RIAN O'GRADY
Classic Breaks: ReEngineered (a Number 1 Best Seller on Loopmasters)
“Amen”, “Think”, “Funky Drummer”, "Apache"… these breaks have become household names in music production; their familiar rhythms and sonic makeup have lent themselves to being manipulated into genre-defining sounds.
But for all their character and natural groove, they can require a decent amount of processing to squeeze out all that low end rumble, ugly resonance and boomy reverb in order to get clean, hard-hitting drums in your mix.
That’s why I wanted to remake them for the modern producer. Painstakingly recreated using new and old gear, “Classic Breaks: ReEngineered” provides a fresh perspective on played out sounds. For each break we carefully considered drum tuning, microphone choice / placement and outboard routing, using rich saturation and analog compression to try to match the tone of the originals.
The pack is comprised of 10 classic break recreations at their original tempos. It includes “modern” and “vintage” mixes which feature blends of different microphones and processing, both with and without reverb. Also included are over 100 pre-chopped loops in all your favourite rhythmic permutations across a range of tempos, ready to drag and drop in your DAW.
For those who prefer to programme their own beats, there are multi-sampled one-shots available for each kit.
This sample pack is available on Loopmasters, courtesy of Rewind Samples.
One of my breaks from this pack was used by contemporary drum and bass legend Venjent!
A review of my Classic Breaks: ReEngineered pack from Future Music Magazine (October 2024 issue)
Afrobeat Breaks: ReDefined
Re-Defined: Afrobeat Breaks is a deep and rhythmically rich live drum collection from Rian O’Grady, the drummer behind our best-selling Re-Engineered: Classic Breaks. With over a decade of live performance experience and a creative résumé that spans collaborations with some of the biggest names, Rian returns by popular demand with an inspiring new offering - this time channelling the hypnotic, polyrhythmic spirit of Tony Allen and the legendary Afrobeat grooves of Fela Kuti & Africa 70.
This pack contains 36 full-length Afrobeat breaks played between 85 and 119 BPM, tempos that are also primed for stretching to shift into other musical directions - pitch them up into broken techno, jungle, or leftfield house territory, or bring them down into hip-hop, downtempo, or cinematic grooves. Each break was recorded using vintage mics, analogue pre-amps, and world-class kits featuring Ludwig drums and Istanbul Agop cymbals for a warm, dynamic tone that’s rich with movement.
These grooves evolve with many subtle structural changes across their entirety, such as moving from hats to rides, or from rim clicks to full snares, complete with expressive fills and transitions. These are breaks designed for real tracks, with enough variation to drive entire sections of a song without sounding static or repetitive, as many samples can do.
Each break is split into its layered constituent parts, including stripped-down drum takes, isolated percussion elements (shakers, congas, claves, etc), and fully combined grooves. This modular approach gives you maximum control, whether you’re producing with raw breaks or layering parts into electronic arrangements.
Also included is a comprehensive one-shot library covering all drums and cymbals used in the recordings. Captured with multi-velocity round-robins, these hits are perfect for programming beats that retain the same dynamic, human feel as the loops.
This pack is available on Loopmasters
Soundcheck Breaks
Whilst on tour in 2022 I recorded myself playing during soundchecks. I had this idea to make drum breaks that emphasised the sound of the room, so that when they’re chopped up together in sequence you can hear the size/shape of the space changing.
I don’t know how successful I was in achieving that, but what I did end up with is 50+ unique sounding drum loops, all of which I smashed through a vintage SpectraSonics 610 Complimiter for some real analog grit and saturation. This special unit makes everything sound great.
These breaks are rough around the edges; recorded on a single mic setup in the 30 seconds between setting up and soundchecking for that night’s show, expect some ambient noise, background voices and the occasional muted toot of a saxophone. I like to think they’re full of character and capture an energy unlike that of a studio environment, perfect for chopping up, stretching, warping and rearranging.
This pack is available to buy from Bandcamp