Breakbeat Recommendations Best Of 2012

Review: Disco and cake... If there's a finer combination, we'll eat our servers. Not just a great name, though - this label knows sample science at a PhD level. Merrier than a man with a 24 pack of premium beer and swag bag of fireworks, this will rock socks off your dancefloor. "Power Boots" fractures Snap's original with nu-funk brutality, "Spinning Wheels" whisks us away on a retro waltz while "Wonderful World" takes Jimmy Cliff to territories he didn't even know existed. Climaxing the package with a rather clever Mighty Boosh sample, this is one sweet cake. Fancy a slice?

Review: Cute little 7 inchers don't come around that often, but when they do it's worth paying attention, especially when the quality is as good as this mighty double A. Dancefloor Outlaws take the lead, and upkeep the party rep they've developed previously on Disco Cakes. Instant sing-along power and a real cock-sure strut to the groove, it's a wonder they've crammed so much power onto such a tiny slice of vinyl. Basement Freaks takes over the B for some equally ravishing funk; taking Blackstreet's massive smash and bringing it up bang up to date for the nu funk generation, this will instantly bring booty to your dancefloor. Comes with a free download code too.

Review: Stickybudz and Mr.Savona inaugurate the Subfunk label, an imprint dedicated to all things breaks. Here we have three tracks featuring the lyrics of senor Burro Banton on the vox version - a mid-tempo breakbeat monster with wild Jah lyrics and wobbling electro basslines. The track is also great without the help of Banton and the dub turns the electro into straight up funk ferocity!

Review: Aussie producer Slynk makes his debut on the evergreen Ghettofunk label with Boomin' - do expect rambunctious beats and samples aplenty across the four jams here. Lead track "Boomin" deftly reworks a jeep beat classic from Mr Kenny Dope, and slips in plenty of rap standard drops atop the digital bass line bump. The familiar vocal refrain of method Man opens up "Poppin' It" a self explanatory call and response hip hopper, whilst "Smoothness" contains a brilliantly elastic bass line and plenty of Jigganometry. Finally "Break It On Down" adopts the kind of slinky block rocking poise that you will hear filter a Krafty Kuts set.

Review: Nu-funk masters Ghetto Funk Records come through with this formidable 12", featuring four tracks by our boy WBBL. "Check Menina" bleeps and wobbles its way with the help of some feisty snares and party-time vocals; and "Talkin' About My Baby" is just pure old-skool hip-hop goodness. The B side opens with "Fresh Witness" a sampled hodgepodge of videogame melodies, neo-dubstep basslines and fresh beats for ya! "Danger Machine" contains a pure pop sensibility and wouldn't sound out of place on a Rihanna record - enticing, addictive and fun.

Review: A DMC champ and a very tidy producer to boot, JFB made his debut on the Disco Cakes label with three bass 'n' breaks bangers, led by the raw funk drums and hyper wobbles of "Fizzy Bubla" and backed up nicely by the Herbie Hancock-assisted "Cantaloopoo" and the deadly hip-hop flow of "Rock Your Goldfish".

Review: Your man UNKLE takes care of remixing Noel Gallagher's Flying Birds on this release, turning the relatively tame original of "AKA...What A Life" into a cataclysmic fury of sharp drum breaks and long, echoing vocals. On the B, "Let The Lord Shine A Light On Me" is also given a re-up, making those drums more jagged and penetrating than ever before - UNKLE still in top form!

Review: A stern word of advice from Badboe to anyone suffering a flatty on their funk bike... Pump it up! Simple really. Especially when you've got four jams to do the pumping with. All mid tempo swagger joints laced with hip-hop and breakbeat attitude, highlights include the Missy Elliot-sampling nu-funk jam "Green Power Funk" and the more upbeat freak-out power of the Claire G Phunk featured "Whatya Gonna Do For Me". Get pumping!

Review: Finnish DJ crew Rollomatik break out on the Boogie Boutique imprint with a two track release that aims to represent the Arctic Circle fully in the nu funk/breakbeat scene. Formed of Hesh & Eaves, Rollomatik aim to rock the party and that much is evident on this cheeky 12" with "We Love To Party" deftly blending Will Smith with Chic amidst a melange of other recognisable samples. A similar approach runs through flipside jam "The Greatest" as Rollomatik lay down the vocal from an oft used Q-Tip solo joint over a heavily filtered take on Sister Sledge's most ubiquitous track.

Review: Dutch house powerhouse Kraak & Smaak drop a favourite from their album "Electric Hustle", which features the rugged-yet-soothing vocals of house legend Romanthony. While their original is a quiet storm of minimal drums and classic house stabs, Roach Motel drop two fleshed-out revisits that lend the tune a building, club-happy vibe. Psychemagik flip the tune too, creating an Italo-leaning beauty with Romanthony's detuned vocals giving it an epic quality.

