Have any of you guys ever sampled a sound or loop from someone else's music?

[Tony Scharf]

Oh, and to anwer the original posters question, yes I occassionaly sample other artists, but its usually just for fun. I used to do a lot of movie/news vocal type sampling but that was just a place holder for wanting to write my own lyrics (which I am now working on).

 

Personaly, it bothers me when I can easily recognize a sample source. If your gonna do it, make extreme - cut it up and extend it - take it to a place the original artist didnt. use the sample as a starting point, and not a crutch.

 

I think of song writting like a journy. where samplings concerned, I can either walk or take a cab. either way I get where I wanted to go, but Ill learn a hell of a lot more when I dont leave the driving to someone else.

[Analog Kid]

I think that's off based... sampling isnt necessarily a crutch at all. I mean, the whole point of it is to reframe things. If it's unrecognisable, maybe you should have generated it through synthesis. If anything, sampling makes the composition harder. Twisting things to the extreme is cool too, but that's almost like synthesis with a loop replacing the rom sample.

It's supposed to be a thing where you can look and say, Ah, that's the Tom Tom Club! Cool, or, ah, fudding Pdiddy sampled the police straight up, how stupid.

Either way, it doesnt exactly make sense to go up to Andy Warhol and say, you know, that would have been much cooler if you cut it up into enough pieces where the viewer couldnt recognise this work as being a soup can.

[syncretism]

 

Originally posted by Tony Scharf Personaly, it bothers me when I can easily recognize a sample source. If your gonna do it, make extreme - cut it up and extend it - take it to a place the original artist didnt. use the sample as a starting point, and not a crutch.

 

 

That's a bit procrustean, Tony, don't you think? Collage and plunderphonics, two eminently modern artistic techniques, by definition require the use of recognisable sources. Acousmatic composition, which distends and distorts sounds until they are unrecognisable, has yielded some remarkable musics {I'm partial to Bernard Parmegiani's _De Natura Sonorum_ and _La Creation du Monde_}, but it can't perform the same artistic and cultural functions as plundered composition, which serves as a commentary on the material presented and elides those lines separating high art from low art, and producer from consumer.

 

That said, it's unlikely that I'll ever sample Autechre, even if there are drum hits on _Tri Repetae_ that I would love to swipe. It's not the same thing, and it feels a little more like the scenario you describe.

[Tony Scharf]

Again, its a subjetive assertion. I can respect that the point of some art forms is cultural reprocessing and regurgitation. For myself, sampling beings me no inspiration.

 

I also dont think I was very clear last night when I posted so let me clarify. There are instances of sampling where the sample is totally recognizeable and *still* goes further than the original artist ever thought to go. As one example that springs to mind, there is 'My Kingdom' by FSOL. Essentially, the chior (and possibly other parts, I know they are sample freaks) came from right off the blade runner sound track ('rachels song', I think is the title). The original sounded very unfinished by the time FSOL got done with it, adding essentially an entire song that just happened to contain that sample.

 

Now, if we are talking about certain artists who dont just sample something, but essentially just put their own vox on someone elses tune...thats something I find really just silly.

 

but..to each their own.

[syncretism]

 

Originally posted by Tony Scharf Again, its a subjetive assertion. I can respect that the point of some art forms is cultural reprocessing and regurgitation. For myself, sampling beings me no inspiration.

 

 

None, for real? What if I emailed you a few beats in .wav format, and you liked 'em - would you use them?

 

 

Now, if we are talking about certain artists who dont just sample something, but essentially just put their own vox on someone elses tune...thats something I find really just silly.

 

 

Aye, and I think a lot of this is in the execution. Vanilla Ice may have nothing on Queen, but Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel deserve every prop for rocking Liquid Liquid's "Cavern" with peerless aplomb on "White Lines".

 

Money will ruin everything.

[ShakaCthulu]

 

Originally posted by Tony Scharf You know, all you all just end up looking like asses.

 

 

Yup, pretty much. Special Olympics.

 

I pretty much agree with you on sampling....it's always easier and better to just roll your own...but, there's some people that were just so darned good at it...like Pop Will Eat Itself, The KLF, etc.

[ShakaCthulu]

PS, FSOL are one of my favorites....have they come out with anything recently?

[Don Solaris]

Originally posted by lhm1138 PS, FSOL are one of my favorites.... have they come out with anything recently?

There is just one place at the top.

 

About new work, afaik, no. Just Amorphous Androgynous - but that is another project, and indeed sound as another project - not as FSOL.

