Welcome to the 30th insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode we dig through the archives of soul, gospel, rock and just about every other genre to discover the art of sampling and its impact on the rap industry.
Turning back the clock to over eight decades ago, France - in the limelight stands the true origin of sampling, Pierre Schaeffer. The French composer strived to dismember the traditions of contemporary theory and in doing so, created “Musique Concrète”, a genre that, while incoherent, reversed the properties of music. One would take a ‘concrete’ sound bite and reimagine such in an abstract way, recycling a product into a concept. This process then stemmed what is known as “sampling”, a method in which a producer revives a record into one of their own.
It would be decades before Schaeffer’s efforts would be in use, but his expertise laid groundwork for his predecessors in the field of hip-hop. Now in the 70’s, New York, looping drum breaks was the most affordable way to make beats as many DJ’s ignored the clearance of other’s work. B-Boys and Girls first caught on to the melodic beats, quickly igniting a fury of producers and mixes unlike any before.
Pitch shifting, slowing or speeding a sample was now possible due to the introduction of portable synthesizers, allowing for ease of access in many of the impoverished burrows. As sampling grew, projects like The Sugarhill Gang’s: Rapper’s Delight (1979) first introduced the mainstream to the new medium, opening many ears to the future of beat making. Over the next years, the technique skyrocketed in both East and Western rap culture with chart topping artists like Tupac or The Notorious B.I.G releasing hits like “Juicy” (1994) and “Changes” (1998) both heavily sampling other artists.
Undisputedly, the most influential sample resides as “Amen, Brother” by The Winstons, used over 5450 times to date. The overarching melodies, loops and sounds sampling has generously gifted us has helped shape all aspects of contemporary music and the way we listen to it.
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