1. Rhythmic drum patterns or percussion breaks, typically from funk, soul, or hip-hop recordings, that are isolated, looped, or sampled in electronic music production.
Usage: plural form; music production and DJ culture; often used in hip-hop, drum and bass, and electronic music

Examples

• The producer sampled classic breakbeats from 1970s funk records.
• Breakbeats are essential to the drum and bass genre.
• DJs layer multiple breakbeats to create complex rhythmic textures.
• The track features iconic breakbeats that defined hip-hop production.
• He spent hours digging through vinyl to find rare breakbeats for his mix.