[Don Solaris]

 

Originally posted by Tony Scharf As one example that springs to mind, there is 'My Kingdom' by FSOL. Essentially, the chior (and possibly other parts, I know they are sample freaks)

 

Sampling is a great thing, and bands like FSOL and KLF are perfect examples.

 

Speaking of FSOL. They sampled right from the start. Even the first hit Papua New Guinea contains portions from Jack Dangers song Radio Babylon (which is a killer song itself), and that main vocal comes from Dead Can Dance song The Host Of Seraphim (if my ears server me well).

[syncretism]

the last amorphous androgynous, _alice in ultraland_, was released in 2005. the bits i've heard sound really good.

[Silent Heart]

 

Originally posted by MuzikB Loop sampling or snippit sampling, no. Anything created in that way is made available as a free download. When I sample mangle a voice into a pad or turn a movie gunshot into a percussive element, then yes. I have commercially released stuff with this type of work in the past.

 

 

You're not supposed to though, right? Doesn't everything that even begins life as a sample from someone else's recording require permission? If not, then damn! There's all kinds of perfect snare hits from 70s albums that I would be using right now ...

 

[XorAxAx]

Originally posted by myteeGTi hip hop {censored}ing sucks. Crap excuse for music... *ducks again*

[Paolo Di Nicolantonio]

Thank heaven for hip-hop. I live in Northern Virginia and don't have XM or Sirius. The hip-hop songs are the ONLY ones on the local terrestrial radio to feature SYNTHESIZERS (you may know what these are since you're reading this forum).

 

The 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999998% of the other channels feature.. let me think ...

 

...oh ,yes: distorted guitar and song structures that have not changed in 50+ years.

 

And yes, I sample all the time but generally try to make it unrecognizable.

[MuzikB]

Originally posted by Silent Heart You're not supposed to though, right? Doesn't everything that even begins life as a sample from someone else's recording require permission? If not, then damn! There's all kinds of perfect snare hits from 70s albums that I would be using right now ...

 

If you have the full intention of making money off of your recording, then yes the owner of the rights to the music should be notified to establish permission of use and payment.

 

Thing is, in America, I have never been able to get permission. Every time I have called and asked the answer was a flat out NO. Without even wanting to hear the song.

 

Everytime I asked in England, every person wanted to hear the song first. I was only denied twice out of 7 attempts and an agreeable percentage of sales was given in tribute for the sample usage.

 

Being forthright in the industry in America seems to get you nowhere. So I primarily sample British and German acts related to British and German independent labels if I have the intention of releasing the work for profit.

[Unfed]

yeah, even commercial radio stuff is fun to hear sometimes if only because the sounds they use are more interesting than the rock, country, etc stations.

 

if only they had something better to say over it.

[elsongs]

 

Originally posted by cold truth this is insane how about the roots how about mission, what about jr rotem how about the neptunes

 

 

I like hip-hop, and I definitely dig those that you mentioned. I know Chad Hugo from the Neptunes personally. But unfortunately the majority of the hip-hop that's heard *these days* is the lame 808/sawtooth/WHUT?! dirty south crap, the quality stuff isn't as prevalent.

[Unfed]

pretty impressive:

 

http://www.fazed.org/video/?id=324

[cold truth]

 

Originally posted by elsongs I like hip-hop, and I definitely dig those that you mentioned. I know Chad Hugo from the Neptunes personally. But unfortunately the majority of the hip-hop that's heard *these days* is the lame 808/sawtooth/WHUT?! dirty south crap, the quality stuff isn't as prevalent.

 

 

the quality stuff isnt prevelant mainly because of the infastructure for releasing music to the masses.... but i hear you...

 

you know chad personally, eh? cool beans, i always liked his quiet demeanor, not all out front all the time... just, quietly makes some dope music...

[cold truth]

 

Originally posted by Tony Scharf You know, all you all just end up looking like asses. This whole conversation can be summarized as follows: #1. do you guys sample? #2. I dont like hip hop #3,4,5 and 6: whats wrong with that? #2. no, you dont understand, hip hop sucks and thats just a forgone fact that i can prove scientificaly. hip hop=crap. oh and I hate rap too #7 oh, I guess your racist then #8 i am not racist, yo. (insert series of potentially racist jpegs, meant to be funny as in 'I cant believe someone posted that' but could easily be taken as 'boy look at how funny black people are' follows by similar pictures showing how rediculous white people are when they try to be black people...yadda yadda yadda.. In all of that, I have only seen one or two post that even make an attempt at intelligence. Music is a subjective thing. If you dont like it, who the the f*ck cares, no? Not only does someone elses opinion *not* really matter, its really exceptionaly dumb for someone to call someone racist because they dont like it. I dont like hip hop. Neither does my Fiance. My Fiance is black. does that make her a member of the kkklan? Not at all. Racism is actually a symptom of the bigger disease of epidemic stupidity. Please, lets not spread that here.. Ill get off my soap box now. Carry on.

