{"id":209018,"date":"2018-07-01T18:29:09","date_gmt":"2018-07-01T16:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/?p=209018"},"modified":"2019-07-05T19:31:16","modified_gmt":"2019-07-05T17:31:16","slug":"a-brief-history-of-sampling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/learn\/a-brief-history-of-sampling\/","title":{"rendered":"A Brief History of Sampling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sampling:<\/span> Where did this art form originate? How did it develop and what events helped it become what it is today? Is sampling somebody else’s work an ethical practice? We will cover all of these points in the follow “mini history lesson” about the art of sampling in music…<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Jazzman’s Inside Joke (early 1900s)<\/b><\/h3>\n

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In the early 20th century<\/strong>, in New Orleans<\/strong> and beyond,\u00a0\u00a0jazz musicians<\/strong> often \u201csampled<\/strong>\u201d little bits of melodies, hooks, licks or progressions from their peers\u2019 compositions in their live performances. This was, of course, done out of respect <\/strong>and admiration<\/strong> for the composer as a sort of homage<\/strong>. This “borrowing” of bits of music became a popular practice and kind of an \u201cinside joke<\/strong>\u201d between the musicians. It was a “crowd-pleaser” and added more fun<\/strong> to live jazz events.<\/p>\n

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Musique Concr\u00e8te (1940s)<\/h3>\n

Led by French composer<\/strong> Pierre Schaeffer<\/strong><\/a>, this genre of music was more like sound art<\/strong>, or “a study of sound”, and used pre-recorded samples<\/strong> which were then manipulated (looped, pitch-shifted, sped-up or slowed-down, repurposed, etc). This was made possible and highly accessible by the invention of the tape recorder<\/strong>, which gave virtually anybody free rein to manipulate recorded sounds and use them as a means of expression. Needless to say, a very important step<\/strong> in the history of sampling. This mini documentary explains the genre of musique concr\u00e8te very well…<\/p>\n

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The Chamberlin (1949-56)<\/h3>\n

This instrument<\/strong>, invented and developed by Harry Chamberlin<\/strong>, was the precursor of the better-known Mellotron<\/strong>. It was an electro-mechanical keyboard which triggered tape-loops of many different pre-recorded instruments. There was a very limited amount of them made due to high production costs<\/strong>. These days they are rare\u00a0collectors’ items<\/strong> and worth a pretty penny. Watch this demo<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

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The Mellotron (1960-70s)<\/h3>\n

Bill Fransen<\/strong>, an investor, decided to take production of the Chamberlin<\/strong> to the next level by shipping two of them to the UK in 1962 where he made a deal with Bradmatic, Ltd. (later Streetly Electronics<\/strong>) to mass-produce them under a new name:\u00a0Mellotron<\/strong>. They started by manufacturing the Mark I Mellotron, a clone of the Chamberlin. This later evolved into the Mellotron M400\u00a0<\/strong>and in 2007 the M4000<\/strong>. A digital version called the M4000D<\/strong>, with digitised tape loops, is also available. You can find it in the\u00a0Thomann shop HERE<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

For an in-depth look at how the Mellotron M400<\/strong> works, check out this video:<\/p>\n

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Hip Hop (1970s & ’80s)<\/b><\/h3>\n

DJs from South-Bronx (NYC) <\/b>took a totally different approach when it came to sampling. They\u00a0would create their samples live with skilful vinyl manipulation<\/strong> instead of using actual isolated samples. This revolutionised the hip-hop style\u00a0<\/strong>and culture. Break beats<\/strong> were most commonly sampled and looped because they provided a momentous base for rapping<\/strong> and for dancing<\/strong>. This video<\/strong> highlights numerous sample based songs which sprouted from this revolutionary phenomenon in The Bronx…<\/p>\n

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First Studio Digital Samplers (1970 & ’80s)<\/h3>\n

In 1976<\/strong> the first monophonic\u00a0digital sampler, <\/strong>called the\u00a0Computer Music Melodian\u00a0<\/strong>was invented by Harry Mendel<\/strong>. It was soon purchased by the prolific Stevie Wonder<\/strong> and used on his 1979 album “Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants”. In 1979<\/strong> the\u00a0Fairlight CMI <\/strong><\/a>(short for Computer Musical Instrument<\/strong>), was invented\u00a0by Peter Fogel<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Kim Ryrie.\u00a0<\/strong>This machine was way ahead of its time because not only was it polyphonic <\/strong>but it was also a\u00a0digital synthesiser <\/strong><\/a>and a\u00a0digital audio workstation<\/a><\/strong> (DAW<\/strong>) built into one unit. It also featured a “touch screen<\/strong>” which was controlled with a light pen<\/strong>. It goes without saying that this machine blew people’s minds, was purchased by the biggest stars of the ’70s and ’80s (it was not affordable<\/strong> for the average musician), and was the dawn of that characteristic ’80s sound<\/strong> we all know.<\/p>\n\n\t\t