Using a sample doesn’t always mean you use it as it was originally intended to sound like. A good example of this comes from eighties electronic music pioneers Yello in their song The Race from 1988. Yello are best know for their song Oh Yeah which is used in quite a lot of films, mostly in the eighties. The Race however is a good second, some of you may remember from the Max SkateBike commercial in 1989.
As the title suggests, the song is about (drag) racing, illustrated by a sample of a drag racer roaring by on the opening of the song. Somewhere half way through the song however, we hear a different engine roar. Or is it an engine? As it turns out, it’s a horn from the track Tiller Girls from 1978 film adaptation of the musical Cabaret. A sleazy, roaring horn sound in a musical number with drag queens becomes an engine roar of a drag racer. There has to be some poetry in that.
Here’s an interesting study from Norway as posted by TorrentFreak. Artists are making more, especially from live gigs then they were some 10 years ago. Some obvious notes here however is that the focus is on Norwegian musicians. And that includes the people who don’t live off music. In that sense the study does not surprise me, but it also shouldn’t be made into something bigger than it is.
The ‘common musician’ has more opportunities to let, friends, family and fans know they have music out and let them listen to it. In 1999, more musicians had to sell their cd’s at gigs before people could listen to them in their home, now more people listen to music in their home first and then come see the musicians perform live music.
Most common musicians are not signed to a label. The TorrentFreak is hinting that ‘the music industry’ isn’t doing all to bad and thriving. I think they are confusing ‘record labels’ with ‘music industry’. If you see ‘the music industry’ as the entire market of people selling music, then yes, it’s thriving. But the record companies see their share in that dwindling and they are not doing well at all (ask EMI).
It is indeed the artists that are profiting more at the expense of the record companies. That is good news. At least for the Norwegian industry.
Groove is in the Heart by Deee-Lite is one of those songs that doesn’t have one original, but a whole string of originals that were sampled. In fact, only the vocals on that song are ‘original’. Still all the samples mashed together did indeed create something genuinely new. I’ll try to go through them in the order that they appear in the song.
The opening is from a 1969 record entitled Music for Belly Dancing by (take deep breath) Bel-Sha-Zaar with Tommy Genapopoluis & The Grecian Knights. In the introduction track of the album Bel-Sha-Zaar explains some basic moves and tells you “We’re going to dance” (…) “and have some fun“.
Enter Herbie Hancock’s Bring Down the Birds from 1966 with it’s characteristisc bass-loop. On top of that comes a drum loop from Vernon Burch’s Get Up from 1979. If you fast forward Get Up to 2:23, you’ll not only hear the drum loop but also the crazy flute sound you hear later on in Groove is in the Heart.
When you hear Deee-lite’s singer Lady Miss Kier sing “I couldn’t ask for another“, the I is doubled with with I sung by actress Eva Gabor in the opening credits of the 1966 version of the tv-show Green Acres (“I get allergic smelling hay“).
Lady Miss Kier starts singing the familiar lyric “Groove is in the heart” and if you listen closely you hear the high popping noises from Ralph MacDonald’s Jam On The Groove (skip to 3:53) from 1976.
Then before the next loop starts and a few times more in the song, you can catch the drum break opening from Ray Barretto’s Right on Barreto Power from 1972. Just before rapper Q-tip from A Tribe Called Quest does his thing, the drum break is the opening break from Uptight by Billy Preston from 1966.
Lastly, right after the break you can hear an odd mouth-sound, that comes from Hateful Head Helen’s self-titled Hateful Head Helen (skip to 3:06) from 1989. There’s a few more samples in there, mostly little sound effects (the scream/horn at 0:39, the shout at 2:27, the 1-2-3), but sadly my trusted source in these things, WhoSampled.com hasn’t got all of them.
I often hear a lot of musicians proclaiming they’re going to do something new. Usually it means they’re going to do something different and more specifically it means they’re just going to do something different for them. And sadly, often these musicians still only produce something similar to what they were already doing. I know, cause I’ve often too said I was going to do something new.
Doing something authentically new in music is harder than it sounds (pun not intended). And though doing something different may lead to something new, there is no guaranteed success. And even then, when you have produced something really new, it might still be unlistenable avant-garde crap no one wants to hear. But regardless of this doing something new (or different) won’t happen if you stick to the same roads. Here’s a list of 10 things I can recommend you can try to make something truely new (or different):
DO find new collaborators, people you have never worked with, people you don’t know. You can place ads on (local) websites or the local practice centre notice board. You can ask musical friends about people they work with. DON’T keep recruiting the same people you’ve worked with in all your previous bands.
DO try to make music all by yourself, instead of relying on the time, effort, charity and genius of others. It will also allow you to work without compromise to something that’s uniquely yours. DON’T worry if you make music all by yourself, you won’t be able to play all the instruments live or all instruments at all. Think in possibilities, not restrictions. If need be you can always get in people later to help you out.
