The good music of yesterday inspires the great music of today. As the esteemed Q-Tip once said on the legendary Low End Theory Album: “Don’t you know that things go in cycles?” We are reminded most of this reality through the art of sampling in music, both yesterday and today.
This week’s feature examines the origins of early “loop-sampling” in a classic vs. “reinterpreted” classic showdown. Who did it better? You decide.
Round 1:
James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” (1970) – Original
VS.
Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” (1989) – Sample
Breakdown:
In one corner, we have arguably the most sampled drum break (over 500 songs) in music history and perhaps THE song that created the “boom-bap” sound. In the other corner, we have Rolling Stone’s 7th greatest Hip-Hop song of all time by one of political Hip-Hop’s pioneering groups. This list is starting off swinging!
Round 2:
Art of Noise’s “Peter Gunn” (1986)- Original
VS.
Fatboy Slim’s “Rockafeller Skank” (1998) – Sample
Breakdown:
1980s techno-pop sensation Art of Noise made a name for being one of the first groups to use sampled sound patterns in their music. Slim’s sampling of the first 10 seconds of “Peter Gunn’s” “boogie-drama drawl” fuses well with the whirlwind that is the 90s mix-masterpiece.
Round 3:
Douglas Cuomo’s “Sex & the City Theme” (2004) – Original
VS.
Fergie’s “Labels or Love” (2008) – Sample
Breakdown:
The level of fierceness is strong with this one. Fergie’s sharp commentary on materialistic music industry rides the “Spanish Tinges” of the spicy T.V. theme song. Which one would you rather stroll down a busy Manhattan street to?
Round 4:
M]A]A]R]S’s “Pump up the Volume” (1987) – Original
VS.
Girl Talk’s “Double Pump” (2006) – Sample
Breakdown:
I could only imagine the number of Dance Dance Revolution games that feature these two songs. Two generations of mash-up giants collide to keep the crowd moving. Girl Talk’s minimal vocal dubs ooze energy while “Pump up the Volume” combines 26 songs into one funky composition.
Round 5:
“Baa Baa Black Sheep” – Original
VS.
Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” feat. Kimbra (2011) – Sample
Breakdown:
It’s elementary, my dear Watson. That good old nursery rhyme “you used to know” graces the piano track for Gotye’s smash hit. Who would have thought that “Baa Baa Black sheep/have you any wool?” could sound so catchy? Next stop, three blind mice.
Round 6:
The Andrew Oldham Orchestra’s “The Last Time” cover (1966) – Original
VS.
The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” (1998) – Sample
Breakdown:
To be fair, “The Last Time” does cover the Rolling Stones original song. Nevertheless, it is the instantly recognized orchestral swing of the cover that glides against the raspy pulsations of the Verve’s vocals. Either way, I can’t stop thinking about Cruel Intentions every time I hear it.
Bonus Round:
Baauer Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” (2012) – Original
VS.
Kid the Wiz, Tweek Tune & Juan Ye Beats’ “Real Harlem Shake Remix” (2013) –Sample
Breakdown:
You see it correctly, folks. Your favorite appropriation-flavored hump fest is back to settle the score. The “Real Harlem Shake Remix” spices up the original by infusing vocal cuts by New York rappers, thus bringing authenticity in an age of deep-fried gentrification. “I’ll show you how to do this, son.”
