[Column] Dego & Kaidi and Sound Signature

Introduction — Birth and context of Broken Beat

Text: mmr｜Theme: EUK About the intersection of Broken Beat and global black music

In the late 1990s, a new musical movement emerged in the club culture of west London. It is a genre called ““Broken Beat” (also known as ““Bruk”), which differs from traditional 4/4 house or drum and bass, and boldly incorporates complex, bouncing rhythms and elements of jazz, funk, and soul. More than just a style of music, Broken Beat developed from the black communities of west London, club culture and underground creative networks.

This movement is characterized by a unique groove that combines live instruments and electronic beats. Live music includes piano, keyboards, horns, and percussion, overlaid with complex drum patterns and house beats. The result is a unique sound that inherits the heritage of jazz, funk, and soul while also having the immediacy and danceability of club music.

Artists such as Dego, Kaidi Tatham, IG Culture, Bugz in the Attic, and Neon Phusion have contributed significantly to Broken Beat”s growth. In particular, Dego”s label 2000Black served as a central hub for the genre, producing many talented artists. Against this background, Dego & Kaidi will form a collaborative relationship that will expand the context of UK black music.

Dego and Kaidi

Dego (Dennis McFarlane)

Dego began his career as part of the pioneering UK Jungle/Drum & Bass outfit 4Hero. Through his experience with 4Hero, he pursued rhythmic complexity and electronic expression while incorporating elements of jazz and funk. In 1998, he established his own label, 2000Black, and built a new base for UK black music centered around Broken Beat. Through his solo activities and activities under various aliases, Dego has presented a diverse range of musical styles across genres such as jazz, funk, house, drum & bass, and broken beat.

Kaidi Tatham

Kaidi Tatham is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer who is well versed in keyboard, flute, and percussion instruments. He was exposed to classical and gospel music from a young age, and later studied performing arts in London. In the late 1990s, he began working with Broken Beat artists such as IG Culture, Bugz in the Attic, and Neon Phusion. He has received critical acclaim both live and in the studio, and is sometimes referred to as ““UK’s Herbie Hancock.’’

Broken Beat scene and 2000Black

Broken Beat is a product of the club culture that developed around West London. IG Culture, Bugz in the Attic, Neon Phusion, Afronaught, and others pioneered the scene, and by freely combining elements of jazz, soul, funk, Latin, hip-hop, and house, they established a unique position as club music for adults.

2000Black played a central role in this trend. Dego’s run of the label spawned many Broken Beat artists and releases, making it a cultural hub for UK black music. The collaboration between Kaidi and Dego was also fostered in this environment, producing numerous club hits and studio releases.

Sound Signature: From Detroit, expanding to the world

Sound Signature is a Detroit house/black music label founded in 1997 by Theo Parrish. More than just a house label, it has presented a new way of expressing black music by fusing elements such as jazz, funk, soul, Afro, and hip-hop.

This label functioned as a platform for pursuing “sound sculpture” as a creative collage, transcending musical forms and genres. UK Broken Beat artists, particularly Dego & Kaidi, were drawn to the label and found a place to express their music in new contexts.

Encounter between Dego & Kaidi and Sound Signature

Dego & Kaidi’s first release on Sound Signature was the 2015 12-inch EP “ADAM ROCK DISSED!!”. This led to further collaboration between the two, and the full album ““A So We Gwarn’’ was released in 2017. The collaboration between the two is the culmination of a long history spanning over 15 years, and has become a groundbreaking project that connects UK Broken Beat and Detroit house culture.

This ““encounter” was not just a musical collaboration, but also an important attempt to ““reconstruct global black music.” The album also features members of the 2000Black family, including Mr. Mensah, Nadine Charles, Sarina Leah, Yelfris Valdes, Ray Carless, and Wayne Francis, bringing together a diverse sound.

Musicality of “A So We Gwarn”

A So We Gwarn is a 14-track album that combines elements of jazz, soul, house, hip-hop and Afro. Complex rhythms, jazzy keys, live strings, and a horn ensemble traverse UK urban black sensibilities and Detroit house sensibilities.

Their signature song, “Treasure Beach,” attempts to transform Afrobeat into UK jazz, with Rhodes and horns as the main components, with Wayne Francis’ horns providing an impressive accent. The entire album redefines Broken Beat and its significance as a crossroads of UK-US black music.

Cultural significance of “So We Gwarn”

"”A So We Gwarn” fused UK”s Broken Beat/jazz/soul culture with Detroit”s house culture. They re-presented to the world the ““acoustic instruments + beat + jazz/funk/soul groove” established by Broken Beat, and encouraged a re-evaluation of UK Black Music.

The album functions not as nostalgia for the past, but as a proposal for the future. Dego & Kaidi have carved out a “signature of sound” that crosses various axes: past and present, UK and US, club and jazz.

Developments in the 2020s and beyond

Kaidi Tatham continues to be active not only in Broken Beat, but also as a solo artist and in collaborations. Dego also continues to produce mainly 2000Black, and his sound continues to evolve beyond the boundaries of genre. Sound Signature continues to serve as a crossroads for black music and influence globally.

Rather than being talked about as a phenomenon of the past, Broken Beat is being reinterpreted as a “black music movement” in an ongoing manner. Dego & Kaidi’s activities provide the foundation that makes such reinterpretation possible.

Closing

The collaboration between Dego & Kaidi and Sound Signature was more than just the production of an album, it was a redefinition of black music that transcended genres. This attempt to reconstruct the grammar of music by moving back and forth between the past, present, and future is literally an act of carving a ““signature of sound.’’

In this day and age, where the boundaries between genres are blurring, their music is like a lighthouse that carries the legacy of the past while pointing toward the future. This work asks listeners what it means to listen to black music and what it means to transcend genre boundaries.

Chronology