Search - Breakestra :: Live Mixtape V.2

An impeccably performed Funk/Breaks Mixtape, with literally

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 08/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Breakestra is a collective of musicians: (Drummers, Trumpeters, Horns, Guitar, Trombone, Keyboards, cello...etc), that center around the key figure of "Miles Tackett", a breaks enthusiast, that spearheaded the idea of taking, loads of previously highly regarded Soul, Funk & Hip-Hop tracks, and then getting an assembled Hip-Hop orchestra to interpret these tracks into a Live performance, seamlessly moving from one track to the next, in the manner of a mixtape. But the emphasis of the collective here, is that their sound is one informed more by Funk composition, more than Hip-Hop, and that, the tracks themselves, organically evolve into the next, without any significant jumps in the continuity of the performance.



The first segment of the disk (Sections 1-9) are largely taken up with absolutely sublime instrumental interpretations of tracks that most people will recognise as classic hip-Hop breaks ("A Tribe Called Quest", "KRS-One", "Pete Rock", "Marley Marl", "Public Enemy", "De La Soul"...etc), and apart from being exact (apart from a ever so slightly more audibly difference in sound, due to the instruments not being the exact ones originally used), the tracks themselves, may sound to some listeners, as if the band have taken each track, and heavily steeped it in Funk. (This is because the Hip-Hop Tracks that most will recognise, are themselves sampled originally from Funk Tracks...and so the band are merely using the original Funk recordings, as their template).



From there on in, the album is a collection of Jaw-Dropping covers / Slightly different reinterpretations / And the occasional original composition (with "Getcho Soul Together" & "Sexy Popcorn Pot," making up the bands original material), that find a incredibly talented band that simply have, not only the musicianship, but the complete accessibility in their music to appeal to a far wider audience, than they currently have. (admittedly, their album isn't widely available enough in the U.K., for more people to actually know about their music). So with a album that is a continuous collection of Funk Breaks, that rattles it way through tracks, adding or improvising the sound, but with enough recognisable tracks from artists such as: James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, that means that, this isn't one of those Rare-Funk mixes, where none of the material is familiar & initially difficult to penetrate, this strikes a fine balance between having enough recognisable material for newcomers, & more rare/hard to find Deep Funk, for the enthusiasts/Crate Diggers. And what both parties will agree on, is the familiar material is so expertly interpreted or re-created, into a Live orchestration, that it sounds doesn't sound overly familiar and feels like a new spin (or slight remix) of established tracks.



Holding together a lot of the transitions between tracks is the MC "Mixmaster Wolf" (Aka Stones-throws "Peanut Butter Wolf"), who...sings, Mcees, Raps and shouts-out over/between tracks...and actually manages to liven up the proceedings. And without his contributions, this mixtape would run the risk of just being a merely impeccably performed instrumental Breaks album, lacking a little something, to warrant multiple plays (Purists with possibly prefer to hear the music uninterrupted), but few could deny that his high energy, high impact MCing, adds an undeniable party atmosphere to the proceedings



Possibly the most apt description I could give, in describing this stunning mixtape is....imagine the legendary Funk band "The Meters" covering well-known Funk/Hip-Hop Breaks, with all the energetic skill and unmitigated exuberance, befitting one of Funk music greatest acts, and then add a particularly skilled MCee, with all the swagger & celebratory vocals of a young 'James Brown', and you've have unquestionably one of the most brilliantly conceived mixtapes in recent memory. (Admittedly the concept & arrangement behind this, goes a lot further, than just merely being a standard mixtape), and if you have even a passing interest in either Breaks, Funk/Funky-Breaks or indeed like the idea of fantastically euphoric Jam sessions , you simply must seek out this largely ignored gem, for some of the most proficiently performed and feel-good mix-albums of recent years, and is absolutely worth any needed effort to purchase or track this album down."

Flavor by nature

fetish_2000 | 11/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is funky. it is not funk-ish or funk-like, but funky, pure and simple. Seldom am i moved to groove like this album did for me. The first time I heard this album, I nearly crashed my car into another car piloted by a funk philistine. Its that fresh. You would be letting yourself down to not buy this one, maybe even torturing yourself. Just when I thought that I had heard the last of the good grooves available on compact disc, I get my ears molested by some of the best jams to date. To not buy this album is to not persue happiness."

Intentionaly anachronistic, but don't let that stop you.

tristanfrank | iowa city, iowa USA | 02/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a piece of music meant for hip-hop fans who are tired of the bland repetitive music that has been coming out in the past few years. Breakestra change things up. The Live Mix Part Two is like a mix tape of classic material, but with the music all done by a live band.This group is the creation of Miles Tackett, who plays the bass, guitar, and cello. You may recognize his sound from the studio work he has done with Macy Gray, he played guitar on a couple of songs on her last album. If you appreciate a good beat behind a classic rap song, you will find this stuff interesting. Breaks, or breakbeats, are the short slices of percussion magic found on old funk and soul records. When early rap producers looped together these breaks, and had an mc rhyme on top of them, the result was rap music as it was in the biginning. Miles Tackett and his band Breakestra, perform many of the classic beats that any casual hip-hop fan will recognize. Sources for the grooves on this album include James Brown, Eddie Bo, the Mohawks, and too many others to mention. The tracks on this album include medleys of funk and soul songs bits and pieces. These are blended in with original material by the group. New songs include "Getcho Soul Together", and the inspirational "Remember Who You Are". Mixmaster Wolf has a voice that reminds me of James Brown, expect plenty of grunts and shouts. The funk medleys display some skilled musicianship. They are very continuous, and the best parts of the songs are melded together to include several songs in one track. The recreation on classic old music may have you mistaking this for the dusty records that you don't even own. Its like they are stuck in the year 1971, or they have avoided all the changes in music in the last 30 years, but in a good way. This gets a full recemendation."