VA - Strictly Breaks Vol. 01-11 [1997-2005] (11 x CDs)

DEFINITIVE COLLECTORS BOX

VA - Strictly Breaks Vol. 01-11 [1997-2005] (11 x CDs)

The Strictly Breaks series, launched in the late 1990s, is a foundational crate-digging anthology, an unofficial but deeply influential set of vinyl compilations that spotlight rare grooves, open drum breaks, and sample-rich tracks across funk, soul, jazz, disco, and rock. Modeled after the legendary Ultimate Breaks & Beats series, Strictly Breaks expands the palette, offering DJs and producers a deeper, more eclectic reservoir of loopable moments and sonic textures.

Across its volumes, the series favors obscurity over familiarity. While a few well-known cuts like Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho Theme sneak in, most selections are drawn from under-the-radar LP tracks, B-sides, and forgotten album cuts, each chosen for its rhythmic potency or sample potential. The curators clearly understood the alchemy of the break: not just isolated drum passages, but grooves with emotional weight, tonal character, and room for reinterpretation. That ethos made the series a go-to for hip hop producers in search of fresh loops and for collectors chasing the DNA of their favorite beats.

What sets Strictly Breaks apart is its refusal to settle into genre orthodoxy. You’ll find psychedelic soul next to cinematic jazz, Latin funk rubbing shoulders with obscure pop, all unified by a shared “funkiness” that defies easy categorization. The sequencing across volumes is loose but purposeful, encouraging discovery rather than dictating narrative. Each LP feels like a private stash cracked open for public use.

Though unofficial, the series has become a reference point in sample culture, influencing beatmakers, archivists, and reissue labels alike. It’s not just a collection—it’s a toolkit, a listening ritual, and a sonic map of the grooves that shaped underground music. For those who build from the past, Strictly Breaks remains essential. (B)

