shall I Bruk It and Dance Regular regularly release bruk music.
The CoOp Presents label has also been involved in helping nurture the bruk sound in Australia and has released a compilation curated by Allysha Joy featuring all Australian artists such as Jonny Faith and Setwun (also featured in this mix). All the music from back then has become classics that DJs drop in sets, not necessarily connected to the bruk scene.
What do you think it is about the sound you helped create that has kept it alive so long?
What excites me right now is seeing the genre continue to attract fresh talent and how it evolves with new perspectives and energy. As long as young artists adopt it and audiences keep dancing, we are good to keep this flame burning.
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
After the lockdown, many artists and producers have talked about how tough it was to stay motivated and earn a living from music. Some have had to go back to regular work to stay afloat. It's important for creatives to maintain their mental well-being. I not only sign artists to my labels but also mentor them, give them feedback on their productions, personal issues etc. I have a fair amount of experience in the music industry, and try to give back. It's important that the musicians in our community learn how to look after themselves physically and mentally for productive careers. we actively help and nurture new and up and coming artists. The idea is a creative hub where artists can connect, collaborate and grow organically. I'm hopeful that what i can bring to the table can inspire new artists and creatives to be part of our movement.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
I'm looking forward to the release of my next album. It's been a long process with some thrills and spills, but I'll be happy for the work to see the light of day and hit the road.
TracklistKuzco - Drooling
Ciceley Fully Love - On My Own
Faroucox - Uniao
Setwun - Hby
Jonny Faith - Southern Stepper
Romaal Kultan - Child
William Florelle - Stuck
Delgado - Yah Right
Knevrmind BDK - Raw
DJ Goce - Point And Murda (Rapid Fire Rejig)
H2O - Bad Transmission
Poco - Obirin
Moves X Cruise - Biza Biza
Toya Belaze - Vuka
Kiherehere - ????
Oumou Sangare - Yere Faga
Kass Kass Rizer feat. Asna - ???
Rahiem - Tell Me
Yak - Balmora Blue
Namebrandsound Remix - Heartbeat
Evm - 128 Gamma Riddim (Alex Phointzi Remix)
Oliver Night - Bruk N Bass
Amerie - One Thing (Bakeys Remix Dubplate)
Mitch Von Arx - Wipe Out
Pablo Toto - You Got No Pinga
Toya Delazy - Imali
Grace - Missing Who
Mosca - God Of Thunder
Millicent - Skim Stone
KMB - Rooftop Summer
DJ Q - Thief In The Night
Meroman - Piano Ting
Jon Sable - Ascension Island
Izkarri - Dreadlock Party
Scratchclart - Russian
Zero FG - Kastle
Lavons - I Need Love (Ig Culture Edit)
Meroman - Piano Ting Reload
Frits Wentink - Rising Sun Falling Coconut
Arfa X Joe Kin - Scuffed
Murder He Wrote - Salsa