I need music to breakdance to!

November 9, 2007 3:56 PM

I need music to breakdance to.

I'm taking a breakdance class and I'm having fun but it's hard for me to practice at home because I don't have a huge selection of anything danceable. I'm open to any style of music that fits breakdancing, but please nothing too 'gangsta' as it is totally not my style (my style: gay white-washed Iranian 20-something)

posted by tumbleweedjack to sports, hobbies, & recreation (29 comments total)

Sugar Hill Gang, of course
posted by caddis at 3:58 PM on November 9, 2007

like this
posted by caddis at 3:59 PM on November 9, 2007

Try these past suggestions.
posted by jeremias at 4:03 PM on November 9, 2007

My friend, all you need is this thread.

on preview: dammit! Well, I can at least vouch that the tracks contained therein make for a hell of an oldschool playlist. Go forth and download!
posted by Vervain at 4:07 PM on November 9, 2007

Or the sound track to this movie or its sequel.
posted by dersins at 4:13 PM on November 9, 2007

I'll add the Beat Street Soundtrack, which seems to have increased in value over the years.

It's on the usual torrent trackers, if you're of that persuasion.
posted by toxic at 4:17 PM on November 9, 2007

Sugar Hill Gang, of course
like this

No, like this.
posted by dersins at 4:17 PM on November 9, 2007

Haaaa oh gosh...memories...
posted by albatross5000 at 4:23 PM on November 9, 2007

Robyn - Crash N Burn Girl (there's a video on youtube but the sound sucks).
Kraftwerk - Radioactivity
Fat Boys - Crushin'
KRS-1 - The MC
Sway & Tech: Underground Tactics
Athletic Mic League - The KGB
Robyn - Cobrastyle (cover)
Naughty By Nature - Let the "ho's" go (as in yelling "ho!")
MF DOOM - All Caps (you should be getting funky when the piano breaks come in after the trumpets)
A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario
posted by cashman at 4:30 PM on November 9, 2007

Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force
posted by kanemano at 4:38 PM on November 9, 2007

Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins - It's Like That
posted by samstarling at 4:46 PM on November 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

"Love, Peace, And Grease" by BT.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 4:50 PM on November 9, 2007

All roads lead to Apache
posted by kalimotxero at 5:12 PM on November 9, 2007

The forums at bboy.org will definately have a some song lists.
Try there.
posted by lain at 5:16 PM on November 9, 2007

Well the traditional music would be the breaks from old funk and soul records, however you'd want to find a DJ mix where they're cut up so that it's just the breaks. Some of the classic tracks:

"Apache" (Incredible Bongo Band)
"Scratchin'" (Magic Disco Machine)
"Scorpio" (Dennis Coffey)
"Cavern" (Liquid Liquid) - basis for "White Lines"
"Think" (Lynn Collins)
"Take me to the Mardi Gras" (Bob James) - sampled in "Peter Piper", "Rock the Bells", "Work It" and a ton of other records
Pretty much any uptempo stuff from JBs or uptempo instrumental stuff from James Brown
etc. etc.

See also http://www.breakdance.lt/media/audio

Mid-90s SF style housey breakbeat would be perfect too. Try and find a copy (on mp3) of DJ Dan "A Tribute to James Brown" - that's a good one, or maybe Garth "No Rest for the Wicked". Both are on mp3 at http://ezeskankin.com/.

My friend used to have a great tape of the guy who did music for the Rock Steady Crew - all the original funk / soul breaks, cut up. I haven't been able to find a digital copy, though.
posted by PandaMcBoof at 5:17 PM on November 9, 2007

Sugar Hill Gang, of course

Yes.

Also: Newcleus - Jam on It .
posted by quin at 5:53 PM on November 9, 2007

no, like this.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 6:36 PM on November 9, 2007

Kool G Rap and DJ Polo - Streets of New York
posted by milarepa at 7:34 PM on November 9, 2007

Really, anything by Kraftwerk.