DO try out new instruments. And by that I don’t mean buy a new guitar. Try a theremin. Try a weird plugin for your composing software. Skip the default settings on your instruments and try out all the knobs and settings. Especially if they’re not in the manual. Try some websites that lets you make weird noises. Sample noises you hear outside or on tv and find a musical application for it. Give yourself a challenge. It doesn’t mean you have to stop using your favourite instrument altogether, but realise there’s more things that make noise outside drums and guitars. Use them. DON’T form a default band that has one or two guitarists, a drummer, a bass-player and a lead-singer. And that includes adding one keyboard-player instead of a guitar. Trying to create something unique and new with that line-up is near-impossible. It’s been done for over 50 years.
DO make piles and piles of unfinished, abandoned and/or failed experiments. Write any random idea for a song, lyric, tune or beat down or record it if possible. If necessary, just sing it into your phone’s memo recorder (if it has one). Failure is part of learning. When you’re low on inspiration or ideas, dust off these notes and recordings and sift through it. You might find that two or three bad, unfinished ideas you had on a Tuesday night, might actually make something quite brilliant when combined. DON’T try to record the final version of your Greatest Hits album on the first try. Even the Beatles wrote some crappy songs only collectors listen to these days. People will remember you for the greatest songs you made over period of time, not your failed experiments. Unless you’ve created a truly horrible monster.
DO make music by trying out bits and pieces from different styles. Take things and ideas out of their original context and apply them to your style. If you love dubstep, but are used to playing metal, you might be the first to create dubstep metal. Or it might also sound like neither and be something new. Ever hear of throat singing? Arabic scales? It doesn’t mean you have to become a reggae artist when all you ever played was rock, but it doesn’t hurt to take a look in some one else’s kitchen. Try it and find out. DON’T assume or expect you’re doing something radically new, just cause you say you are. DON’T label your own music, because it will create false expectations anyhow. Even when asked, just give a vague description and others will label your music for you. Poorly. They will call you ‘rock’ or ‘techno’ or ‘folk’ or ‘electro’ even when you’re not. Don’t worry about it.
DO discover new music, new styles, new musicians and new musical idols. If only for a month. Listen carefully why you feel their music is so special and figure out how to put those feeling and ideas into your own music. DON’T be a devoted fan of the same musician for longer than ten years. And certainly DON’T try to follow in their exact footsteps by copying their exact (style of) music note for note. They release a Greatest Hits after a while or usually move on to something new and so should you.
DO explore new platforms to interact with fans directly, distribute music (Bandcamp, SoundCloud), connect with other musicians, create music and arrange gigs for yourself. And keep looking even after you found it. DON’T be on MySpace. It’s a shinking ship and just cause every other band is on it, means nothing. The audience is moving away from it. Also don’t try hard to get into all sorts of established music magazines or websites. Not to get noticed any how. Only hard-core music lovers and other musicians read those and if you really are hot shit, the magazines and sites will come to you.
DO find new and unique venues to play. And by that I don’t mean some pub on the other side of town you’ve never been before. Is a friend opening an exhibition at an art-gallery? If you practice in your mom’s basement, why not organise your own gig there? Remember, the point is you get noticed by normal people who like the same things as you, not the few regulars who hang out at the music venues. Get noticed out of context. DON’T play at the same venues you’ve always played over and over again. It’s nice that the owner of your local practice center will let you host your demo release party there again, but after a while even your mom will stop coming to these gigs. No one new will simply show up just cause you posted a poster somewhere, when they have never heard of you. Only your fans will and how many of those have you got?
DO organise your own hip events, perhaps in collaboration with other people or bands. Can’t get booked to a festival? Start your own. Create a buzz around this new thing you do, make it larger than just you. Become part of a scene, not just musically. Find people who like your kind of music and what bonds them, instead of making music that people you know might like. Let the scene inspire you. DON’T play band competitions or (televised) talent shows. The judges are usually hired to recruit what the organisers of some local festival or record label see fit as their opening act on the smallest stage they have or the next big thing to last for a month. As such they are usually not on the lookout for something new and innovative, but something that sounds a little different, but okay to an everyman audience. Unless that’s you, don’t be there. Also the other bands/artists will pretend to be nice, but meanwhile talking about how much you suck and they rawk. (Seriously, I’ve seen people do this). And you will start doing this too after a while, when you keep ending second or third without a prize. You were making music because you love it, not to please others or as a competitive sport, right?
DO enjoy making music. Know that you can always be in a local blues/rock cover band who have no fans and/or do nothing new and still truly enjoy this (and some times even get paid). There is no shame in this or making a little money that way. If figuring out every solo by Van Halen in your bedroom is what you love doing, then do it. If you love playing the same songs over and over again then do it. If you love making avant-garde crap, do it. DON’T complain if you feel you can’t make something new, no one wants to listen to your new thing or no one ever hears it. Don’t worry if no one will recognise your musical masterpiece, even after you die and it will be lost forever. You enjoyed it and that means it has served a purpose. Not everyone can be Mozart.
