Breakbot – ‘Baby I’m Yours’ (ft. Irfane)

Guest post by Zac Seidler

The power of social networking became truly apparent to me this week with what seemed to be every single one of my friends’ sudden interest in really good music. Video circulation went gangbusters and by the end of it, I was struggling to keep up with all the posts. But one really caught my eye, and despite my downright aversion to most dance music, its fresh and crisp…much like the weather. Breakbot aka Thibaut Berland (I’m not going to make you pronounce that if you’re not European) is the French mastermind behind this addictive, head bobbing track that has changed my perception of this art form.

Underpinned by a really good drum sample and a vocalist, Irfane, who provides melodic interest and overall complexity to a genre that often lacks any depth, this one’s a winner in my eyes. I make that statement without even addressing the track’s defining feature that propels it above the rest. Bass lines are the spinal chord of any song, without one, you can’t walk. Too often in the dance music I hear pumping out of my brother’s cars, annoying synth drowns out this raw, primal element of the track. In ‘Baby I’m Yours’, though, this seemingly concrete convention is turned on its head, and the bass line, as it should, drives the fucking track like a bus driver on speed. It’s syncopated, in unison with the catchy keyboard riff, and funky as hell.

The last 30 seconds of the song are a nice contrast to the start, with a breakdown into a subtle 80’s synth sample. But it’s the fact that as it grows in both dynamics and layers after this section that it doesn’t try do too much. It’s as if Breakbot knows that the beat is strong enough as it is and doesn’t feel the need to push towards a Calvin Harris drop to assert himself but instead lets it comfortably coast along. It’s these little endearing features that drew my attention to this here tune.

The next best thing about this track is the video clip which has been nominated for multiple random-European-awards-that-I’ve-never-heard-of-but-that -I’m- sure-are-still-prestigious. The graphics have a Justice-esque look to them, the way they mould in and out of objects, but it really brings the song to life. It’s as light and colourful as the vocal harmonies and as quick moving as the descending guitar chords.

The dance music epidemic has by and large left me in its wake, but with bangers like this dipping into the groovy waters I often frequent, I wonder why this isn’t the gold standard which similar artists strive to match. Rather then one repetitive beat stolen from some band with talent in the ’80s, ‘Baby I’m Yours’ has an array of feels all rolled into one dance-worthy track. If you hear it on the dance floor tonight…bust a move, y’all.

Breakbot – ‘Baby I’m Yours’ (ft. Irfane)

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