Country : France Label : Stereophonk Genres and styles : Breakbeat / Funk Year : 2020

Adventures in the Land of Breaks

· by Rupert Bottenberg

Bust out the boombox, flatten out that cardboard dishwasher box, Funky Bijou have a bunch of fierce and sturdy breaks for you. The duo of DJs Marrrtin et Deheb, key players in the Rennes-based DJ and graffiti crew Stereophonk, have been cranking this stuff out for a decade or more now, and their productions have featured at breakdance battles worldwide. This mix in two 20-minute parts is a showcase for their finest moments, and it indulges unapologetically in the globetrotting ’70s gangster-movie grooves that facilitators of funky breaks are so fond of. Lots of apprehensive bass lines, gritty rhythm guitar, and alarming brass outbursts. Much of side A is informed by Japanese yakuza thrillers, closing out on their excellent “Okinawa Break”, with its urgent shamisen and razor-sharp bamboo-flute licks. Side B kicks off with the squealing tires of a getawav car, the green light for the tight, punchy “Lido Break”. That’s followed by a synth-heavy remix of “Yekatt”, a Mulatu Astatke piece covered by French Ethio-jazz revivalists he Selenites Band (also on Stereophonk). “Worldwide” wraps things up, not with a big bang but with a sneaky shuffle. Or does it? The bumping bonus track “Late Night” is thrown in as a little extra for the digital version of Adventures in the Land of Breaks, and it’s nothing to complain about.

Latest 360 Content

Meggie Lennon – My Best Self

Meggie Lennon – My Best Self

Critique Love… Critical Minerals in Montreal’s Underground

Critique Love… Critical Minerals in Montreal’s Underground

The Mars Volta – Lucro sucio; Los ojos del vacio

The Mars Volta – Lucro sucio; Los ojos del vacio

Laurence Hélie – Tendresse et bienveillance

Laurence Hélie – Tendresse et bienveillance

From Zigaz to Charlie Juste

From Zigaz to Charlie Juste

FACS, WORKS, and DahL at Quai Des Brumes

FACS, WORKS, and DahL at Quai Des Brumes

Before Sitting Down Alone at The Piano, Ingrid St-Pierre Responds

Before Sitting Down Alone at The Piano, Ingrid St-Pierre Responds

Virginia MacDonald, clarinet rising soloist with ONJM

Virginia MacDonald, clarinet rising soloist with ONJM

Lionel Belmondo , Yannick Rieu and l’OSL: Symphonic Jazz Around Brahms, Ravel and Boulanger

Lionel Belmondo , Yannick Rieu and l’OSL: Symphonic Jazz Around Brahms, Ravel and Boulanger

Djo – The Crux

Djo – The Crux

Université de Montréal: Stars shine on music’s next gen

Université de Montréal: Stars shine on music’s next gen

Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE

Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE

Magnificent Heiresses

Magnificent Heiresses

Stéphanie Boulay: Healing Album, Reconstruction Album

Stéphanie Boulay: Healing Album, Reconstruction Album

Joni Void wants you to ‘watch experimental films in the club’ or at La Lumière

Joni Void wants you to ‘watch experimental films in the club’ or at La Lumière

Marcus Printup at U de M: Wisdom, Generosity, Musicianship

Marcus Printup at U de M: Wisdom, Generosity, Musicianship

Pascale Picard Dives Back Into Creation

Pascale Picard Dives Back Into Creation

Dean Wareham – That’s The Price of Loving Me

Dean Wareham – That’s The Price of Loving Me

Pro Musica | Lucas Debargue, Pianistic Free Thinker

Pro Musica | Lucas Debargue, Pianistic Free Thinker

Éléonore Lagacé – Brûlez-moi vive

Éléonore Lagacé – Brûlez-moi vive

Laurence Hélie Has Found Her Name

Laurence Hélie Has Found Her Name

Quatuor Molinari and Berio, in the words of Olga Ranzenhofer

Quatuor Molinari and Berio, in the words of Olga Ranzenhofer

Tunisian Goddess Emel Presents MRA

Tunisian Goddess Emel Presents MRA

Shreez – ON FRAP II

Shreez – ON FRAP II

Subscribe to our newsletter