Review: After firmly establishing their Nu Funk steez in the digital realm with countless releases, London label Boogie Boutique reach into the glamorous world of vinyl in fine style with this double 12" drop A Year On Wax. They continue their twelve inch shaped adventures with a label regular at the helm in the shape of Funk Ferret. The New Zealander has featured on many a Boogie Boutique release, as well as other Nu Funk labels such as Booty Pirates and Ghetto Funk, so keen observers of the scene will know what to expect. "Pushin' Forward" features the mic spitting skills of Imagine This, whose Mr Lif style delivery is the perfect foil for a trademark mid tempo bass heavy bump from the Ferret. Boogie Boutique have assembled a fine cast of remix talent too, with Big Beat veteran Cut La Roc dropping a fine sample heavy revision that allows the vox to shine. Fellow BB artist and Montreal dweller Nick Fonkyson adds some crunchy riffage to the mix, whilst the Funk Ferret's Regrooved Sound System partner DJ Alias concentrates on teasing out some bassline deviancy with some help from Benson.

Review: Big M Productions have been busy boys in the last few years and this release sees a collaboration between mystery man Breakbeat Junkie and the UK's DJP. The latter kicks things off with "Say Word", a winding breaked-out hip-hop bomb. The duo get together on "Party Right Now", a seriously funky slice of rapping production, followed by "Blackbeard's Delight" on the flipside - a certified mood lifter with its swanky jazz flute riding on top of it. As a final treat, it's a solo mission from the Breakbeat Junkie, sampling Busta Rhymes and transferring his wobbling freestyle flow to a 90s house beat.

Review: Swinging, bass-bitten, glitch-ridden funk ahoy! Nynfus Corporation return with four stellar party pieces that are likely to garner you all manner of proposals at your next gig. Seriously; one member of the Juno staff played "Gangster's Rock" in a bar last Friday and he's now married to three beautiful women. It's best not to dwell on the legalities of such a saga and just focus on the music; "Gangster's Rock" is precision glitch-hop at its finest, complete with a real block-rocking sing-along chorus, "Break It Down" is a more upbeat peaktime number with Hanzee spitting lyrics so quickly they'll make you dizzy. "Istambool" flips the switch for a swashbuckling low-swung horn-heaver while "La Petit P" ends the set with wonky warped bass and a fantastic sample that you will not 'regret' playing.

Review: If you're after cheeky, rump-shaking breaks heaviness with a dash of old skool charm and more than a few familiar samples, you could do worse than check out the ongoing Bomb Strikes series, with this split EP showcasing more material designed to induce jumping-around and other dancefloor silliness. Pimpsoul delivers just that in the shape of "Rock You", a funky kick-up-the-pants disguised as a slick house/breaks/disco mash-up. Neon Steve goes jungle on his epic wobble-a-thon "Blindside", while Bryx wobbles and stomps his way through a bro-step version of Ninja Tune fave "The Terrorist". Heavy? You bet!

Review: Plymouth's self-proclaimed "number one digger" and one-time maker of high quality bootleg remixes returns to the world of original production with an expansive EP for the ever-reliable Jalepeno stable. There's plenty to enjoy, not least the parping horns and low-slung funk guitars that pepper the EP's two vocal cuts, "You're All Show" (featuring Tru Thoughts regular Kylie Audist) and "Take Me To A Party" (with Brit rap funkateers ASM). The fun doesn't stop there, though. There's some twinkling hip-hop-funk deepness in the shape of the bluesy "What Happened?", and a stroll into funk-laden classic soul territory (the excellent "Alone"). It all adds up to his best release to date, we reckon.

Review: Danish label Breakbeat Paradise had a more than exquisite 2012 and this recent slice of breaked up madness from Tom Drummond is pretty damn ear-shattering. The title track takes old rap vocals and samples them alongside fuzzy, 80s inspired electro basslines. "Drop It On The Plastic" provides serious hip-hop weight with tasty, crispy drums, but the flipside "King Of The Beats" is the wildest most funked-out piece of breakery we've heard in ages! "You Know It" adds a little bit of Italo warmth to the equation and rounds off the EP in style.

Review: Breaks and hip-hop producer Ninelives The Cat comes through with a nagging slice of solid production and catchy vocals in the form of "LaLaLa". The chorus hook will claw into your head like the feline in control, while the choppy funk licks that make up the beat will find a comfortable home on dancefloors all over. On the remix tip, Funkanomics bring an uptempo 80s flavour with filtered guitars and brash drum machine beats, while DJ Alias does a more subtle turn in tightening up the groove of the original. Will Styles rounds things off with an electro-indebted workout full of chunky synths and club-ready construction.

Review: Emerging German funksters CMC & Silenta bag themselves a team of iron-lipped vocalists for their most accomplished single to date. Both "The Night Is Mine" and "Big Up Booty" bounce with a distinct Freestylers or Deekline & Solo twang - unashamed big room beats coated in chants and sing-along potential. The remixes aren't too shabby either: DJ AKA chunks and chops it while Funkanomics flops his slap bass out. Serious party starters.

Review: A loose groove, cool percussion and flutes; do you need any more information? This type of funkafied breakbeat could convince anyone onto the dancefloor. Even people who are allergic to dancefloors! Armed with an almost evangelic horn crescendo, the Gemini's might be new on the funk scene but they know their stuff. As do the three remix acts; DJ Nixon adds a little stomp and hip-hop attitude to proceedings, CMC & Silenta max the party with some very cheeky vocal additions while Jon Kennedy & Ewan Hoozami kidnap the original and hold it hostage in a deep, soul-stirring place that only they know the location of. Dangerous stuff.