- When it comes to records, Frankie Bones is like a cyclone—he sucks them up by the dozen and spits them back out, sometimes intact (via Discogs), sometimes mangled and jumbled up, like on the Bonesbreaks records. Bonesbreaks was a series of rambunctious, sample-happy DJ tools that ran from the late '80s through the '90s. In January, more than a decade since the last edition (and 11 years since Bones's last EP), it made a surprise comeback with Bonesbreaks Volume 16, a two-part EP of "dope breaks for DJs" released on Musique Pour La Danse.
If this sounds like a trip down memory lane, that's because it is. One of the more recent samples here is from a track nearly ten years old: Carl Craig's remix of Junior Boys' "Like A Child," which, incidentally, makes for one of the record's biggest cuts ("You Got The Groove Move"). For the most part, though, Bones's formula has aged well, possibly because it draws from an era rarely referenced in clubs today. With its electro-flavored breaks and samples from The Warriors, "I Want The People To Know" is pure retro-mania, but its explosive drums (lifted from Tessela's "Horizon") are hard to deny.
Of course, how much is too much is a matter of taste. For some, "Funky Acid Makossa" will be the clear winner here. For others, its main hook—the Twin Peaks strings in Moby's "Go"—will be a sample of a sample too far. Not all the tracks have this mash-up quality. "The Big Break Theory," "Techno Bass" and "The Bass Is Felt" drum up a rowdy vibe without such obvious source material. All in all, these records are just a lark, a veteran artist taking one of his old ideas for a spin. Subtler selectors may roll their eyes, but party DJs will find plenty to love here.
Tracklist16-1
A1 You Got The Groove Move
A2 The Big Break Theory
B1 The Bass Is Felt
B2 Underground Bounce
16-2
A1 Funky Acid Makossa
A2 Mondolay Break
B1 Techno Bass
B2 I Want The People To Know