Formed by breaks fanatic Miles Tackett, Breakestra is a constantly morphing… Read Full Bio ↴Formed by breaks fanatic Miles Tackett, Breakestra is a constantly morphing hip-hop orchestra based in Los Angeles. The group came together in 1997-1997 around Tackett's DJ gigs at a coffeehouse. A multi-instrumentalist whose work on cello has appeared on recordings by B.B. King, Macy Gray, and Black Eyed Peas, Tackett was a funk fan who got into hip-hop during the late '80s -- courtesy of the Ultramagnetic classic Critical Beatdown -- when he realized it was keeping the funk flame alive.
A wish to play instrumental hip-hop in a band context brought the group together, with Tackett alongside drummer Josh "Wallet" Cohen, reed player Geoff "Double G" Gallegos, trumpeters Todd Simon and Paul Vargas, trombone player Dan Osterman, keyboard player Carlos Guaico, percussionist Davy Chegwidden, guitarist Dan Ubick, and vocalists Sol Sista DeMya and Mixmaster Wolf. Their club night, Root Down, brought in crowds, along with the cream of the rap underground (Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, Company Flow, DJ Shadow, Freestyle Fellowship), and their first single, "Getcho Soul Togetha," appeared on Stones Throw in 1999.
That year also brought an intriguing demo called The Live Mix Tape -- including Breakestra covers of a host of deep funk classics -- but an official release (as The Live Mix, Pt. 1) waited until 2001 and only appeared in Japan. The second volume followed later that year, and was released on Stones Throw. In 2005 Breakestra recorded a single, Family Rap, featuring Chali 2na and Soup from Jurassic 5 and Double K from People Under the Stairs, and also released their third studio album, Hit the Floor, on Ubiquity Records, with a nearly entirely different lineup.
A wish to play instrumental hip-hop in a band context brought the group together, with Tackett alongside drummer Josh "Wallet" Cohen, reed player Geoff "Double G" Gallegos, trumpeters Todd Simon and Paul Vargas, trombone player Dan Osterman, keyboard player Carlos Guaico, percussionist Davy Chegwidden, guitarist Dan Ubick, and vocalists Sol Sista DeMya and Mixmaster Wolf. Their club night, Root Down, brought in crowds, along with the cream of the rap underground (Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, Company Flow, DJ Shadow, Freestyle Fellowship), and their first single, "Getcho Soul Togetha," appeared on Stones Throw in 1999.
That year also brought an intriguing demo called The Live Mix Tape -- including Breakestra covers of a host of deep funk classics -- but an official release (as The Live Mix, Pt. 1) waited until 2001 and only appeared in Japan. The second volume followed later that year, and was released on Stones Throw. In 2005 Breakestra recorded a single, Family Rap, featuring Chali 2na and Soup from Jurassic 5 and Double K from People Under the Stairs, and also released their third studio album, Hit the Floor, on Ubiquity Records, with a nearly entirely different lineup.
Live in the Mix
Breakestra Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Breakestra:
Cramp Your Style Baby, sometimes you treat me good Sometimes you treat me ba…
Hiding I've been hiding from your eyes and staying out of…
Recognize Well I can't walk away From your mixed up masquerade I mus…
Stand Up Boys... Get up y'all! Stand Up! I woke up to the angels Sing…
Stand Up! Boys... Get up y'all! Stand Up! I woke up to the angels S…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Shamantronics
Great tunes! So many samples passed by already, and I'm not even 15 minutes in and I heard the origins of four major tracks. Wicked stuff
Mike R
Love this band!!
GILMARSOUL1
SOUL fino da melhor qualidade, demais!!!!!!! Show!
the botnet
Please tell me that Miles put the Breakestra back together. This is hot hot hot.
Ollie Black
Best live show I've ever seen. +J+Rocc supporting = Funky Madness.
Catherine G.
+Dennis Wilder That's a damn shame. They were magic on stage.
Funkish
+Dennis Wilder Damn, that's a bummer! I wonder why? I was meaning to ask him the same question on FB. It's been too long since they had an album. Maybe if we all get an enormous online petition going to ask them to make more music they'll reconsider ;)
olaf van der werf
this is amazing, thanks
NocturnusLP
These guys slap
TANIA FRANÇA
funk, soul living