| Q: |
What is Breakbeat? |
| A: |
Breakbeat (sometimes breakbeats or breaks) is a term used to describe a collection of sub-genres of electronic music, usually characterized by the use of a non-straighted 4/4 drum pattern (as opposed to the steady beat of house or trance). These rhythms may be characterised by their intensive use of syncopation and polyrhythms, which are prominent in all music of African origin, including African American music. |
| The History |
| In the late 1960s and early 1970s, hip-hop DJs (starting with DJ Kool Herc) began using several breaks (the part of a funk or jazz song in which the music "breaks" to let the rhythm section play unaccompanied) in a row to use as the rhythmic basis for hip-hop songs. One of the most commonly-used breaks was the Amen Break, which has appeared in many songs from many different genres.
In the early 1990s, acid house artists and producers started using breakbeat samples in their music to create breakbeat hardcore, aka rave music. The hardcore scene then diverged into sub-genres like Jungle and Drum and Bass, which generally had a darker sound and focused more on complex sampled drum patterns. A good example of this is Goldie's album 'Timeless'.
In recent times, the term breakbeat has become synonymous with the many genres of breaks music which have become popular within the global dance music scene, including nu skool breaks and progressive breaks. DJs from a variety of genres, including house and techno, work breaks tracks into their sets. This may occur because the tempo of breaks tracks (ranging from 115 to 150 beats per minute) means they can be readily mixed with these genres, whereas the comparatively fast speed of jungle and drum and bass (165-180 bpm) may have restricted the utility of these subgenres to DJs playing slower-tempo music.
Breakbeat (or funky breakbeat) may also refer to the music of bands such as Breakestra, who play funk and soul music with an emphasis on the elements that became popular in hip-hop and later breaks-based music. This sound is characterized by slower tempos (80-110 bpm) and organic, "human" rhythms. It is sometimes differentiated by the term "broken beat".
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| Q: |
What is Internet Radio? |
| A: |
Internet radio (aka e-Radio) is a broadcasting service transmitted via the Internet. Not every internet "radio station" has a corresponding traditional radio station. Many internet radio stations are completely independent from traditional ("terrestrial") radio stations and broadcast only on the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted broadly through wireless means but is delivered over the World Wide Web. e-Radio suggests a streaming media that presents listeners with a continuous stream of audio to which they have no control much like traditional broadcast media. It is not synonymous with podcasting which involves downloading and therefore copyright issues. Nor does e-Radio suggest "on-demand" file serving. |
| Q: |
What do I need to listen to UnitedBreaks.FM? |
| A: |
Some sort of audio playback software or hardware, that is capable of reading HTTP data streams, is needed to listen to streaming MP3 audio. Some popular software players are Winamp for Windows (PC), iTunes for Macintosh and Windows (PC), and XMMS on Unix/Linux. Listening to internet radio through stand-alone hardware devices has not been very popular in the past, due to the limited number of devices on the market, though the availability of such devices and their consumer popularity is expected to increase significantly during 2006.
Below is a list of commercially available Internet radio devices. Many of these are limited in which audio codecs they can use and consequently the variety of internet radio stations they are compatible with although the number of codecs being used today is becoming somewhat limited due to the inevitable commercial process.
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| Q: |
What is the best "stream" for me to listen? |
| A: |
As you may notice, There are (2) different broadcasting streams:
First stream has an encoded bitrate of 128kbps (kilo-bits per second), Also labeled as "High" or "Broadband". This stream should only be used if your internet service is DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), High Speed Cable, and T1 or equivalent.
Second stream has a bitrate of 32kbps (kilo-bits per second). This stream shall only be used if you are on Dial-up (56k+), ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), or a Non-High Speed Cellular Network using PCMCIA card/Cell Phone. |
| Q: |
I downloaded software to record the station, Now I can't listen. What Happened? |
| A: |
Well, first.. I'd like to say.. You did the wrong thing. Second, you're banned from the station. UnitedBreaks.FM uses anti-recording(ripping) technology to prevent listeners from ripping aka stealing it's music.
If you're one of the many that happened to attempt this, heres how you re-gain access..
- Make atleast (1) track purchase on UnitedBreaks.FM (View Playlist).
After you've made the purchase, Send the proof of purchase (email reciepts) to staff@unitedbreaks.fm
- Support UnitedBreaks.FM by donating atleast $5 USD. Make your donation..
Both MUST be completed in order to unban you from our station. It is the only generous way to say you're sorry by supporting the artists plus the station for your wrong doing. |
| Q: |
What is ubLIVE? |
| A: |
ubLIVE is a live transmission being encoded and broadcasted via SHOUTcast audio broadcasting software from the DJ's computer to UnitedBreaks.FM server. Once the music is recieved from UB, it then re-encodes and broadcasts on High(128k) and Low(32k) stream. |
| Q: |
Sometimes, when I'm listening to a ubLIVE show, I hear skipping audio? |
| A: |
Most commonly known issue is the DJ's computer. The PC itself is either having issues or the connection that it is on cannot fulfill the high quality broadcast due to various reasons. On average, this can be fixed during the show if the PC is having issues itself. |
| Q: |
The radio information under "Listen Live" is missing, what happened? |
| A: |
UnitedBreaks.FM utilizes AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript And XML) technology to update its radio information without requiring a full page refresh. Javascript must be enabled within your internet browser in order to view this information properly.
Recommended and tested browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer 6+ and Mozilla Firefox 1.5+. Remember, Javascript must be enabled within these browsers in order to function properly. |
| Q: |
What does mp3PRO mean? Should I download it? |
| A: |
mp3PRO is a special encoding format in which UnitedBreaks.FM broadcasts. This will not limit you from listening to the station using an ordinary mp3 player or software.
But.. If you use Thompson's mp3PRO Plugin for Winamp, you will definately notice a sound quality increase. This allows UnitedBreaks.FM to broadcast at lower bitrate and still maintain high quality sound. Should you download it? Well, if you enjoy high quality sound then yes, otherwise no :) |
| Q: |
How come when I try to join the chatroom from the website, it won't work? |
| A: |
Many times this is due to to cookie issues. Try This:
If you use Firefox, click on the Tools menu, and click Clear Private Data. Make sure Cookies and Authenticated Sessions are checked, then click the Clear Private Data Now button.
If you use Internet Explorer, click on the Tools menu, then Internet Options, then click the Delete Cookies button.
If you use any other browser, just look for the option somewhere that allows you to Delete Cookies, and do it.
Then, once you have deleted your cookies, close *ALL* open web browsers that are running, and restart your browser. You should then log back onto the website, and be able to utilize the java chat application again. |
More FAQ's to come!
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