The Art of Sampling…

Kevin Carlin is originally from Derry, lived in America for 30 years and moved back to Ireland in 2017 for the weather.

Sampling in musical terms is the extraction of portions of sound from recorded media and their reuse as material for new recordings (Oxford Reference definition).

But it is so much more than that.

Its roots can be traced as far back as 1942, when French composer and theoretician Pierre Schaeffer began his study of radiophony. Experimenting with creative radiophonic techniques using the audio technologies of the time, he would record the unprocessed sounds from the world around him; urban noise, birds chirping or a ball hitting the floor. He would transform them into compositions through techniques like looping, reversing and splicing. By 1949, Schaeffer’s compositional work was known publicly as musique concrète.

Schaeffer stated: “when I proposed the term ‘musique concrète,’ I intended … to point out an opposition with the way musical work usually goes. Instead of notating musical ideas on paper with the symbols of solfege and entrusting their realisation to well-known instruments, the question was to collect concrete sounds, wherever they came from, and to abstract the musical values they were potentially containing”.

Sampling in hip-hop came to the fore in the 1980s with the invention of drum and sampler machines. Roger Linn, a pioneering designer of electronic music products, enjoyed some initial success with the use of his LM-1 (the first drum machine to use samples) in 80s pop music.

But it was to be his collaboration with Akai in late 1988 which produced the MPC60 – a drum sampler and MIDI sequencer with features incorporating 16 touch-sensitive pads, portability and simple control interface which changed the landscape forever.

Around the same time, another drum sampling machine, the SP-1200 (E-mu Systems, Inc.) entered the scene. The acute sounds created in the MPC60, sampled into the SP-1200 created a grittier, lo-fi sound. This method birthed the “boom-bap” sound and style, resultant from the drum samples of jazz, soul and funk records from the 60s and 70s.

The Golden Age of Hip-Hop (1986-1996).

In the late 80s and early 90s, this sound epitomised the production style on records emanating from the U.S. East Coast. Producers like DJ Premier and Pete Rock would spend countless hours “digging” in local record stores, thrift shops and flea markets (in one instance travelling as far as Brazil to hunt down rare vinyl). Anywhere they could get their hands on records to find the samples to be used in drum machines, shaping the future of hip-hop for the next generation.

A drum break would be chopped and looped. A guitar chord could be stretched, compressed or pitched up/down. The possibilities were now endless with the available technology. The real artistry in this, however, is the ability to piece it all together. To have the vision, the ear and the technical ability is what makes sampling a truly unique art form.

In 1989, the Beastie Boys released their sophomore album – Paul’s Boutique. Produced in tandem with The Dust Brothers (Michael Simpson and John King), it was branded a flop upon its release. It would go on to be considered as one of the greatest albums of all time, however. As quoted by outlets such as Rolling Stone and Time, it has been hailed as a landmark album of The Golden Age.

Produced over a 2 year period in Matt Dike’s Los Angeles apartment (co-founder of record label Delicious Vinyl), the album contains 105 samples. From well-known artists such as Led Zeppelin, Sly and The Family Stone and Thin Lizzy to lesser known groups like Alphonse Mouzon and Trouble Funk, the multi-layered sampling on the album was a ground breaking approach to musical production:

In 1996, DJ Shadow (Joshua Paul Davis) released his debut album Endtroducing. An hour and 3 minutes comprised of 16 songs arranged entirely from samples using the MPC60, a turntable and an ADAT tape recorder. The exact number of samples used is unknown. Estimates are in the hundreds … and it took him 2 years to complete! It was awarded a Guinness World Record in 2001 for being the first album created using only sampled sounds.

The 2^nd track on the album, Building Steam With a Grain of Salt, includes samples from a women’s choir, an interview with the late drummer George Marsh and some funk guitar (among many others). But the most prominent sample is a haunting piano loop from Jeremy Storch’s I feel a New Shadow off his 1970 album From a Naked Window. The end result is an absolute masterpiece:

And then there’s Daft Punk. The G.O.A.T. Face to Face, the 13^th track from their 2001 album Discovery, is 4 minutes of pure genius. It contains 70 samples! 70! But the most recognisable one, that also carries the track, is a 2 second cut-up of that iconic guitar riff from ELO’s Evil Woman and is looped throughout:

Miles away from the hip-hop sounds of The Golden Age, Daft Punk established their own formula for success with their use of an insane array of samplers, synthesisers, sequencers and effects. Their live shows would go on to be a spectacle in itself, performing at sold-out venues and festivals across the globe.

Just as traditional musicians hone their craft with their respective instruments, DJs and producers who employ the use of sampling, drum machines and turntables to make their music are just as much deserving of the praise we typically ascribe to the guitar greats.

To quote Andre Romell Young (Dr. Dre): You just have to find that thing that’s special about you that distinguishes you from all the others. And through true talent, hard work and passion … anything can happen.