Jazz fan Natalie Weiner launched a blog called The 1959 Project with day-to-day looks at the genre’s most famous year. When researching for my final year dissertation, Ted Gioia’s The History of Jazz was a valuable tome and it helped (I got a First for the dissertation). Jazz history is fascinating and enriching when you travel through every decade of progression. But one year stands out…
Modernism might have a white visage but Madlib’s brand of afro-modernism shouldn’t be overlooked. Film director James Cameron once said, “People call me a perfectionist, but I’m not. I’m a rightist. I do something until it’s right, and then I move on to the next thing.” Fans of Madlib – and Dilla – will be familiar with this ideal. Perfection fuels many creatives in how they…
A Reddit user compiled 92 of the most sampled tracks in music history thanks to WhoSampled’s extensive database. If you love samples like us, you’ll love this. Reddit user sooryuken tried to create a Top 100 Most Sampled Tracks playlist on Spotify, sourced from the top sampled tracks on WhoSampled. Unfortunately, this is didn’t go quite to plan as Spotify didn’t have all 100 of their…
In our next edition of The Etymology of Sampling, we will be looking at the word “loop”. The term has many meanings outside of sampling and music but we’ll see where we can go with it. The history behind “loop” is one of mystery. It derives from the late 14th century meaning “a fold or doubling of cloth, rope, leather, cord, etc.”, but before that,…
It’s the most famous drum break in the history of recorded sound and like most old samples, none of the musicians involved have received a single penny for their efforts. Until now. “Amen Brother” was a composition performed by 60s soul band The Winstons and, more specifically, the “Amen break” performed by Gregory Cylvester “G. C.” Coleman. The 6-second break inadvertently formed the percussive foundations…
The upcoming National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. has a new exhibit courtesy of J Dilla’s custom Moog synth and MPC3000. As I remarked on Facebook, this is bigger than you think. The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. is still under construction but when it’s ready for visitors, Jay Dee fans will be excited for a…
Legendary photographer Brian Cross aka B+ drops a little video preview of his new book, Ghostnotes. Clear your coffee table because you’ll need room for this one. B+, the photographer who took all those Dilla photos you have on your computer, has been working on a book archiving hip hop on camera, from the early days of the Native Tongues in 1990 to the icons…
Upon Frankie Knuckles sad passing, this week’s Throwback Thursday is dedicated to the genre he fathered in documentary series Pump Up the Volume: The History of House Music. Firstly, I’d like to say RIP to Frankie Knuckles on behalf of everyone at Sampleface. His work and efforts in pioneering house music and sticking another pin in Chicago on the musical map should never been overlooked….
Video remix producer Eclectic Method patches together “a brief history of sampling” in his latest remix video. Depending on how you look at it, there are similarities between quantum physics and sampling. Drum breaks can be seen as the building blocks of the sampling universe, it continues to expand with new innovations and discoveries in the field and there are plenty of “stars” who have…
Joe Mansfield’s book Beat Box: A Drum Machine Obsession is a must have for any drum machine connoisseurs. Are you on the lookout for a new book to adorn your coffee table? Well, drum machine geek Joe Mansfield has written a 200-page photo book (photos by Gary Land) dedicated to some of the most influential machines in music history. Beat Box: A Drum Machine Obsession features 75…