Drum-and-bass, jungle, breakbeat. Despite years of media hype and the best efforts of scenesters everywhere, the words haven't entered the lexicon of the American musical mainstream. But Breakbeat Era -- comprised of jungle maven Roni Size (the man behind the Mercury prize-winning album Reprazent), fellow Full Cycle Crew member DJ Die and golden-throated unknown Leonie Laws -- just might further the cause.

Laws calls Breakbeat Era "twenty-first century pop." Whatever you call it, it's definitely not the brand of pop the apple pie set is used to hearing.

Their recently released album, Ultra Obscene, evolved from a one-time collaboration for a single produced by Size and Die with Laws doing the vocals. The single became an instant smash in the U.K. and caused a craze on the dance floors as well as the charts. Of course, the success of dance music is nothing new in Europe; the real test of Breakbeat's pop potential will be if they can hit here.

Breakbeat's buzz does whisper of American success, and perhaps they have conceived of a formula with just the right balance of innovation and accessibility to capture Americans' fleeting attention spans. The jazzy electronic beats and hypnotic vocals that define Roni Size's take on proper drum n bass are the backbone of Era's sound. But despite the challenging nature of the band's inflected rhythms and creative melodies, the album has a pop sensibility that makes the songs hummable and the lyrics catchy enough to stick in your head.

But the one component of the Breakbeat Era formula that seems to spell American success is their live show: They perform just like any good ol' American rock band. The real-life incarnation of Breakbeat Era banishes the DJs and brings together Laws, a bassist, keyboards and a drummer. Laws says a good live act should be "like [watching] someone walking a tight rope. It's dangerous. Having a DJ up there is not enough. You need the energy, spontaneity and tightness of a live show." It's a prescription Breakbeat Era seem to take to heart, as anyone who's seen their body-rockin' performances can attest.

On what is by far the album's catchiest line, Laws sings "Now that you suffer from our disease/will you understand me?" over synth warbles and relentless percussion. It sounds like a mantra.

Time will tell if America is indeed infected.

KATHLEEN LINGO
(November 3, 1999)