We live in an era when the DJ is almost as important as the music makers themselves. Indeed, the trend now is for dance music producers to become DJs in order to promote their music by spinning sets of vinyl rather than actually performing the music live. The lines are becoming a bit blurred between songwriters, producers, DJs -- even label owners, considering the proliferation of mix CDs released under every possible guise. No longer are various-artist collections merely samplers of talent for a given label or genre; they've become artistic statements in and of themselves.
Surely, newcomers or casual listeners of electronic music must be confused by an album title such as Tectonics, what with the DJ, Adam Freeland, having his name emblazoned on the cover with no "mixed by" or "presents" subtitle to clarify his role. Being a jack-of-all trades music-wise, Freeland's role here is to play the DJ host of the mix, though he also pops up as a musical contributor (Tsunami One, whose collaboration with BT, "Hip-Hop Phenomenon" appears here, is his project with collaborator Beber), and label owner (Freeland's Marine Parade released the album in conjunction with American partner, Ultra Records). Strangely absent, also, from the cover art or liner notes is any mention of the genre Tectonics is dedicated to. One might expect an artist's intent memo inside or even just a catchphrase such as "Master of Nu Skool Breaks!" on the front. If you pick up a copy of this album, it's either because you're in the know or open to the unknown.
And speaking of unknown, Tectonics is dedicated to a style of music that is probably fairly unfamiliar to the average listener out in shopping-mall land. Nu Skool breaks is a mysterious genre, particularly with its distinctly older, '80s feel (the transition between Blim's "Chronologic" and Makesome Breaksome's "Pig Chase" in this mix brings to mind the Beverly Hills Cop theme, for instance). Nu Skool breaks -- also sometimes referred to simply as breakbeat, a term appropriated from jazz wherein drummers throw in beats to signal a shift in tempo or transition to the song's bridge and which jungle producers sample and loop to form the backbone of their tunes -- is apparently a throwback to Old Skool breaks, which enjoyed some underground popularity here in the States in the early to mid '90s with acts such as DJ Icey and John Debo. But Old Skool was engulfed by the big beats sound made internationally famous by the Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method, Fatboy Slim and others. Early breakbeat music was a staple of rave culture in both the United States and Europe, though recently it has fallen into relative obscurity, thanks to the rise of trance on the nightclub and desert party forefront. Leave it to the Europeans, who popularized the American invention of techno, to break breakbeat back into the scene.
The English are always a step ahead of the Americans in dance music, of that there is no doubt. The Brits were raving to house music in the early '80s and have already endured the crackdown by government officials on all-night dance parties, but the Americans are just now experiencing that sort of attention. And while trance has apparently come and gone across the pond (note the recent emigration of trance king BT to the United States and his bold move into alternative rock territory), American pop stars have only just begun to have their hits remixed by trance producers. Now it seems we will have to catch up with the latest phenomenon, Nu Skool breaks, for which Mr. Freeland has so thoughtfully compiled this little trainer course.
Not as funky or slow as hip-hop yet not as mechanical or fast as jungle, breakbeat treads along at a steady mid-pace, as is evident throughout Tectonics. Freeland's fleet-handed spinning skills blend elements of house (Vigi and Flip's "Freak Frequency" and Layo and Bushwacka!'s "Deep South"), trance (Audiowerk's "Impulse Transmission"), jungle/drum 'n' bass (the previously unreleased Tectonix Mix of "Juvenile Delinquent" by Beber, Leuroj's "Isokora [Bushwacka! Mix]") and pure techno (the simple samples with heavy repetitive use on such songs as "Banging" by Apex and "Hip Hop Phenomena" by Tsunami One and BT, plus many of the sounds and structures overall have a techno flavor) into a near seamless mix, with only a subtle difference here and there to denote track and subgenre shifts. At his best on Tectonics, Freeland preaches like a high priest in the church of the Nu Skool.
And electronic music could do with a gifted shaman or two right about now. It seems that musicians are still finding ways to juggle the same old sounds, samples and technology into new configurations, though non-fans of electronic music may have a hard time telling the various genres apart. To some, an Amen break (arguably the most popular -- or overused -- breakbeat sample in jungle music, whose name is derived from its song source, "Amen Brother" by the Winstons) is nothing more than a drum track, while to others it is communion. Electronic music lovers can often be rather fanatical about their chosen sound and require stringent regulation of all factors. It's surely just a matter of time before the breakbeat church opens its doors here in America; perhaps Freeland, with his discriminating taste and smooth mixing style, will be instated as the High Pope.
Anji Bee | June 20, 2000
| 