 

 

wow, if people actually think that i equated the mere dislike of hip hop to racism, they werent reading, or perhaps i wrote something wrong...

 

the manner in which certain people chose to voice their opinions had undertones of racism in my eyes...plain and simple...that is/was not a broad indictment of anyone who dislikes hip hop as being racist. as you said those "funny" jpeg images can be taken in 2 ways, and i certainly took them a one way in particular.

 

i dont see how you can classify me as "exceptionally dumb", as this generalization never occured. in truth, the generalizations in this thread came from folks who portrayed all of todays hip hop in a particular light, which i likewise found mildly offensive and "exceptionally dumb" myself...

 

at any rate, i amde remarks directed at SPECIFIC people, for specific comments they made that i felt had some racist undertones, and some "funny" pictures they displayed, which in my view only served to further justify my reasoning. i didnt make any broad generalizations whatsoever.

 

so, for the record, i would like to state that i do not believe that all people who simply do not like hip hop aesthetically as racist.

 

i do think its wonderful how so many people within this thread managed to justify generalizing an entire culture the way they did, and that was more then ok to do... but the second someone challenges that kind of ignorance, look out... HE's the bad guy. its perfectly acceptable to characterize and single out an entire culture as bad role models.. but nevermind those things, thats ok.

[elsongs]

"racism" is one of those words that no two people have the same definition on.

 

a lot of people with racist sentiments or intentions NEVER admit to being racist, and they're not lying, only because THEY define "racism" as just burning crosses and white hooded cloaks, or marching around with swastikas.

 

the problem of racism will never be solved as long as people are unable to have a clear, common, solid idea of what it is and what it isn't.

[elsongs]

Originally posted by cold truth you know chad personally, eh? cool beans, i always liked his quiet demeanor, not all out front all the time... just, quietly makes some dope music...

 

Yeah, and I tired to get into a conversation about gear but he didn't seem too into taking about that, hehe. He's actually a family man, he's got a wife and two kids, plus Pharell is a ham, so that's one of the reasons why Chad is in the background (plus he's Asian (Filipino), and the industry only wants to see those people in the background...I should know!)

 

 

Chad and I, May 2004.

[greggybud]

 

Originally posted by LANSTARR I am concerned by the fact that this thread turned into a "hip hop hate" and "racist" flame war. But very few answred the original question of do you guys ever sample sounds or loops from others ppl music.

 

 

Yeah thats interesting. There is a ton of sampling going on that is far from rap/hip hop/and even pop.

 

I used to sample more than I do now. There was a time in the 90s when sampling was like the wild west and anything goes.

 

I loved music by KLF! That era of time and everything the KLF did really forced the issues to be dealt with.

 

Right now Im listening to a sampled Soft Cell hit and it bores me to tears. I guess we just cant get enough Tainted Love huh? But on the other hand I thought Madonnas Hung Up sampling an old Abba song that was never a hit in the US was brillant.

[Analog Kid]

lol, I have about a dozen versions of Tainted Love... but then again I spin fetish shows so i kind of need the variety.

[greggybud]

I think my thoughts about Tainted Love is that it's overplayed on any 80s/retro station. Just like Naked Eyes, Flock of Seagulls and a dozen others....nothing wrong with the hits except radio consultants have researched them to death and they end up on every retro/80s radio statioin.

 

And then for someone to go sample it for a new hit just doens't seem very inspiring....but yeah I know its all subjective and art.

 

Is it safe to say the 90s was the "Golden Age of Sampling"?

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:kq6wtr59kl5x~T1

 

I keep referring to the antics of The KLF and all the now illegal stuff they did with samples. Stealing stuff from hundreds of people, and making something really creative out of it not to mention mixing Tammy Wynettes standard country voice into a pop/rap song.

 

Sampling seemed more fun then.

[The Audacity Works]

Yes, I've produced tracks for other artists which contain samples. Some unrecognizable, some blantant. Several commercially released.

 

My personal material doesn't contain samples from commercial CDs. Except for maybe a heavily processed and layered kick drum.

 

That said, I love remixing friends' bands material, which is about as sample-heavy as you get, as it snags (at the very least) the entire vocal track.