Holding Pattern

Electronic music is never at a loss for subgenres, as the perpetual partitioning, sampling, and reassembling of musical ideas is inherent in the form. Few things remain constant throughout; however, the break is one of them. The most basic of beats, the break has been revived again in the U.K. genre nu breaks, which takes the high velocity tempos of jungle and slows them down to a more comfortable pace. Retaining the warping sub-bass of drum'n'bass and putting back much of the melodic techno sounds that have been removed over the years, this is jungle's more listener-friendly cousin. Dave Tipper is a leader of this new/old musical movement; his three albums make him a veteran. All of the basic elements of the music are here, with superb programming on "Oblong" and "On a Limb." Tipper also experiments with the form, incorporating a Latin rhythm on "Sable Taco," which is admittedly a small step, but it makes a world of difference in such a minimal musical structure. He moves tentatively toward nu breaks' more popular sibling, 2-step, on "Donut," but also moves away from accessibility with the fractured beats and stuttering lyrics on "Tip Hop." Unlike many of his contemporaries, such as Aquasky and Rennie Pilgrem, Tipper mercifully stays clear of the progressive/trance potential of nu breaks, remaining firmly on the techno-fed side of the fence. This naturally means that his releases will most likely remain toward the back of the CD bin, but they are definitely worth the digging to find.