This fascinating, brilliant 20-minute video narrates the history of the "Amen Break," a six-second drum sample from the b-side of a chart-topping single from 1969. This sample was used extensively in early hiphop and sample-based music, and became the basis for drum-and-bass and jungle music -- a six-second clip that spawned several entire subcultures. Nate Harrison's 2004 video is a meditation on the ownership of culture, the nature of art and creativity, and the history of a remarkable music clip.
Ooh, thanks Blimpy. Fascinating indeed. I think Ejay linked to this on RR a while back, but it feels good and right to have it on the 'Spill, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThat really was interesting!
ReplyDeleteI recognised the 'break' straight away...there's at least one Shitmat tune that uses it extensively...
El Blimpo: I found this to be an interesting video but I couldn't help but wonder 'why'; surely someone with the most basic talent could have programmed a drum machine to create something almost identical?
ReplyDeletehi gf - a good point - what i found interesting is how the mutations from one drumbreak pretty much spawned a new musical genre (jungle/drum and bass) which was completely different to the genre from whence it came.
ReplyDeletei