When it comes to sampling, it tends to be hard to differentiate truths from misconceptions, so we've debunked the biggest myths.
By Tracklib
Nora Orlandi's Italian film music inspired Quentin Tarantino in 'Kill Bill' and was later flipped by The Neptunes on The Clipse's 'Hell Hath No Fury.' In 1970, she released 'Sfere Luminose' together with jazz drummer Franco Tonani.
By Danny Veekens
The spirit of Black Fire is still burning. Up to this day, producers including J Dilla, Diamond D, Madlib, and J. Cole all sampled Black Fire's music, which is a testament to the longevity of their spiritual jazz, funk, and Afrocentric grooves. That timelessness is also evident through the contagious enthusiasm James "Plunky" Branch evokes in this interview with Tracklib.
With hits like "Murder She Wrote," "Tease Me," and "Bam Bam," Jamaican singer Pliers is one of the most celebrated reggae/dancehall singers of the mid-80s to early 90s. His smooth, high voice was sampled for music by Kanye West, Beyoncé, and 50 Cent, who all loved his infectious dancehall.
"Savages" by AllttA—produced with a Tracklib sample—opened up a conversation about the ethics of using generative AI in music. Producers including Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, Lord Finesse, and Young Guru all weighed in. But what do these rapid-paced, groundbreaking developments hold for the future? And can you actually legally use or sample AI-generated voices?
Myths about sampling are as old as the art of sampling itself. Especially in today's ever-changing music industry, it tends to be hard to differentiate facts from fiction, and truth from misconceptions. Let's debunk the biggest, oldest, and silliest myths and misinterpretations about sampling commercially released music once and for all.
Spanning four-plus decades, the catalog of keyboardist and composer Don Grusin is nothing short of iconic. He has worked with Gilberto Gil, Joe Pass, Zoot Sims, Leon Ware, Patti Austin, Sergio Mendes, and his brother Dave Grusin, among countless others. He’s also a founding member of jazz fusion outfit Friendship—the band behind a bassline etched in our collective memory…
This month featuring Dave East placement competition winner Westtopher, Justin Caruso, Kiinjo & Oliver, and Yeat produced by BNYX & beautifulmvn.
Producer and multi-instrumentalist Gianni Brezzo impressed us with his jazz opus 'The Awakening' two years ago. Now, he brings more music to Tracklib with all multitracks for 'Soundscapes Vol. 1,' a sonic exploration of jazz, flute melodies, thematic moods, his 12-string guitar, baroque textures—and, metal?
These videos show Daft Punk's sampling techniques with records by Eddie Johns, The Alan Parsons Project, Sister Sledge, Electric Light Orchestra, and more.
The days of hidden samples are over. Using Google Assistant's song recognition, a community of sample hunters is discovering samples that were unknown for decades. 20-plus-year-old samples by Daft Punk, Mobb Deep, Nujabes, and Madlib, among others, were found this way for the very first time.
Tracklib's Sample Breakdown series celebrates the art of sampling in music. The videos dissect hip-hop classics and the biggest hits, and visualize the sampling techniques behind them. This way, you can learn how to sample songs like iconic producers.
With hundreds of millions of streams, the viral breakthrough hit "Ginseng Strip 2002" by Swedish rapper Yung Lean was hard to miss. But the short loop producer Yung Gud sampled, was full of mystery upon its release. Watch Tracklib’s Sample Breakdown and read the story to get down to the nitty-gritty of the Asian sample on the cloud rap anthem "Ginseng Strip 2002."
1971's 'Chequered!' by rock 'n roll singer and 'The Twist' icon Chubby Checker is a psychedelic record heavily influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton’s Cream and Joe Cocker, rooted in gritty rock and rhythm-and-blues.
With a catalog spanning three-plus decades, Swedish record label Subliminal Sounds is sitting on a goldmine. Founder Stéfan Kery highlights three artists who create mind-bending psychedelic music with influences ranging from jazz to exotica.