this is the thread where you can ask for definitions of musical terms:

The One is the galactic spiritual embodiment of the downbeat that kicks off the measure (whether it's 4/4, 3/4, 5/4, or some goddamn fancypants thing). a.k.a the downstroke for which you are supposed to get up.

Here's a question of my own: someone please define "modal" in a way that makes sense.

JesseFox in George Clinton zen shockah!!

Modal has different meanings in different contexts. In general, a mode is a structure like a scale: it's a collection of pitches for building melodies and/or harmonies, it can be arranged in stepwise form, and it has a tonic or center or most stable pitch, which is often the note on which melodies come to rest. The major scale is a mode (white notes of the keyboard, with C as tonic), the "natural minor" scale is another mode of comparable significance (white notes of the keyboard, with A as tonic), and these two are part of a system of seven modes (white notes of the keyboard, with each note taking the tonic role in a distinct mode) known as the "Dorian" system or the "Church modes" -- because the system is a modern re-construal of the structures used in the traditional liturgical music of the Catholic church -- early Medieval plainchant through Renaissance polyphony, roughly speaking. Another well known system of modes is the pentatonic system (the black keys with various tonics -- but there are other pentatonic structures, too). 20th-century composers turned to these ancient modes for an alternative to the conventional major and minor scales, and they invented novel modal structures for the same purpose.

Some of the Dorian modes, and some other modes too, are significant in Jazz theory -- modal Jazz tends to establish a single mode and build both chords and tunes with it, as opposed to drawing harmonies out of the full chromatic scale and rethinking the compatible melodic notes afresh with each harmony. Miles Davis' Kind of Blue and John Coltrane's Coltrane are classic examples.

A similar usage of modes is common in plenty of pop music but I'm not sure the term "modal" is applied much in this context.

Compare two songs from Revolver:

The tunes in "Eleanor Rigby" feature a lot of syncopation. If you tap your foot to the beat while you listen to or sing the opening phrase, you'll notice that all the long notes fall in between the beats (foot-tapping points) rather than on them:

Eleanor Rig-by picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been

"Yellow Submarine", on the other hand, is modelled on a rhythmically simple march with very little syncopation. The points of musical emphasis coincide with the beats (foot-tapping points).

"Eleanor Rigby" is just a mild example of syncopation compared to what you might find in drum'n'bass, say.

UK and London people: what's Brokenbeat? What are its formal rhythm rules, why are the rhythms broken - and what is broken? I haven't heard any, just heard about it.

I'm pretty sure Brokenbeat is something different though, and have ready that it involves taking out the 1,2, 3 or 4 from a 4/4 groove. But I'm not sure. Anyone?

HA HA HA!! these aren't very funny.

I'm aware that it is a form of reggae music with stomach-rumbling bass. But how is this produced, and why are dub pioneers such as Lee Scratch Perry considered to be brilliant sound engineers?

one-AND-two-AND-three-AND-four-and-ONE-and-two-AND-THREE-and-four-AND

Well, in the interview I read, Lucinda was talking about how people (especially producers and label people) used to give her shit for not writing bridges -- "you gotta have a bridge, everyone has a bridge," etc. And she just said, nope, I don't a bridge to get where I'm goin'. And she was right, too.

(Aw, it's like a rock'n'roll fable. How cute!)

There are much longer answers than that though. The history of the development of dub is covered in a few recent books. It's fascinating, a series of happy accidents and creative wingings. Erm, a google search on "dub" "lee Perry" and "King Tubby" will unearth some stuff for you I'm sure.

Also, what exactly does an 'arpeggiated bassline' sound like?

(yep, I've been reading http://members.aol.com/blissout/electroclash.htm)

2-step: emphasis on a constant snare drum rhythm on counts 2 and 4 with a syncopated kick drum.
4-on-the-floor: emphasis on a constant kick drum rhythm on counts 1/2/3/4.

2-step:
   1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Bd x         x
Sn     x       x
Hh . . . . . . . .

This is where the bass synth fills in all the 16th notes in the bar.
Like 'I Feel Love' or Giorgio Moroder generally.