Kraftwerk - Expo 2000
Kraftwerk - The Robots (Die Roboter)
Kraftwerk - Pocket Calculator


Can't forget AFRIKA BAMBATAA!!!

Maybe...

Chromeo
Capsule - Robot Disco
posted by phrontist at 7:40 PM on November 9, 2007

Oh, and I second Newcleus with the fire of a thousand suns.
posted by phrontist at 7:42 PM on November 9, 2007

For maximum goof look no further than the Holiday Rap.
posted by phrontist at 7:43 PM on November 9, 2007

There's a movie. It's called Breakin'. You should watch it.

Also, Breakin' II: Electric Boogaloo.
posted by klangklangston at 8:09 PM on November 9, 2007

Pardon my movie derail a tad, though there are music recommendations in here too...

Breakin' is pretty Hollywood-ized, and aimed at a teenaged suburban audience wearing new checkerboard Vans. It is to breakdance culture what The Warriors was to gang warfare, and similarly absurdly choreographed/costumed.

Which means it's really fun to watch, but I wouldn't say that it would give you much insight into the music (given that most of the soundtrack is by the short-lived Duo of Ollie & Jerry).

Wild Style recently celebrated it's 25th anniversary (and the Movie and Soundtrack were re-released, complete with an instrumental bonus disc (!!)). It's probably got some of the highest quality Fab 5 Freddy recordings available anywhere.

Beat Street was New York's answer to Breakin'. While the costumes aren't much better, many of the dancers are (quite a few were plucked from the Bronx), and some of the performances (from folks like Grandmaster Flash and Doug E. Fresh are, well, quintessential.

See also, the documentary Style Wars and the getting harder to find Beat This!
(from BBC's Arena).
posted by toxic at 9:38 PM on November 9, 2007

This one used to get me so hyper I still move today when I hear it. I don't think it was ever "known" as a b-boy jam, but it's got all the ingredients and a crazy beat. If you wanna pop for hours , put this on repeat (wait for the breakdown). Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam-I wonder if I take You Home.
posted by Student of Man at 12:11 AM on November 10, 2007

For more new-school techno-electro, maybe something like Dave Clarke's mix cds, or some Drexciya, Aux 88, Anthony Rother, Carl Finlow, Dexter, Bitstream..
posted by p3t3 at 1:49 AM on November 10, 2007

soul oddity - tone capsule
posted by juv3nal at 2:24 AM on November 10, 2007

It's worth noting that most of these suggestions are from the golden-age of breakdancing. Whilst this late '80s, early '90s kind of hip-hop, and the breaks from the '70s, were the bread and butter of dancers and crews back then, you shouldn't limit yourself to this period.

When I was learning, we would have Jurassic 5 and Tribe Called Quest blaring out most, but not all of the time. Some of the tunes we loved dancing to were Chemical Brothers – Galvanise, Bomfunk mc's – Freestyler (clichéd I know), Daft Punk – One More Time, any mix by Z-Trip, Q-Bert, Krafty Kuts, Dj Shadow, Babu, Dj Woody, Diplo, Dj Format...

Generally hip-hop, but beat-orientated, faster moving, and definitely avoiding the typical 'club hip-hop'.

I would also recommend the Freestylers. They're a bit faster paced, kinda clubby, dubby, reggae, almost verging on DnB, but definitely dancing music. Their songs often vary in style quite widely. 'We Rock Hard' is a good dancing album, featuring 'Breaker Beats Part 1 & 2', 'B-Boy Stance' and 'The Darkside'.

There does, though, seem to be something about the rhythms in Grand Master Flash's mixes that brings all the dancers out of the wood works.
posted by Surfyournut at 9:12 AM on November 10, 2007

Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
posted by Laugh_track at 12:46 PM on November 10, 2007

Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins - It's Like That
posted by samstarling at 7:46 PM on November 9 [1 favorite -] Favorite added! [!]


That was good.
posted by caddis at 4:42 PM on November 10, 2007