1. YDBIM
Sample: Akira (1988)
There are two parts to this song, much similar to how the majority of the songs on the Oasis Black are multi-parted also. The first part, which makes up the main body of the song featuring Olivia Louise, J. Manifesto and Dubz D contains no samples at all. The second part, the orchestral outro, was literally created and added during the last few days of mixing. In the morning of creation, it was drum-less, but I knew I wanted it to sound epic and grand.
So much like when I’m producing in general, I rarely sit solely at my setup. I eat, chill with my brothers and sister, a lot of walking around the house and so forth. This time I ended up watching anime films, which eventually led me back to the cult classic Akira. And then I heard it. The drums I’d been after, right there in one of the scenes. I immediately downloaded the whole film, sliced the drums out of the film and played them in. My second time ever sampling directly from an anime scene. The first time? When that song comes out, Jesus, much respect to Rival, Mercston & Olivia Louise on that one.
2. The Foundation
Sample: Annie Lennox – A Thousand Beautiful Things (sample appears at 0:07; 0.00 on The Foundation)
Annie Lennox – A Thousand Beautiful Things, one of the more contemporary records I sampled for Oasis Black. This song was the most technical to produce on the whole of Oasis Black. The sample is playing in reverse, forward and at moments both at the same time. All with a bunch of plugins in action to make it all sound eerie and dark as hell.
3. Fast Lane
Sample #1: Esthero – Superheroes (sample appears at 0.00; 0.00 on Fast Lane)
Sample #2: Janko Nilovic – Adagio Sur La Plage (sample appears at 0.19; 1.33 on Fast Lane)
I produced both parts of this one song is completely different years. But when I heard both of them, one after the other by pure playlist shuffle coincidence I know they had to be one song. Apart from being a wonderful sample material, Janko Nilovic’s Jazz is mind-blowing. I couldn’t resist. After No ID’s use of Janko Nilovic in Jay-Z’s “DOA” I had to have some too in my Oasis Black at least.
4. Scared
Sample: Brasiliana (José Prates) – Nêga Zefinha (sample appears at 0.13; 0.00 on Scared)
On the night I found this sample I was listening to a lot of Brazilian and alternative jazz records. I was super bored after an hour or so and I think I was on my phone at this point if I recall correctly, and then it came on. Brasiliana (José Prates) – Nêga Zefinha and I knew straight away how I wanted the beat to sound. I immediately sampled it in and got to work on it.
5. Lights
Sample: Rosemary Clooney – 50 ways to leave your lover (sample appears at 0.15; 0.00 on Lights)
I’ve had this record in my hard drive for a few years now. I’ve made a beat sampling this once before in my first year of producing, thank god for self-improvement. I went back to this record after a night of not being able to find anything decent to sample. The outcome of the beat surprised me in comparison to the version I had produced years ago. I really took my time with the drum work on this song, incorporating multiple drum breaks, overlapping and appearing at different parts of the song.
6. HWADC
Sample #1: Chris Byrd & True Victory – Fall Fresh On Me (sample appears at 0.02; 0.00 on HWADC)
Sample #2: Rodena Preston and the Voices Of Deliverance – Is There Anybody Here (sample appears at 0.00; 1.29 on HWADC)
Sample #3: The D.R. Curry Memorial Choir – I Am The Way (sample appears at 0.52; 1.32 on HWADC)
Sample #4: Dorothy Morrison – Brand New Day (sample appears at 1.32; 3.19 on HWADC)
Sample #5: Delete All that ish vine (sample appears at 0.00; 5.10 on HWADC)
HWADC, towards the end Oasis Black in tracklisting but was in fact one of the earlier songs started. During a period where I was going through a massive Soul, R&B and Gospel record phase. Blame Jake One and Drake’s Furthest Thing. This song is basically an explosion of that period of my production.
7. Thank You
Sample: All Spice – Slipped Away (sample appears at 0.24; 0.00 on Thank You)
I remember finding this sample one Friday night after work scouring through YouTube. The real fun in making this beat was all the percussion layers that are in it. Tons of cymbals, drum breaks and hi-hats, reverberated and stacked atop one another.
8. So Good
Sample: Lesley Duncan – Heaven Knows (sample appears at 0.02; 0.00 on So Good)
Another sample from a record I had sampled before in my beginnings. Back when I was making beats on the family laptop, using an aux cord to hook it up to DAB speakers on either side of the bed in the room. Good times. The record I sampled for this song is one of those “can listen to the song the whole way through” ones. A superb song, and one of my favourite songs I’ve discovered from searching for samples. Another must flavour I had to mix into Oasis Black.