I know there are many different ways to compose music, but how many composers actually write songs using only sampling? Are there any among the members here? There may be some who make their music by sampling from old-fashioned records and sound sources, or who write songs using commercially available sample recordings. I don't know many such musicians, so if you know of any, please introduce them to me.

 

You really don't know what people do with their PCs at home. Today, everything is allowed and (almost) everything is possible.

From writing to copying, from creating your own samples to copying and pasting. And now and in the future, AI software is coming.
When you listen to a song today, you don't know what's real or how many people were involved unless you see the band live at a concert where they play their instruments.

The people who have studied music or learned to compose at university are very few compared to the world population and all music creators.

Education + intelligence + talent and of course a market or orchestra where they can offer their acquired knowledge and product.

Chris de Burgh - Say Goodbye To It All (Live) Real musicians ... here is the proof:

Lyrics: www.chris-de-burgh.co.uk/track/Say-Goodbye-To-It-All

 

Last edited: Feb 14, 2025

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing is probably the most influential album that uses samples only :

I also dig John Oswald's insanely psychedelic style called plunderphonics :

 

Kognitif Official - YouTube
Cookin Soul - YouTube

 

Yello ~ Touch, Behind The Scenes -- English Subtitles

 

I used to think less of sample-based music until I met a producer from New Jersey called Todd Edwards. Not only he 1) crafts new chord progressions and harmonies out of bare samples, he also 2) manages to maintain a consistent harmonic style and even 3) chops the lyrics to make them convey religious messages filled with love. He is a musician's musician's musician, deeply respected by all serious producers, composers and DJs, but no matter how much praise he gets, he'll always be an underrated treasure of our time. Here's a beautiful compilation showcasing some of his amazing breakdowns:

By the way, the above video's description is also worth a read! Light creates light.

One of my favourite parts in Todd Edwards' tracks is that wonderful moment when the bass and drums just drop out, leaving you alone for a moment with that beautiful patchwork of sound, colour and memory, the samples that make Todds style so unique. Whether its just the sheer weightlessness of these sections in contrast to the rest of the track, like watching a car leave the ground in slow-motion as it races over a rise in the road, or a simple fascination with such beautiful chords and voices beating treated in such a contrasting, mechanical way, these bits are always real moments of beauty and soul, in my eyes at least. Here, partly out of boredom, and partly out of sheer curiosity, I've collected together some of my favourite Todd breakdowns with some accompanying photographs, in the hope that youll understand me when I say Todds music is some of the most inspiring and beautiful around, as well as maybe giving you the chance to hear Todds music in a refreshing new light.​

 

Last edited: Feb 14, 2025

One of my favorite records is Maxinquaye by Tricky.

This is a very interesting read on the production of this album:

https://www.marksaunders.com/blog/2021/2/26/blog-010-tricky

"The floor was littered with vinyl - and I mean littered, it was hard not to tread on vinyl when walking around Tricky’s flat. In what seemed a pretty random choice, he picked up a couple of records and announced ‘I wanna sample one track from this one and one track from this one’. ‘Ok’ I said, and then there was a pause where I expected him to leap into action and show me what a wizard he was with all this gear. Tricky read my look though and, gesturing to all the gear, said with a laugh ’oh….I don’t know how any of this stuff works - the label thinks I do though! Ha ha ha, cackle cackle cackle’. I said ‘Oh…ok…’, realising right then that this was not exactly going to be purely an engineering gig."

 

Gotye...

First two albums, Boardface and Like Drawing Blood, are almost entirely samples, vocals, excepting of course.

Making Mirrors features more live instrumentation but still retains a lot of the sampling aesthetic.

De Backer put out a couple of short videos where he discussed "Making Making Mirrors" that are very interesting.

 

I've been thinking for a long time about trying to write a book using only lines out of other books.

 

Artist Christian Verdun did a piece like this called Paradox: is it a poem or a painting?

There's a big version on Wikipedia, and archive.org has stashed a zoomable Flash version (remember those?) that plays nice with Ruffle.

No surprise that a lot of samplists have taken inspiration from Burroughs and his cut-up technique, by the way.

 

Kind of sampling adjacent, got reminded today of "Raiding the 20th Century" which is a mixtape made out of tunes that sample and use other tunes, kind of meta really. Anyway it's a great piece of work that contains a lot of nods to historical experimental pieces as well ("I'm sitting in a room...")

https://www.ubu.com/sound/dj_food.html

Very highly recommended.

 

Akufen (DJ Marc Leclair) comes to mind.

 

Pretty much Tarantino's career.

 

1st DJ Shadow - He is known for his innovative sampling techniques and has made history with his album “Endtroducing.....”. made history.

2. The Avalanches - This Australian group is famous for their creative and complex sampling in their songs, especially on their debut album “Since I Left You”.

3. Girl Talk - He is a mashup artist who combines different songs and genres to create new music, using sampling exclusively.

4. Kanye West - While he also produces his own music, he often uses sampling in his beats and has created many successful songs with it.

 

I was thinking I could do the same, but plot twist: I would just use some of the words from those lines.
And then I would treat them with different fx. Like reverse or something.

 

Yeah, but that's the thing: All the other kids could have done the same and yet: There's only one Tarantino.

 

I always loved this quote of his: "When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, 'no, I went to films.'"

 

Crispin Glover did some interesting work, reclaimed old books and rearranging, adding embellishment to create novel works of art/literature. He's a unique being!