==========================================================

ALL 

OR

ALL 

===========================================================

Track lists

Vol. 01

01 Mort Stevens and His Orchestra - The Long Wait 2:09

02 Sylvia Striplin - You Can't Turn Me Away 5:22

03 David Axelrod - The Smile 0:24

04 Jeff Lorber - Rain Dance 4:35

05 Cal Tjader - Morning 3:23

06 Quincy Jones - Summer in the City 4:00

07 Lonnie Liston Smith - Garden of Peace 2:19

08 David Porter - I'm Afraid the Masquerade is Over 5:13

09 Shelly Manne - Mask 0:40

10 Joe Williams - Get Out My Life Woman 3:14

11 Tyrone Davis - In the Mood 4:04

12 Drums of Death - Bonus Beat 1:00

Vol. 02

01 Main Ingredient - Summer Breeze 3:07

02 Dynasty - Adventures in the Land of Music 3:14

03 Grace Jones - My Jamaican Guy (skit) 1:29

04 Milt Jackson - Enchanted Lady 5:03

05 John Klemmer - Free Soul 3:12

06 Marva Whitney - Unwind Yourself 2:15

07 Ramsey Lewis - The Mighty Quinn 3:09

08 Jean-Jacques Perrey - E.V.A. 3:03

09 Brick - Fun (skit) 2:02

10 Ohio Players - Funky Worm 2:42

11 Jeff Lorber - Night Love 3:23

12 Roy Ayers - Searching 4:02

Vol. 03

01 Seals & Crofts - Sweet Green Fields 4:10

02 Love Unlimited Orchestra - I Did it for Love 2:16

03 Screamin  Jay Hawkins - I Put a Spell on You 2:25

04 Barry White - Killers Lullaby 1:36

05 Unlimited Touch - I Hear Music in the Streets 3:24

06 Meters - Just Kissed My Baby 3:02

07 Steely Dan - Black Cow 3:13

08 Kool & the Gang - Hollywood Swinging 3:12

09 Carl Carlton - She's a Bad Mama Jama 3:25

10 Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out 3:23

11 The Treacherous Three - The Body Rock 0:38

12 Charmels - I'll Never Grow Old 2:36

13 Leon Haywood - I Want 2 Do Something Freaky 2 U 3:13

14 Monk Higgins - Little Green Apples 3:16

Vol. 04

01 Bob James - Shamboozie 2:56

02 Labi Siffre - I Got the Blues 5:35

03 Buddy Baker - Sign Song 1:01

04 Extra T s - E.T. Boogie 2:53

05 Les McCann - Vallarta 0:39

06 Ann Peebles - I Can't Stand the Rain 2:21

07 Rhythm - The World is a Place 2:01

08 Zulema - American Fruit, African Roots 2:40

09 Delfonics - Ready or Not 1:53

10 Ahmad Jamal - Pastures 0:59

11 Ohio Players - Little Lady Maria 1:07

12 Curtis Mayfield - Tripping Out 6:43

13 Eddie Harris - Lovely is Today 4:19

14 Jack Bruce - Born to Be Blue 1:03

15 Lalo Schifrin - Danube Incident 1:49

16 Brother  Jack McDuff - Strolling 1:36

Vol. 05

01 Curtis Mayfield - Right on for the Darkness 2:57

02 Cecil Holmes - Call Me, Come Back Home 2:31

03 Al Green - Love and Happiness 2:25

04 Joe Simon - Drowning in the Sea of Love 2:37

05 B.T. Express - Everything Good to You 2:48

06 Willie Mitchell - Groovin' 2:53

07 Nona Hendryx - Transformation 3:13

08 Bill Conti - Going the Distance 2:36

09 George Duke - Reach for It 2:53

10 Bobby Caldwell - My Flame 2:53

11 Cal Tjader - Django 0:57

12 Stevie Wonder - Too High 3:00

13 Larry Young - Turn Off the Lights 2:57

14 Chocolate Milk - Action Speaks Louder Than Words 2:52

Vol. 06

01 Brenda Russell - A Little Bit of Love 3:04

02 Tami Lynn - Light My Fire 3:02

03 Dexter Wansel - New Beginning 3:26

04 Thom Bell - Moses Theme 3:45

05 Earth, Wind & Fire - On Your Face 3:09

06 Jacques Brel - Vieillir 1:04

07 Troggs - Rolling Stone 2:05

08 Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime 3:17

09 Gwen McCrae - I've Got Nothing to Lose but the Blues 3:31

10 Dells - Free and Easy 3:11

11 Jerry Butler - I'm Your Mechanical Man 3:19

12 Dee Felice Trio - There Was a Time 2:48

13 Harold Wheeler - Black Cream 2:44

Vol. 07

01 Ramon Morris - Don t Ask Me 2:52

02 Love Unlimited Orchestra - Midnight Groove 3:32

03 Steve Arrington - Weak at the Knees 3:16

04 Jean Carne - Don t Let it Go to Your Head 3:08

05 Steve Khan - Darling, Darling Baby 3:45

06 Roy Ayers - Life is Just a Moment, Part 2 2:26

07 Charles Strouse - It s the Hard Knock Life 2:20

08 Love Childs Afro Cuban Blues Band - Somethings Got to Give 4:02

09 Parliament - Come in Out of the Rain 2:41

10 Supremes - It s Time to Break Down 3:17

11 Love Unlimited - Under the Influence of Love 3:01

12 Diana Ross - My Hero is a Gun 3:13

Vol. 08

01 Enoch Light - Hi-Jack 3:05

02 Ronald Stein - Pigs Go Home 0:40

03 Barry White - I Wanna Stay 3:07

04 J.B. s - Blow Your Head 4:40

05 Don Randi - The Fox 3:40

06 Les McCann - The Morning Song 2:19

07 Buster Williams - Vibrations 3:43

08 George McCrae & Gwen McCrae - The Rub 3:35

09 Bernard Herrmann - Psycho 1:32

10 Pablo Today - Love Till Tomorrow 3:17

11 Coasters - Down Home Girl 3:11

12 Big John Hamilton - Big Bad John 2:27

Vol. 09

01 Claudja Barry - Love for the Sake of Love 5:05

02 David McCallum - The Edge 2:48

03 Jos  Feliciano - Esto es el guaguanc 3:43

04 John Taylor - Notorious 2:44

05 Graham Nash - Chicago 2:37

06 Al Wilson - My Song 3:40

07 Lionel Bart - Anything 2:31

08 Dr. Buzzard s Original Savannah Band - Cherchez La Femme 3:22

09 Kool & the Gang - N.T. 2:52

10 J.B. s - (It's Not the Express) It's the J.B.'s Monaurail 3:10

11 Joe Thomas - Polarizer 3:21

12 Barry De Vorzon - Nadia's Theme 3:21

Vol. 10

01 Detroit Emeralds - You're Getting a Little Too Smart 3:31

02 Michael Quatro - Stripper 2:32

03 Paul Butterfield - I Don't Wanna Go 4:29

04 Dorothy Ashby - Cause I Need It 2:53

05 Ripple - It Sure is Funky 3:12

06 John Kasandra - Down Home Up's 2:33

07 [unknown] - Under the Cherry Moon 1:30

08 Bernard Wright - Hoboclabotribin 3:10

09 Donald Byrd - Dominoes 4:23

10 Dr. John - Right Place, Wrong Time 2:47

11 Fatback - How to Dance 2:48

12 Idris Muhammad - Crab Apple 3:23

Vol. 11

01 Trammps - Rubberband 3:43

02 Meters - Oh, Calcutta! 2:50

03 Shirley Brown - Diamonds Are Forever 2:38

04 Jerry Butler - No Money Down 3:02

05 Supertramp - Crime of the Century 3:02

06 Toshoyuki Honda - Thunder Kiss 3:05

07 Johnny  Guitar  Watson - Lovin' You 2:58

08 Boney M. - Sonny 3:08

09 Gong - Mandrake 4:44

10 Main Ingredient - Let Me Prove My Love 2:58

11 Franck Pourcel - Diamonds Are Forever 3:19

12 John Scott - Tearaway 1:32

13 Best of Both Worlds - Naked Truth 2:40

14 ManDrill - Movement 4 3:05

=============================================================

=============================================================

Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

=============================================================

=============================================================