IDM Mailing Archive

quoted 1 line amen break on a drum machine? i'll have to remember that one

> amen break on a drum machine? i'll have to remember that one

hmmm i agree with that, BUT.....drum machines at high BPM sound awesome if you have enough patience to program something complex and lengthy..... isn't anyone SICK to the back teeth of this break yet?? it's gonna end up as bad as the dreaded "wooh! yeah!" and "funky drummer" break..there are more good loops out there...No U turn tried something a little different with their rock esque break with loadsa cymbal bizness but only panacea so far has had a stab at playing about with it... np-the buzz of my sampler overheating thru a phaser ;) brian F

quoted 1 line isn't anyone SICK to the back teeth of this break yet??

>isn't anyone SICK to the back teeth of this break yet??

no way. drum'n'bass has finally progressed to a point where producers are realizing the full potential of amen. the more experimental tech steppers are really pushing the amen break to the limit instead of mindlessly looping it and chopping it into simple eighths. i was really surprised to hear the lacklustre amen noodling performed by MBM and NIN for the perfect drug remixes. it seems to me that if one is stuck in a track that's going nowhere, you can just break out the amen as a backup. i was working on a track for six straight months that was going absolutely nowhere. out of curiousity, i fiddled with the amen break just to finish it. it totally killed the song, but at least i got it out of the way :) speaking of breaks, i'm real surprised that the same 12 or so breaks are still being used by producers. there's so much good, unused shit laying around in old jazz records that sounds manic when pitched to 165 or so. i've got a bank of a hundred or so - and i'm not even a serious musician by any means! surf rock breaks are the best cuz most of them are at jungle speed to begin with! and geordan drummond and i have both thought separately about sampling high school marching band drum lines. i attempted it once and it sounded terrible. here's to hoping that wishmountain produces a jungle record. grant.

How about the remix of "Tighten Up" on YMO Hi-Tech/No Crime? Sounds vaguely marching-band-esque at times. BTW -- great CD! -- Chris

On Sat, 5 Jul 1997, H James Harkins wrote:

quoted 14 lines On Fri, 4 Jul 1997, grant horne wrote:

> On Fri, 4 Jul 1997, grant horne wrote: > > > and geordan drummond and i have both thought > > separately about sampling high school marching band drum lines. i attempted > > it once and it sounded terrible. > > Is it because they were bad players, because you couldn't get a clean > sample (free of audience noise), or because the timbres of the drums > didn't work? The last 2 of these problems would be pretty much > insurmountable, I think, but in the case of the first, have you thought > of the Concord Blue Devils? Eight (or is it ten, can't remember) snare > drummers playing a roll so precisely synchronized you can hear every > individual stroke... there must be a use for that sound somewhere! >

You can often find High School and College Drum and Bugle corps records at the Goodwill in the 50 cent bin -- or I guarantee most college music libraries have a few of these. A little searching can turn up immaculately recorded marching brand breaks on CD. I heard from someone who was trying to write drum and bass breaks for marching bands to play. The drummers can handle it, but I imagine that the rest of the band's ludicrous lack of swing would get in the way of a really convincing job. Though I would so treasure the thought of Goldie directing a college marching band in a stirring rendition of "Inner City Life" --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Psyche manifests as psychic through something we call 'winding', because it twists, and puts things that were far apart next to each other, complicatedly, taffywise." -- winona on channel 78 Kent Williams kent@inav.net -- http://soli.inav.net/~kent

At 20:59 02/07/97 -0400, you wrote:

quoted 5 lines Breakbeat - 1) a beat used in the break of a traditional instrumental song,

>Breakbeat - 1) a beat used in the break of a traditional instrumental song, >often a drum solo. 2) a type of music constructed of beats sampled from the >breaks of traditional instrumental songs 3) A type of music electronically >constructed of beat patterns which are structured similarly to the drum >patterns in the breaks of traditional instrumental songs.

and of course a 'break', as everyone knows, is simply a sampled hook - doesn't necessarily have to be a drumbeat..

quoted 1 line I really appreciate everyone's introducing me to the famous "amen" break.

>I really appreciate everyone's introducing me to the famous "amen" break.

And

quoted 1 line thanks for all the URL's! It is intensely familiar and I'm sure it will

>thanks for all the URL's! It is intensely familiar and I'm sure it will

haunt

quoted 1 line me every time I hear it used in some jungle song. Although, to be honest,

>me every time I hear it used in some jungle song. Although, to be honest,

many

quoted 1 line of the times people say (usually derisively) that it is used as a sample

>of the times people say (usually derisively) that it is used as a sample

in a

quoted 2 lines certain song I don't think it really is. The amen break, although pretty

>certain song I don't think it really is. The amen break, although pretty >impressive, is something almost any decent drummer or drum-machine

programmer

quoted 1 line could do in their sleep.

>could do in their sleep.

i look forward to your new breaks compilation then.. amen isn't used because of the rhythm, it's used because of the amazing production of the drum sound - try getting the *sound* and you'll be tearing your hair out.. amen break on a drum machine? i'll have to remember that one <chortle> cheerio! np - spymania allstars