Derivative forms Jersey club | ||
Stylistic origins Hip hop
breakbeat
garage house
bass
house Cultural origins Late 1980s; Baltimore, United States Typical instruments Turntable
personal computer
rapping
synthesizer | ||
Baltimore club, also called "Bmore club", "Bmore house" or simply "Bmore" is a breakbeat genre. A blend of hip hop and chopped, staccato house music, it was created in Baltimore, Maryland, United States in the late 1980s by 2 Live Crew's Luther Campbell, Frank Ski, Big Tony (or Miss Tony), Scottie B. and DJ Spen.
Baltimore club is based on an 8/4 beat structure, and includes tempos around 130 beats per minute. It combines repetitive, looped vocal snippets similar to trap, bounce, ghetto house and ghettotech. Baltimore club is a sample based form of breakbeat, with samples used including theme songs to shows like Sanford and Son, SpongeBob SquarePants and Elmo's World, along with samples from shows like Family Guy and South Park though can also be simple repeated phrases and chants. The instrumental tracks include heavy breakbeats and call and response stanzas similar to those found in the go-go music of Washington, D.C.. The breakbeats are pulled from samples, with the most prominent being "Sing Sing" by disco band Gaz and "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins. Much like the rave-era genre known as breakbeat hardcore, Baltimore club sounds as if the music was intentionally hurried, as each song is made with a limited palette of sounds and is based on similar frameworks.
Development
Baltimore club was born in the record stores of Baltimore first by Scottie B, Shawn Caesar and DJ Equalizer. They were then joined by DJ Patrick, Kenny B, DJ Class, Diamond K and others. They took some inspiration for their sets and production from British breakbeat hardcore records.The Blapps! Records (UK) label released several records between 1989 and 1992 that are considered classics in the Baltimore genre, as well as in the British rave scene. "Don't Hold Back", "Too Much Energy" and "Let the Freak" were sampled and played heavily by DJs and producers, and would define the Baltimore club sound.
In the early 1990s, Baltimore club music developed a cult following in the North Jersey club scene, particularly in the Jersey club genre of Newark, New Jersey developed by DJ Tameil. This spread stems from the distribution of mix tapes from traveling Baltimore DJs. There were also a number of Boston-area radio shows in the mid-nineties that played Baltimore club music. It has also spread south to Virginia club scene (VA 757 Club) and even farther south in Alabama with DJ Seven formally known as DJ Taj developed Bamabounce. It has also started to spread to New York City.
Recently the genre has gained popularity in Baltimore's rock underground, due to Baltimore club nights at the Talking Head Club and others. Baltimore club was featured in Spin Magazine in January 2006.
Rod Lee was described as "the original don of Baltimore Club" by The Washington Post in 2005.
Now, the style and its direct derivatives are becoming exceptionally popular on the internet due to music sharing websites such as soundcloud.com, and is becoming popular across the United States, Australia and Europe.