Imagine that

This is what happens when you have strong Imagination.



There. That's it if you didn't get it.

track's info
CSLSX - Keep on shining
2011

(sample) Imagination - So good so right
Body Talk
R&B Records 1981

Talking back to the night

I truly have no words for this one.



If a dream could be translated into sound, it would sound like this.

There's also a dub mix available, but it doesn't stack up against the original one. 
Oh, and there's your sample. 

track's info:
Otherlover-Backchat (original mix)
Razor-N-Tape 2015

Funk yeah!

In 1975, this is what was happening on "The other side of the moon".

Funky bass, groovy beats, playful guitar, all pointing the rhythm to an atmospheric, jazzy piano tune that could make you press "repeat" an infinite amount of times, enough to make you start wondering about your sanity.

This very tune was a hit sample for rap and hip hop later on, givin' Chubb Rock something to work upon in the '90s (maybe this will help), as well as the Boogie Down Productions (this will certainly help) and Jermaine Dupri (there's no way this won't help).

The original version, however, comes from the Miracles back in 1974 with Billy Griffin in the leading vocals (listen here). Also amazing, but it's missing one important thing: the piano.

All these raise once again one very crucial question: how bad do the '70s rule, man?

track's info:
Redd Holt Unlimited - Do it baby
The Other Side of the Moon
Paula Records 1975

Dumb, dumber and the dumbest

Heard this on the radio the other day, as I was daydreaming on a bus.

After I got over the shock that I had totally hidden Stevie Nicks somewhere in my long-term memory for years, the radio producer started replying to messages sent by his dumber-than-a-box-of-hair audience that it isn't Stevie Nicks who "stole this" from Beyoncé, but the other way round. This having to be clarified caused an instant and perpetual facepalm situation, till I got off the bus.

I don't live in the Beyoncé-Lady Gaga world, so I had to check out which Beyoncé track they were talking about and it was Bootylicious by Destiny's Child (as you can see, Destiny's Child is all about Beyoncé for these douchebags) and they were talking about the guitar riff that appears throughout the song.

Although it's comforting that dummies of this kind could actually isolate this riff from the whole song (for some reason I believe that those who don't have a special relationship with music, they listen to a song as a whole and can't tell one sound from another) and pair it with a song they've heard before, it's frustrating to hear that some people listened to the "Edge of seventeen" and the sound of this song made them believe that it's a track that came after Beyoncé and could actually be inspired by her music.

I mean come on, people. Really?

track's info:
-Stevie Nicks - Edge of seventeen
Bella Donna
Modern Records 1981

Unforgettable revival

There's an amazing thing goin' on with today's track. It combines a doo-wop feeling of the '50s, with contemporary hip-hop beats and some french touch with high-pitched vocals. And the best part? It doesn't sound weird. At all.



Racyne here, sampled Nat King Cole's Unforgettable and seems that can make today's youngsters move with a little bit of undercover '50s feeling.

Check out Racyne's page with sounds from nu-disco to deep house and hip-hop and see for yourself.

Merci beaucoup, Racyne!

tracks' info:
-Racyne - Unforgettable
2014

-Nat King Cole - Unforgettable
Unforgettable
Capitol 1952

*version with Natalie Cole 
Unforgettable with love
Elektra 1991
 

Bipolar

For the sake of this post, let's assume that the french-touched remixes and the original sample-spreading tracks are categories of people.

Sample: decent, cute, clean-cut, tidy, affectionate person with whom you want to cuddle, whisper love words, hold hands, smooch, tease, look straight in the eye and possibly cause nausea to those who don't get it.

French-touched: dirty, sick bastard who brings out your hot-blooded self, from whom you can't keep your hands off, whose passion could load you for more than a lifetime and possibly cause nausea to those who don't get it.

Lovin' both categories equally. *shrug*

tracks info:
-Gayle Adams - Your love is a life saver
Gayle Adams
Prelude Records 1980

-Phantom's Revenge - Charlie
Charlie EP
I dischi della valigetta 2010

Groovin' backwards

If you loved this one

and this one

and this one

then you must adore this one

The beat is working after all...

tracks' info: 
-DJ Tonka - Feel
Force Inc. US 1995

-Fafa Monteco - To the rhythm
Cockatoo Club
Black Jack 1999

-Euro Funk - Everybody's dancing
Eargasm 1981

-Jimmy Ross - First true love affair
First true love affair
Full Time Records 1981

Back to the future

What does Evelyn King have to do with Alexandre Louvré and Pleasurelove? I don't know if these guys were still peeing their pants or were adults when she released "I'm in love" in the early '80s, but I do know that they respectfully turned it into a contemporary sound and brought it back to our ears from their point of view.

