just a review of my presentation and a place for you to put your comments, questions, and ideas.
first things first,
topic of choice: bboy culture and musicality: an "ethnomusical" approach to the breakbeat
a link to my prezi: http://prezi.com/x6dybbbwkzhh/
a link to the video i used: http://youtu.be/jbSw_FDw3w8
title of the song i played was "funky drummer" by james brown.
final conclusion:
the breakbeat as a direct embedded derivative of freestyle dance (the first and "original" hiphop dance being breaking) has stayed true to its function and remains an integral part of the culture and scene. nevertheless, it has somehow managed to break away from its roots and establish itself as "sub" subculture in itself - i.e. break dance culture. the bboy and bgirl now has a say in the music being made, produced, and played. jams are no longer being thrown so much by dj's and mcee's, but by bboys and bgirls. the dancer is no longer simply a partipant, but an active listener ... a member of this global phenomena called hiphop. it used to be that the music drew in the bboy, now its the bboy that draws in the music. the extension of the breakbeat was made specifically for the bboys, these "break" boys ... the favor is now being returned in that the bboy is now an integral part of what keeps the culture and its elements (djaying, mcees, graf, etc) alive. breaking is no longer something kids just "do" at block parties and jams ... it has become an artform - a means of preserving the idea this concrete idea that "something good can [still] come from the bronx" ... that originality and style can exist anywhere - even during the roughest times and in the toughest places. it is a preservation of the original hiphop mentality. it is the notion of positivity in the midst of negativity. it is the creation of something from nothing. it is an expression of individuality within the masses. without the bboy, there would be no hiphop. and it all started with the breakbeat.
I'd be interested to explore what other genres of music utilize the breakbeat. I may or may not be imagining things, but I would say that a parallel can be drawn between the breakbeat in hip hop and the drop in electronic music. The BBOY is to the breakbeat as the raver is to the drop. I think an interesting topic to examine from here is how the breakbeat produces the, for lack of a better word, essence of breakdancing. What about the breakbeat makes people want to dance? Is this formula something can be used universally in all genres of music?
ReplyDeleteI could be completely wrong here but I think the break is like the climax in any song, just like in metal, or like you said the drop in electronic music. I thinks it's kinda like the bridge of the song, but in this case a culture emerged from it....?
DeleteI really enjoyed your presentation! It is interesting how much of the musical evolution has been a give and take between the DJ and the Bboys which is so different from western art music in which, the direction it seems like it's going, the audience have very little participation/influence.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how the bboy, at first, took a small sample of a song (the break beat) thus cutting the song into a fraction of its self, but has now began to add in more to the break beat, thus expanding the song again, keeping the core the break beat. I wonder how far bboying will go with this trend, will it push far enough to start adding non-western musics to the mixes?
ReplyDeleteI think what Eric is saying about relating the drop in EDM to the breakbeat in hip hop is really interesting. It is very normal for the music to move the dancers, but in both breakdancing and raves, the dancers form a guideline and expectation for the music. How can you not have breakbeats for bboys and bgirls, and a drop in EDM for ravers/EDM enthusiasts? Without these components played in these events, listeners would be very confused and disoriented. Instead of the music evolving and listeners/dancers following, it seems to be the reverse for these two genres. Although I don't know too much about EDM, maybe there didn't have to be so many drops. My limited first-hand experience with it at this time though, does show that there is drop after drop after drop.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't really drop after drop. But it is definitely a necessary component in the music nowadays. I do think it's really cool how is that the breakbeat is the cue for dancers to dance, and the drop is the same way. You could see this in all the harlem shake videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f7wj_RcqYk. In EDM however, I wonder if a culture could develop from the EDM drop. There is a strong sense of timing associated with the drop and as DJs mix different sets, it could be quite difficult to interpret when the drop will come. If people choreographed to EDM music, I would bet they would definitely have a moment of either freezing or moving very moderately before the drop. Then when the drop occurs, they would whip out their most noteworthy moves. I would imagine something like harlem shake but with better moves
DeleteSo from my understanding this whole process and emergence of this culture is kind of circular in the sense that there was a break beat which influenced dancers which then influenced the music? You mentioned that the dance has evolved but that the music has remained the same, since this is a relatively new thing i can imagine that the whole culture will continue to shift and change. If the music also starts to evolve aside from just extending the duration of the break beat, will it still be the same culture? I ask this because when I brought this up in class you mentioned that the break beat is a very definitive thing, but as a Bboy yourself can you imagine the break beat changing and adapting different kids of music and still being considered a break beat, or would that just become a sub culture?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your presentation and how much I learned from it! I knew what the breakbeat was musically but not in terms of how it was used and its connection to dance. It seems that the breakbeat is the highlight of the song and is essentially the climactic point within the music, although its function is different than that of other musics, it is the point that the listeners or dancers wait for. As you mentioned though, the breakbeat is expanding past its original duration and has in turn changed the relationship of the audience, the dancers, and the DJ to the music.
