The Funk Break groove
The syncopated drum-break groove: 16th-note kick, ghost-note snare and hats that pop open on the off-beats.
What makes it feel this way
This is the funk drum break: the kick abandons 1-and-3 and answers itself in syncopated 16ths, the snare cracks hard on 2 and 4, and the space between the backbeats is packed with ghost notes so quiet they read as texture rather than notes. The core of the kit is struck rather than synthesised - the bass drum, snare, toms, ride and hi-hat chick are modal-resonator voices, so the shell rings and the wires keep buzzing after the stick has gone, which is what makes a ghost note sound played instead of triggered. The closed and open hats, the cross-stick, the shaker, the sub and the clavinet stab are analogue voices, dropped in as colour against that acoustic core. The hats run a continuous 16th stream with a loud-soft-soft-soft accent shape, then snap open on the "and" of 2 and 4 - that open-hat splash on the off-beat is the signature that tells your ear this is a break and not a rock beat. Nothing ever goes fully silent: even the stripped section keeps a shaker on every off-16th and a ride wash underneath, so the holes in the kick pattern read as space for a bass line rather than as a gap in the recording.
What BPM is funk break?
The funk break groove on this page runs at 102 BPM, swing 15%, over 2 bars. Change the tempo in the transport if you want it faster or slower - the pattern keeps its feel because swing and velocity travel with it.
Wondering about tempo? What BPM is funk? - 95-115 BPM, and why.
It is loaded and playing
This page loads the groove as a full four-part arrangement - a main groove, a variation, a stripped-back section and a fill - chained together, on a kit built only for this rhythm. Press Space to hear it, open EDIT to see every hit on the step grid, and change anything you like. SHARE copies a link that rebuilds your version.
Other grooves
- Boom Bap91 BPM · HIP HOP
- Chipmunk Soul91 BPM · HIP HOP
- East Coast Hip Hop92 BPM · HIP HOP
- Trap Hi-Hat146 BPM · TRAP
- Dubstep140 BPM · BASS
- Four on the Floor124 BPM · HOUSE
- Disco120 BPM · DISCO
- Techno136 BPM · TECHNO
- Two Step134 BPM · GARAGE
- Motorik146 BPM · ROCK
- Jungle174 BPM · breakbeat
- Liquid Drum and Bass174 BPM · drum-and-bass
- Neurofunk Drum and Bass174 BPM · DRUM AND BASS
- Ragga Jungle170 BPM · breakbeat
- Amen Break174 BPM · BREAKS
- Amen Chops165 BPM · BREAKS
- Half-Time Shuffle92 BPM · ROCK
- Bo Diddley Beat136 BPM · ROCK
- Second Line92 BPM · FUNK
- Dembow96 BPM · DANCEHALL
- Bossa Nova136 BPM · LATIN
- Afrobeat114 BPM · AFRICAN
- One Drop Reggae74 BPM · REGGAE
BAP Studio is inspired by classic 16-pad sampler and drum-machine workflows. It is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Akai Professional, Roland, or any other manufacturer.
Made by Max Berggren.