Broken beat is an electronic dance music genre that emerged in the late 1990s and is characterized by syncopated beats and frenetic, choppy rhythms, often alongside female vocals and elements inspired by 1970s jazz-funk. It has been heavily influenced by styles such as house, drum and bass, hip hop, techno, acid jazz, and R&B. The eclectic style generally avoided rigid four-on-the-floor rhythms and could make use of samplers, analogue synths, and live instrumentation.