Thoughts on: ripping samples/©'s & what music do you listen to?

[Phait]

1.

What are your thoughts on sampling sounds from films and other records? I remember reading an interview with Trent of Nine Inch Nails that they'd sampled sounds from over 3,000 films.. also he used some Prince beat for "Closer".. wouldn't I have to contact the film's production company for permission of sample(s)? Do you think sampling from films/music is a crutch?

 

2. What music do you forum members listen to and typically play? I listen to various stuff from Primus, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, Mudvayne, Deftones, Type O Negative, Frank Sinatra, The Cure, Fiona Apple, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Aaliyah, Cold, Sevendust, Republica, The Deadlights...

[bleen]

Originally posted by Phait:

1.

What are your thoughts on sampling sounds from films and other records? I remember reading an interview with Trent of Nine Inch Nails that they'd sampled sounds from over 3,000 films.. also he used some Prince beat for "Closer".. wouldn't I have to contact the film's production company for permission of sample(s)? Do you think sampling from films/music is a crutch?

In my formative, "industrial" years, I spent many an hour recording lines of dialogue and sfx from "The Outer Limits", "Twilight Zone", and every horror & sci-fi flick I could get my hands on. Many of the sounds I took got mangled beyond recognition and turned into a loop or pad that inspired what I was writing. I like to think it was "appropriating" rather than "stealing" - think dadaist art.

 

Originally posted by Phait:

2. What music do you forum members listen to and typically play?

Recent listening music: Goldfrapp, Laika, Sunny Day Real Estate, Ohgr, Autechre, BT, Bowie, Porcupine Tree, my own band (learning tunes for our upcoming CD)

[David R]

1. I think using samples, as long as they are not used to the point of forming the basis of the entire song (see: Vanilla Ice, Will Smith), can be artistically sound. I like what DJ P-Love does with certain records he scratches... which could be considered similar to sampling. That "broken glass" sample that was everywhere in the 80s was really annoying, though.

 

2. I play jazz and funk/jam music, primarily. Listening-wise, I'm all over the map. Short list: Jazz -- Miles, Herbie, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Chris Potter, Dave Holland, Brad Mehldau, Medeski Martin Wood, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, etc. etc.

Pop/Rock -- Bruce Hornsby, Phish, Stevie Wonder, Grateful Dead, Dr. John, Billy Joel, early Elton John, Joe Jackson, Led Zeppelin, instrumental Frank Zappa

Classical -- Beethoven, Bartok, Copland, Gottschalk, Barber's piano music

Other -- Tom Waits, Bela Fleck, some Bob Marley, various African and Latin music.

 

David

[Phait]

BTW - has anybody heard the band "Secret Secret" from San Fran? www.secret-secret.com - I must admit, I don't really like what I hear - but Rob, frontman, is my cousin ^_^

 

I e-mailed him/them re: Macs and synth advice too

[Stephen Fortner]

It surprises me that a certain comparison is not made more often: i.e. between sampling and the long-standing jazz tradition of quoting other melodies or well-known solos in one's own solos. Heck, even Santana quoted "My Favorite Things" in a solo. A lot of what I see hip-hop artists doing reminds me of this, and a lot of them have done it tastefully, such that I take it as an homage to James Brown, P-Funk, the Bar-Kays, etc, in the same way that a jazz player might pay homage to Coltrane, Parker, or Monk.

 

"My Favorite Things" is a good example, though, of the fact that when the recognizability of the whole tune hinges on the original melody, what you have is not a quote, but a full-on cover. Provided the copyright issues are worked out to the satisfaction of everyone affected, I've always thought that listeners, both casual and critical, should interpret, say "U Cant Touch This" as a cover of "Super Freak," albeit one with different lyrics and vocals.

 

Resemblance and intention are what it comes down to for me. Samplers are just a medium, and what medium is being used is a side issue. Good jazz players can quote the classics with great ease, and competent rock and pop session players can put their heads together and emulate anything they damn well please, right down to the sonics... just look at Weird Al's band. Arguably, this is no more difficult for these musicians than it is for a kid with Acid to rip, import, loop, and mix.

 

If something is processed or re-contextualized beyond recognition, then morally, you've paid your creative dues, and legally, it will likely fly under the radar anyway. If the highight of your tune is "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn," though, then don't be surprised if the ghost of Zanuck materializes over your bed demanding points.

 

BTW, speaking of Trent Reznor, I'd love to know how he got that bass line on "Closer." So much harmonic variation that follows the beat.. the logical step is to tie a filter cutoff and/or resonance to some control source like velocity or a pedal, but I haven't come close.

 

Second question? I listen to damn near everything, my favorite all-time artists including Steely Dan, Thomas Dolby, Earth Wind & FIre, Tower of Power, Tangerine Dream, Santana, BT, Gershwin, Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, and let's not forget Saint Frank (Zappa). Never sampled any of 'em, though sometimes, a brilliant lick or chord progression I'd come up with in the wee hours sounded too familiar by the light of the next day. *sigh*