Street Beat Records

Street Beat Records on vinyl: Ultimate Breaks & Beats

In short: Between 1986 and 1991 Street Beat Records in New York released “Ultimate Breaks & Beats”, a series of 25 compilations. It collected tracks with famous drum breaks – passages where little but the drums is left. DJs and producers built hip-hop from them. The Vinyl Room currently has 29 Street Beat records.

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First pressings

Funk & soul

Rock with breaks

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→ Funk · Hip-hop on vinyl · Soul & funk on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing

What makes “Ultimate Breaks & Beats” special?

A break is the moment in a track when the band drops out and mostly the rhythm is left. Hip-hop DJs played these moments back to back on two turntables. The series saved them the search: each volume collects whole tracks with these moments, right across funk, soul, disco and jazz-funk.

It’s no accident that rock shows up on this page too: rock tracks with heavy drums are part of the breaks canon as well. The records were re-pressed for years – which is why only some of them are first pressings. Collectors care about the early editions, DJs mostly about the music.

FAQ

What is “Ultimate Breaks & Beats”? A series of 25 compilations of drum breaks, released from 1986 to 1991 on Street Beat Records.

Who compiled the series? Lenny Roberts and Louis Flores from New York.

Why is there rock? Because rock tracks have famous breaks too that were used in hip-hop.

Are these originals? Partly – the series was re-pressed often. First pressings are marked with each copy; 29 records in all.