 

This is the source of inspiration. Synth sounds, disco beat and Evelyn's voice were enough to make this a hit in 3 different charts in the US - but who cares about the charts anyway? Good thing producer Theodore T. Life heard her voice as she was cleaning the office in Philadelphia International Records and gave her a chance. Otherwise, this would be a blank page.

About 30 years later, this producer from Tijuana (and one of my favorite fresh producers) gave this track the kiss of life and made some of those who loved it back then, smile with nostalgia.

And then this came along. Pleasurelove finished the business and everyone lived happily ever after.

tracks' info:
-Evelyn King - I'm in love
I'm in love
RCA 1981 

-Alexandre Louvré - Talking about you
2011

-Alexandre Louvré - Talking about you (Pleasurelove remix)
2011

For the all-nighters

Isn't it nice when all the others are sleeping, when the lights are off for everyone else, to be the one that gives the night another sense and meaning, other than that of snoring? To listen to your music in absolute peace, to share words or melodies with people you love, to share yourself, to live your dreams instead of dreaming them for a couple of minutes with your eyes closed -or to bang your mate like there's no tomorrow? I think it is. And these two seem to share this point of view. Well, what do you know...



This may remind you of something, as it uses the sample we've seen before in the "Sample it to death" post. This is the Yazid Le Voyageur take on the Aurra - You and me tonight track and can be found in the L.A. Girls compilation - or you can download it for free in the cloud above.


Ks French was a random discovery a couple of months ago. One of the edits that caught my ears by surprise was this one, inspired from the Mary Jane Girls - All night long. Perfect for a night ride - and with a free download available as well.

Summer night's breeze is a terrible thing to waste. Don't do it.

tracks' info:
-All night long (Yazid Le Voyageur edit)
2013

-All night (Ks French'75 edit)
2013

original tracks:
-Aurra - You & me tonight
10 Records 1986

-Mary Jane Girls - All night long
Mary Jane Girls
Motown 1983

The Prodigy experience

photo by John Ryan

About 100 years ago (May 27, 1995), I attended my first concert ever. I was so excited that I was gonna see Prodigy live, that it didn’t matter to me that I had exams the next day, early in the morning. Contrary to my teachers’ advice to sleep early, eat light, get some rest and avoid tension and excitement, I decided to go to the concert and live one of the most intense nights of my life till then, sleep only for 5 hours and have a bomb-dinner with full-extra suvlaki and fries. The concert may have never been completed because of the rocks thrown on stage by people outside the theatre (just as the band began performing the hit of the time "No good (start the dance)" and everybody was in delirium), but I sure had the time of my life and managed to excel the next day in my exams.

I was thinking about that night recently and I realized it's been exactly 18 years since that day. Although I won't often select Prodigy in my playlist nowadays, I decided to pay a tribute to the band, with my favorite tracks and the samples they used. It doesn’t matter that we may be older now and that we’d rarely choose to listen to Prodigy instead of a sunny nu-disco tune. We’ll always love every piece that made us who we are today and it’s also a good chance to listen to sounds that inspired one of the greatest bands in the history of… rave (If you ‘ve used and experienced this word more than once in your life, join the club of the proud old-timers).

"Wind it up" is one of my favorites (My God, I can't believe how rave I used to be...). It samples Don Carlos & Anthony Johnson - Equal Rights. A roots reggae track that was released 7 years earlier.

The guitar riff from "Voodoo people" comes from Nirvana - Very Ape, although it is said that the Prodigy actually played the riff instead of sampling it. In this track (and in many others) they sample at least 5 tracks - you can see the whole process here worked in Ableton by the Ukranian Dj and producer Jim Pavloff.

The track that was interrupted by the stones thrown at the people and the band during the concert, "No good (start the dance)" -and that made Prodigy known to even our grandmothers- sampled Kelly Charles - You 're no good for me. Prodigy are weird, aren't they? I mean I love the song, but I can't quite picture Liam Howlett being inspired by it.

