Ultimate Breaks & Beats was a series of compilation records curated by producer, DJ and dancer from 1986 to 1991.
The 25 volumes of Ultimate Breaks & Beats canonized a collection of songs — and the percussive breakbeats they contained — to form the musical lexicon of classic hip-hop.
Breakbeat Lou compiled these volumes with songs familiar from the breakdance scene of the 1970's, drawing from disco, funk, rock, Latin, and pop music.
His idiosyncratic selections ran the gamut from hit records to obscure gems, and as the technique of digital sampling was just beginning, Ultimate Breaks & Beats became a sacred text for producers.
What began as a series of records for DJs to use at parties became the foundation of a new musical language, as groundbreaking producers like and others drew heavily from these compilations when creating the sound of hip-hop.
Songs like Impeach the President (by little-known funk band ) and Amen, Brother (by , the backing group for soul singer Curtis Mayfield) featured infectious drum breaks that collectively have been sampled thousands of times, begetting generations of music from hip-hop to jungle, drum'n'bass, and beyond.