ReplyDeleteThat was probably the most interesting portion of the presentation, that the DJ used to be the main attraction, but with the focus on dancing and the breakbeat the DJ's function in the music has shifted to cater more towards the dancers rather than the initial function of playing the music. I wonder if the focus will ever shift back or a new role will be created in the future.
I found the discussion of how the DJ started incorporating more breakbeats to allow dancers to break interesting. It reminds me of how some hardcore bands intentionally incorporate breakdowns into their songs for the audience to hardcore dance. That a whole culture of dance developed out of just that small breakbeat section of a song is what strikes me as incredible though. As far as I know, there are not any songs that consist entirely of breakdowns nor are there really any dancers who go out and call themselves hardcore dancers. For hardcore, a separate dance culture also never developed where the dancers became the main focus and the musicians were moreso in the background.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is amazing that a culture was born out of what was originally just a short section of a song. As you said during your presentation that the dance side of the culture was developing, I was curious as to how technology is affecting the breakbeat culture, and if there is experimentation with different mixing techniques or alterations with the sound of the beats or are they keeping the break beat more to the style of the original breaks and just elongating the form?
ReplyDeleteSo I dug a little deeper into the EDM and breakdance scene. I found out from my interlocutor that there is actually a genre of EDM music called breakbeat too! It developed during the 90s as well and sounds like the more popular genre drum and bass that you hear commonly at raves and clubs today but a little bit slowed down. Here's a video of EDM breakbeat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alEyHbsXUE4. Would you ever consider dancing to this type of music?
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is that many of you mentioned the drop. But actually this genre doesn't really utilize a huge drop. Instead it is just about the dancer and knowing the beat.
DeleteI wasn't able to see your presentation but I do have some thoughts about what you have wrote about in your blog. In your final post, you mention that breakbeat has been able to form its own subculture. To this I ask; what is the criteria for something like breakbeat to be designated as a separate entity from its "roots" as you call it. Is it the following it garners, the unique qualities it possesses, or something else altogether. I'm not too familiar with the genre itself or the other similar genres which fall under the same umbrella, but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume its like different types of metal under the metal category. In addition, I wonder if the separation has to do with a desire to achieve something that is not possible in its current state (so it needs altering).
ReplyDeleteThis was a neat presentation! I have absolutely no background in any kind of bboy culture but I'd always been fascinated by the practice as an observer. I remember raising a question about sampling & the copyright issues that may be involved with DJs using certain breakbeats in their sets during dance-offs. Even though the DJ may not be selling the breaks for personal profit, don't the DJs themselves profit in name & prestige for certain breaks they may find? I record-dig myself & I know DJs do this to often find obscure breaks that other DJs would not use & in this way may gain popularity. If they are somehow profiting through the music of a different artist, are there any moves to pressure bboy & bboy DJ culture with certain copyright deals, etc? Do other artists want in on the culture or is bboy culture still pretty insular?
ReplyDeleteAlso, my brother loved your presentation. His mind was rather blown when you explained the term association between 'break-dancing' and the 'break-beats' to which bboys danced. haha.
That was an awesome presentation! I love learning about the history and how an entire dance/subculture came from just the break in the music. Since I have had no experience with this, it was awesome to learn about. It was especially cool because there have been some later nights I've studied at CPMC and saw people dancing outside the building. Have you seen them? Are they bboys? I don't know enough to be able to tell.
ReplyDeleteSince the dancers are the focus now, are the DJs still important or are they not part of it as much anymore?