Pitch, Please!: Music sampling never ends
One of my favorite songs right now is Azealia Banks’ “Esta Noche.” I noticed that there was a familiar sample in the song though. Munchi, the producer of “Esta Noche” sampled Montell Jordan’s “Get It On Tonite.”
When I looked at the song information for that, I noticed that the producer for that song also sampled another song, Claudja Barry’s 1976 single “Love for the Sake of Love.” Can you say “Inception?” Music sampling isn’t new or innovative, but this was the first time where I have encountered a song having four samples. I wonder who is paying all those royalty fees?
The thing about sampling is that you can take something old and make something fresh from it. Kanye West proved that over and over again with his first three albums and Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint.” One thing that really bothers me is recycled beats. I hate when producers reuse a rift or drum pattern in one of their songs for an artist and claim it’s fresh when I clearly heard that a half an hour ago on Z104.3 with some other’s persons vocals.
One of the biggest culprits of this is Dr. Luke. Dr. Luke has produced a lot of great tracks that have went to the top ten of the charts and breathed new life into Taylor Swift’s discography. The signature thing that he is known for is utilizing guitar riffs. I never really paid much attention to it until I heard Jessie J’s “Domino” for the first time.
Aside from the distinctive vocals, it sounded oddly familiar. I pulled up “Last Friday Night” by Katy Perry and behold! The guitar in “Domino,” Jessie J, is just a slightly altered version of “Last Friday Night.” I identified this again recently. Luke produced Flo Rida’s “Good Feeling” (which goes through the multiple sampling thing too) and Ke$ha’s “Die Young.”
It should be a crime for him to make these songs sound so similar. I listened to a mash-up of both of the songs on YouTube and it amazed me how he was able to pass this off as something new.
As an artist, I feel like you should feel offended when a producer throws together a beat based on someone else’s hit. The lack of anything originality in the industry, I tell you.
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I wrote a column about samples last year, too. Except I informed readers as to what a sample was, how payment is reimbursed, and examples of songs they actually know and can relate the concept to. You talk about sampled songs that you hate and just complain about it in general. The audience you write for is extremely limited and I fail to notice the value in this.
Dear author,
Music is a form of therapy to most of us; something we relate to, something that guides us, something that makes sense of the things that seem to betray us, or simply something that cures a shitty day at the office. Your columns about music don’t reiterate that for me. They’re negative. They force your strong, derogatory views down the throat of your reader and leave a nasty taste in his or her mouth. In fact. I won’t call you a music writer, or a music columnist. I will call you a music critic as that is all you seem to do. I read because it is an escape. I listen to music, lyrics, and melody because I want to escape from the stresses of everyday life. It makes me feel free, and releases an inner calm. If I wanted to feel beaten down on my way to school, work or wherever, I’d visit an abandoned dog shelter!
Original music is always best. Too much of today’s current music is only a sample of the past work. More artists should do original work and expand the horizons of our culture.
Kris, your inability to take criticism (coupled with a poorly written article) makes me think that journalism might not be for you. If you didn’t care what they thought and have better things to do, why even bother commenting and rebutting like a child might?
Alum,
I do have the right to comment on the material that i write. I didn’t even respond disrespectfully or childlike as you claimed. And there’s a difference between giving criticism and bashing the subject matter that I chose to write about. Also, I happen to be a sociology major.
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