- Broken beat first emerged in West London during the late '90s. The style was hard to pin down, but stuttering post-rave beats, rare groove-inspired melodies and hip-hop sampling aesthetics were common. Early in his career, Motor City Drum Ensemble was a champion of the genre. As part of Inverse Cinematics he was among a number of German acts that ran with the sound during the early '00s. This latest release on his label comes from Henry Wu and Earl Jeffers, two young acts who are reestablishing broken beat's eclectic spirit.
Both tracks here are excellent. The drums have a funky syncopation close to a classic Masters At Work beat. The keys, played by Henry Wu, are harmonically complicated without being fussy. Wu's musical chops are showcased in his work in the groups Yussef Kamaal and, more recently, Kamaal Williams, but that musicality is focussed at the dance floor here. The results are something between jazz fusion and classic house—a balancing act that's easy to get wrong. "Projections" offers a Roy Ayers-esque vibraphone and a neat section from Larry Young's "Turn Off The Lights," a sample likely inspired by Jay Dilla's production wizardry on Slum Village's "Fat Cat Song." "Hi Life" is a piano house banger. It's a sound that could easily sound clichéd, but Wu's keyboard talent ensures there's never a dull moment.
TracklistA Projections
B Hi Life