About us

thisisbreaks.com is a new web portal and social networking site for breaksheads across the world.

So what makes us different?
Unlike other sites, we are only about the breaks. In recent years, this little scene of ours has become somewhat diluted as, quite naturally, music lovers of different styles invade forums and post their own info about records, events etc that don't really fit the breakbeat vibe. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it does mean that it can get pretty confusing if you're just getting into the scene and simply want to find a site to point you in the direction of great breakbeat music. We will fulfill that role.

Does that mean you'll be careering around the site like some sort of breakbeat Nazi, excising posts about music of other genres?
Not really, although we will aim to be a site first and foremost for breakbeat lovers. Posts by event organisers which don't have anything to do with breakbeat music may well, therefore, be removed. But really the focus on breaks will be maintained more through the one area in which we believe ourselves to be unique: exclusive content. We will be providing regular news, reviews and interviews with the artists we reckon are kicking it in the scene right now. And those will be the pieces which get front page attention. Of course, if our users begin to write their own pieces, which everyone is free to do, and we feel their opinions are worthy of other readers, we may well elevate them to front page notoriety too.

What gives you the right to say This Is Breaks? Who are you to tell us what to listen to?
thisisbreaks.com is edited by a longstanding London-based breakbeat promoter, producer and DJ who works as a freelance journalist for The Guardian newspaper, among others. It was set up because we felt there was no other site which looked out for the interests of breaks and cared about advancing its cause. Whether that gives us a right to shout our mouth off is entirely up to you, the popularity of this website will no doubt reflect the level of confidence you place in us.

How do I get involved?
Anyone can post a blog article on thisisbreaks.com, but it won't become a featured piece unless we approve it. Ideally we'd like you to contact us if you would like to write for the site. We may be able to help you build your voice and professional writing skills. At the very least we'll be able to give you some feedback. Just email editor@thisisbreaks.com Forum posts and comments are (generally) unmoderated, however, and will appear straight away on the front page where everyone can see them and respond. We'd encourage you to post your photos and videos (bottom of the front page) and add your events and groups (left side at the bottom). The site uses the .ning template, which is pretty customisable: already people are adding music and video to their own pages - we'll elevate the best of these to "featured members", so it's worth taking the time to get yours looking good.

What can I do to help the site grow?
We need all the help we can get spreading the word, so please invite any friends who might be interested via the "invite" tab at the top of the page: just cut and paste emails into the relevant box. And thankyou!

The thisisbreaks.com team
Editor - Ben Child: editor@thisisbreaks.com
Design - Rosie Boon: design@thisisbreaks.com