Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Kraftwerk, Orijino Komedi, and Copying and Pasting!


I first visited New York City in 1997. In the hip hop scene, what was hot back then in the city was Peter Gunz (wonder where he is now) and others, but also Foxy Brown (she never ages), particularly in this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POOnTfxd3GA with Jay-Z and Ken Edmonds. The beat is wicked! Listen to it carefully (you don't have to finish the whole song)....and then go listen to the Machine Man from these techno-punk guys I like called Kraftwerk from Germany http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T65NpyfPk - then listen to these old-school guys called Fearless Four in Rockin' it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOHvOhADAic Then listen to Alexander O'Neal, particularly the chorus at min 1:24 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97sfjcZ6mCQ And listed to Cha Cha Cha, a hit that Mc Lyte made when she was only 17 in 1980s, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpSeJP2HfaY (from 0:47). Then connect it all. 

So, who stole from who? Sampling does not mean "copying and pasting". Kraftwerk rocks!


2 comments:

ak said...

Glad you posted this! Borrowing samples - whether they are vocal hooks or beats - and making them something fresh should be celebrated. Reminds me of the passing around of reggae and dancehall riddims, such as the Sleng Teng and Stepz riddims. But it seems this has deeper monetary implications for producers today than before, especially given the ease with which production software can be obtained. Perhaps the music industry is shifting from an emphasis on original production to an emphasis on production innovation, ie: evolving older sounds into newer ones?

ak said...

Glad you posted this! Borrowing samples - whether they are vocal hooks or beats - and making them something fresh should be celebrated. Reminds me of the passing around of reggae and dancehall riddims, such as the Sleng Teng and Stepz riddims. But it seems this has deeper monetary implications for producers today than before, especially given the ease with which production software can be obtained. Perhaps the music industry is shifting from an emphasis on original production to an emphasis on production innovation, ie: evolving older sounds into newer ones?