V/A - SELECTS VIII

Focusing on broken beat is an intriguing choice for fabric Records’ eighth ‘SELECTS’ compilation, following previous editions dedicated to UK garage, tech house or bass. The genre has been declared dead more than once, its revival announced even more often, yet it has never quite crossed into the mainstream in the same way as some of its neighbouring genres. What makes the sound endure is perhaps also what makes it difficult to pin down.

‘SELECTS VIII’ captures that elasticity without sanding away its rougher edges. The ten tracks share a fondness for syncopated rhythms, complex percussion and the harmonic language of ‘70s jazz, funk and fusion, but rarely settle into one formula. Donsurf’s ‘The Model’ brings warm, jazzy chords and organic timbres, while Streeton’s ‘Ginko Dub’ layers rich percussion and Latin-inflected rhythms into one of the compilation’s most soulful cuts. At the grittier end, Ben Hauke’s ‘Love This’ drives with tougher textures, while D’Monk’s ‘Daza’ twists crisp claps with heavy basslines into a sizzling, off-kilter groove. The warm and jazzy chords on ‘Bakura’ bring the record towards a caramel-smooth close.

There’s a strong sense of lineage too. Bugz in the Attic key members Mark Force and Afronaut build a dense, percussive arrangement from vocals, whistles and interlocking rhythmic layers on ‘Carnival (AfroForce Vox Dub)’, while Maddslinky’s ‘ UNTILTED AS YET ’ brings a previously unheard CoOp-era recording into the mix. If there’s a gap, it’s the absence of certain foundational or influential voices, no IG Culture, Kaidi Tatham, or Shy One, but the newer names hold their own.

Broken beat never had an Amen break or a four-to-the-floor pulse to define it. Instead, its identity lies in the friction between styles, jazz and club music, live instrumentation and electronics, groove and disruption. ‘SELECTS VIII’ carries a sense of warm optimism about that lineage.