Breaka is a DJ and producer at a crossroads. Having made a name for himself in the post-COVID era with the release of his introspective debut album We Move, an excellent record that fused elements of footwork and jungle with experimental lyrics and samples. From there he burst out of a pandemic with a string of raucous live shows alongside the likes of Keep Hush and fabric, showcasing the harder and faster side of his record collection. Now, he returns with a brand-new project on FABRICLIVE records, one which pushes his sound in an exciting new direction.
The multi-hyphenate first cut his musical teeth across two of the UK’s most important musical hubs. The first, and his hometown, is London, where he was born into a musical household with a similarly prodigious, DJ sibling. University then took him to Leeds, a city with an enormously outsized significance given its more modest population. Renowned for its wiggly, obscure techno and infamous 12-hour Villalobos marathons at Mint Warehouse, it’s also the birthplace of the Hessle Audio collective, who have shaped electronic music for well over a decade. With that kind of grounding, it’s no surprise that Breaka’s an artist so comfortable with pushing into new territory.
That instinct clearly runs in the family. Recently, he’s been making waves alongside his sibling Bakey, who boasts a similarly impressive imprint on contemporary UK dance music—he is responsible for some of the biggest bootleg bangers and dropped his exceptional debut LP Tribute late last year; a record described as “a love-letter to UK soundsystem culture”.
By contrast, the ambitions behind Mangled feel deliberately different. Where his brother’s record distilled years of club culture into a singular statement, this project feels like an expansion, another string added to the bow. This time—that string is swing.
It’s a shift that makes perfect sense. Having trained as a jazz drummer in his youth, that background now reveals itself more fully, guiding the expressive looseness in his beat programming. The influence is apparent from the jump, and as the EP progresses, traces of kuduro and amapiano begin to surface.
Opening track “Bell Toll Bounce” is, as the name suggests, a rhythmic and bouncy opener, with bell chimes, chopped vocal ad-libs and a rolling percussive bassline setting the tone for a fascinating five-track romp through Breaka’s latest passion project.
The EP does have its darker moments. “Yes” leans into a dubbier palette, nodding towards the Swamp 81 sound, while title track “Mangled” stands out as a personal highlight, carrying the same sort of atmospheric womp that first made Joy Orbison’s “Hyph Mngo” so enduring all those years ago.
The EP carries real heft, occasionally taking a wonkier turn with the likes of “Desire Path”, where its experimental instincts come to the fore. It is perhaps the only slight misfire on a record which is otherwise incredibly consistent.
Closer “Berry Baby Cheeto” quickly reasserts momentum, a burst of uncompromising energy. Taken as a whole, Mangled is an unconventional, and innovative, release from one of the UK’s most exciting producers. “Less, But Heavier” is a tagline which fits the EP perfectly. A punchy and confident step in a new direction.
Listen to Mangled below.