- Australia's burgeoning breakbeat scene is spawning more and more artists and producers and it's certainly come much farther and stretched further than just Kid Kenobi and Nubreed with an army of new and established artists coming out with their own brand of breakbeat funkiness. Sydney based breakbeat label, Falcon St Beats recognises this wealth of talent so they've invited local producers to submit tunes for their new compilation, Forefront - artists like Nubreed, Friendly, Smithmonger, and Sonic Animation step up to the plate alongside newcomers Pricecuts, Bass Kleph, Elroy and Falcon St Beats label owner Fsard. Falcon St Beats invited Melbourne based producer EK to provide a few tunes and mix the compilation like only he knows how.
The mix kicks off with a funky throwdown courtesy of Pricecuts who got his tunes signed to French breakbeat label, Lab-rok. Sunday Swinger is a horn laden ditty featuring a dirty acid bassline which leads in nicely to Soma Rasa's discofunk infused I Like It lifted straight off their On The Run EP from earlier in the year.
Beatkeeper's Stormer brings a deeper vibe to the mix dropping a dark, heavy bassline tinged with electro flavours setting the tone for Elroy to send the mix Deep Underground. In a Moguai-ish sort of way, Deep Underground features a massive synth riff accompanied by a bassbin rumbling bassline and deep, croaky vocal samples.
Bonx is the follow up to Bass Kleph's stunning Wildcard and brings forth 2-step/UK Garage beats to the table - the only tune on the compilation to actually do so. Summery feelgood vibes emanate from this outer-space rocker and sounds even better when the Lordz Of The Fly drop their vocals on it - check the single release for a sample.
Breakspoll's winner of the best newcomer award, Friendly pulls out the whips and chains on the dirty, electro fueled S&M. A monster bassline, distorted rock guitars quirky acid screeches and vocodered female vocals give this tune an electroclash feel yet still keeping a nice breakbeat feel about it. Nubreed, who are undoubtedly one of Australia's biggest breakbeat exports bring out more dirty, electro-infused bassline madness on Bring That Sound - the bassline being the most prominent feature of the tune!
EK himself provides a couple of tunes and a remix for the project. Keep It Casual features a catchy bassline riff, funky electro hook and occasional female vocal stabs (that sound like they've been ripped from a porn movie). EK remixes Sonic Animation's Get Up into a bassline-fed growler keeping that indie electro flavour that Sonic Animation are known for.
Finally, Fsard offers up the closing track - the eerily titled and purposely misspelt Waating. Keeping to the theme of the compilation (and probably the current state of the breaks scene in general) it incorporates a dirty bassline accompanied by clever use of drum fills and a spooky Poltergeist-like female vocal (on a "Theeeyyyy'rrreeee baaaaa-aaaack" tip).
Australia's become known to many internationally as the forefront of the breakbeat sound - it's definitely shining a beacon of light for breaks and Forefront reaffirms this fact showcasing the current state of breakbeat in all its forms. It features a healthy swag of artists who bring out different flavours ranging from funky disco infused numbers, to dirty electro and stadium rocking monsters. Falcon St Beats shows that it has potential to be up there with the best that the world has to offer.