They sure had a thing for reggae music. "Out of space", one of their also well-known tracks, samples the Max Romeo - Chase the devil track, which was released in 1976, but became widely known after Prodigy sampled it.

If you remember "Fire" with the futuristic clip that brings the "Terminator" back in mind, then maybe you 'll know that the source of inspiration of this track is the homonymous psychedelic rock track of Arthur Brown which was released in 1968.

The adorable line "Charly says always tell your mummy before you go off somewhere" from a 1973 animated cartoon series appears in the "Charly" track (Charley also says "never go anywhere with men or ladies you don't know" but who listens to Charley?). You can even hear the cat meow, but Prodigy apparently got sued for this.

Among my favorite tracks is also "3 kilos" which samples Bernard Purdie's "Good livin' (good lovin')", while another track from the same artist is also sampled in "Poison", which uses the drumbeat from "Heavy soul slinger" and also from the Winston's legendary "Amen Brother" (if you don't know about the "Amen break" you really should).

Last but not least, I'm quite fond of the "Mindfields" track from the "Fat of the land" album, which samples the tune at 0:48 from "Hip's Trip" and the John Barry Orchestra (ost "The man with the golden gun").

To sum up, these dudes (Howlett especially) took samples from funk, soul, reggae, psychedelic rock, cartoon tv series and James Bond soundtracks. Time for our wtf? face.

tracks' info:
Prodigy
-Wind it up (The Prodigy Experience 1992)
-Voodoo people (Music for the jilted generation 1994)
-No good (start the dance) (Music for the jilted generation 1994)
-Out of space (The Prodigy experience 1992)
-Fire (The prodigy experience 1992)
-Charly (The prodigy experience 1992)
-3 kilos (Music for the jilted generation 1994)
-Poison (Music for the jilted generation 1994)
-Mindfields (The Fat of the Land 1997)
 XL Recordings 

others
-Don Carlos & Anthony Johnson - Equal rights
Rasta Brothers
Dancefloor 1985

-Nirvana - Very Ape
In Utero
Geffen Records 1993

-Kelly Charles -You're no good for me 
London Records 1987

-Max Romeo & the Upsetters - Chase the devil 
War ina Babylon
Black Ark Studios 1976

-Arthur Brown - Fire 
The crazy world of Arthur Brown 
Track Record 1968

-Bernard Purdie - Good livin' (good lovin')
Soul is... pretty Purdie
Philips 1972

-Bernard Purdie - Heavy soul slinger
Soul is... pretty Purdie
Philips 1972

-The Winstons - Amen Brother
Color him father
Metromedia Records 1969

-John Barry Orchestra - Hip's Trip
The man with the golden gun ost
EMI 1974

Sample it to death

If you have a bang-up base material, your chances to fail in your way of using it are about 30%, while the other 70% promises some kind of success. It is possible, though, that your base material is still corking good and you manage not only to stick to the 70%, but also to use it in a way that your outcome can send you to hell and back. Three times.

I have an example of a situation like that. Let's take it from my beginning.

DJ EQ - Come on girl
I first listened to this track about 3 years ago in the Groove Delivery Sessions of Agent Stereo. Frenchy and all. I spent the whole summer of 2010 with it in my playlist and it kept coming back to me, until I found some other versions that step-by-step led me to the root. Listen to it here.

The Glue - Real good lovin'
I fell in love with the intro when I listened to it back in 2011. Had a more contemporary sound, slower tempo and the main synth melody immediately brought me back to mind the DJ EQ track. Listen to it here.

DeeJMD - Midnight cruise
Sounds more like DJ EQ's version with the french house feeling giving me the goosebumps all over again. This sucker reached my headphones towards the end of 2012, as I was searching soundcloud's shit. Listen to it here (with a free download).

And then it occured to me: who are all these people sampling?

Dope base material or what?

tracks' info:
-DJ EQ - Come on girl
Exquise Records 2009

-The Glue - Real good lovin'
I love you... but I've chosen disco EP
Kolour LTD 2011

-DeeJMD - Midnight cruise
Midnight cruise EP
Disco Motion Records 2012

-Aurra - You & me tonight
10 Records 1986