In 1970 a soul group from Chicago called the Chi-Lites (formerly the Hi-Lites with an added C from Chicago) released the single Are You My woman (Tell Me So). Though it did chart in the US, the Chi-Lites wouldn’t score any big hits till a year later.
In the early days 90’s, DJ Polo dug up the the track in 1992 for #1 With a Bullet by Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo featuring Big Daddy Kane. The sample serves no greater purpose in the track and again went mostly unnoticed.
I’ve touched upon the work of Fatboy Slim before. I actually don’t want to devote too many posts in this series to him (or Daft Punk or DJ Shadow for that matter), because that could go on forever. Suffice it to say, most of Norman Cook‘s work consists of copy-pasting other people’s work together to form something new, without actually adding any instruments or vocals himself. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But it can be annoying if you keep digging up the exact same originals.
Take the massive 1998 hit The Rockafella Skank. If I say “Right about now …”, you say “the funk soul brother”! Cause you know the song. Or do you know the intro Lord Finesse did in 1997 on the song Vinyl Dog Vibe by The Vinyl Dogs? Cause that’s where the lines come from.
You’ll also instantly recognise the Just Brothers’ Sliced Tomatoes from 1965 in the song. In ’65 it was just a B-side, but it got promoted to single in 1973. And then it got sampled.
Years before that, in 1960, a film entitled Beat Girl came out. Apart from now legendary actor Christopher Lee, it also featured opening music by the John Barry Orchestra. Which you will also recognise as part of The Rockafeller Skank. If you think that tune sounds a lot like the guitar riff on James bond, you would be right. John Barry also scored the first James Bond film Dr. No two years later in 1962, even though it is credited to Monty Norman for legal reasons.
So as you can understand, Idon’t really like to dig too much into Norman Cook’s back catalogue, cause it just becomes a very long who’s who in sampling history. All the samples put together and you get The Rockafeller Skank:
I usually say “if all else fails, you can always play in a blues cover band“. The thing is that blues isn’t very hard to play, even if you can barely hold and instrument. There are challenging, not-so-easy-to-play blues songs out there, but most of the time, for most songs, it’s pretty straight-forward. If you look up musician wanted ads on various websites, you’ll find the bulk are either rock/metal or blues cover bands. Most of these bands have no professional ambitions other than playing the local pub on Friday nights for fun. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
While I have no plan on giving up on my electronic work and the ambitions I have for it, I ironically found myself with an invitation to go play in a blues cover band for this Friday. Some people at my employer wanted something different for their weekly pub evening. And since there are plenty of guitarists working there, they figured they’d give their inner-Hendrix a platform to play on.
I figured what the hell and accepted. I’ll be alternately singing and playing the bass on a few songs. It’ll be a break from the usual and it’ll be good fun without pretensions. And without band practice. We’ll see how that works out.
All three tracks produced by the same producer and they line up perfectly. Of course this is nothing new, Linkin Park has gotten spanked for making the same song over and over again. Can you call it a clone song if it’s the same artist?
My father’s father often commented on my dad’s music that it was all ‘the same beat’. My dad has commented today’s music is all the same beat. Maybe it’s a sign I’m getting old that I’m noticing this too. But then again, when had pop music ever not been about recycling the same ideas over and over again? Right, Warhol?
When you hear about artists sampling other artists, one often thinks about producers who discover an old vinyl record at least 20 years old who use a bit for a new track. You don’t think of people sampling a song that’s only a year old and without credit.
Katy Perry’s 2010 collaboration with Snoop Dogg California Gurls has been getting an overkill of airplay lately. The sunny summer hit about California is intended to rival Jay-Z’s Empire State. But the main theme from California Gurls appears to be lifted from a song by Scottish musician/producer Calvin Harris.
This is sort of odd. There is a link between Katy Perry and Calvin Harris; Calvin Harris remixed the song Waking up in Vegas. Ironically, Calvin Harris made a song titled Vegas as well, but there’s no connection between both. But nowhere on California Gurls is Calvin Harris credited. And that’s odd, cause if you listen to the Calin Harris song I’m not Alone from 2009, you can hear something you might recognise around 0:45 :
If you ever wanted to get into making atmospheric, ambient mood music that will blow even the most pretentious Coldplay out of the water, there’s a really simple trick to do that. The last few days on SoundCloud, users having been posting songs that were time-stretched by 800% and the result is a beautiful soundscape you can listen to for hours. The interesting bit though is that the songs they used for it are by Justin Bieber and Frank Sinatra. Listen to them and be amazed:
B-sting is a producer/musician, a blogger and an ICT-pro to pay the bills. He has been active on the web as B-sting since 1995, when the web was still filmed in black 'n white. He's been making music on his own and in various bands for even longer than that. He's quite the nerd when it comes to the origin of samples and talks a lot about that.
