iDJ review Electro Breaks
With the release of Electro Breaks, Loopmasters hits number ten in their series, delivering another multi-mode feast of samples that total 800 WAV files, 365 Rex2 files and 50 sampler patches for the NNXT, HALion, Kontakt and EXS24. As you would expect, the sounds are clearly divided into parts, so you get folders of beats, bass, instruments, FX and pads, with a liberal spread of loops, hits and patches in all.
Loops are split in 120, 130, 135 and 140 BPM sections, though naturally you’re not tied to their original tempo, and while they do hold a continuity of flava it’s not like the material is repeated through the different tempos. I did think that many of the drum loops were more groove-like, with many additional melodic elements, though if you’re just looking for drums then there are twenty traditional kits to pick apart, all quite fierce and of good quality.
In the bassline department there are some nice loops, from dirty and warped to wobbly and funky, and the small but varied selection of bass samples come with a couple of real beauts. Electro Breaks is a strong package, with a few jazzier chords and riffs alongside the techno oriented licks in the instrument section, while things get eerie and ethereal in ‘Stabs and FX’ and ‘Vibes and Atmos’ with some interesting layers on offer, including a Combinator patch for Reason 3.0 users.
All in all Electro Breaks lives up to its title, with a firm electronic feel across the board, and the sounds are very much the kind of thing you hear in contemporary breaks records, from the tear-out selections through to the housey end of the spectrum.
iDJ Verdict: 4/5 Just the job for the budding breaks beat-smiths
