A Brief History of Sampling

Sampling: 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…

Jazzman’s Inside Joke (early 1900s)

In the early 20th century, in New Orleans and beyond,  jazz musicians often “sampled” little bits of melodies, hooks, licks or progressions from their peers’ compositions in their live performances. This was, of course, done out of respect and admiration for the composer as a sort of homage. This “borrowing” of bits of music became a popular practice and kind of an “inside joke” between the musicians. It was a “crowd-pleaser” and added more fun to live jazz events.

Musique Concrète (1940s)

Led by French composer Pierre Schaeffer, this genre of music was more like sound art, or “a study of sound”, and used pre-recorded samples 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, 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 in the history of sampling. This mini documentary explains the genre of musique concrète very well…

The Chamberlin (1949-56)

This instrument, invented and developed by Harry Chamberlin, was the precursor of the better-known Mellotron. 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. These days they are rare collectors’ items and worth a pretty penny. Watch this demo:

The Mellotron (1960-70s)

Bill Fransen, an investor, decided to take production of the Chamberlin 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) to mass-produce them under a new name: Mellotron. They started by manufacturing the Mark I Mellotron, a clone of the Chamberlin. This later evolved into the Mellotron M400 and in 2007 the M4000. A digital version called the M4000D, with digitised tape loops, is also available. You can find it in the Thomann shop HERE.

For an in-depth look at how the Mellotron M400 works, check out this video:

Hip Hop (1970s & ’80s)

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

First Studio Digital Samplers (1970 & ’80s)

In 1976 the first monophonic digital sampler, called the Computer Music Melodian was invented by Harry Mendel. It was soon purchased by the prolific Stevie Wonder and used on his 1979 album “Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants”. In 1979 the Fairlight CMI (short for Computer Musical Instrument), was invented by Peter Fogel and Kim Ryrie. This machine was way ahead of its time because not only was it polyphonic but it was also a digital synthesiser and a digital audio workstation (DAW) built into one unit. It also featured a “touch screen” which was controlled with a light pen. 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 for the average musician), and was the dawn of that characteristic ’80s sound we all know.

Portable Digital Samplers (1980s to present)

Portable digital samplers started being invented in the 1980s and this (r)evolutionary step greatly increased the accessibility of sampling. What once required specialised skilful hands or heavy machinery was now available in the form of a (relatively affordable) compact box sometimes attached to a keyboard controller. This caused a boom in the production of electronic and sample-based music worldwide, extending far beyond its origins in The Bronx. The Akai MPC series samplers (especially the MPC60) and the E-MU SP-1200 played a major role in the production of countless hip hop records, allowing musicians and producers to create full songs without a studio. One of the first professional-grade digital samplers was the Akai S-900. Here is the original (and hilarious) VHS video of the S-900’s user’s manual:

Copyright Infringement?

A lot of copyright debates and lawsuits spawned from the explosion of sampling in the 1980s and 90s. One of the most famous of these cases was regarding The Verve‘s Bittersweet Symphony in which they sampled an orchestra melody line from the Rolling Stones song The Last Time. The sample was not even from the studio version of this song but rather from an obscure orchestral reinterpretation of the song composed by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra. The story gets even messier when we listen to the song that inspired The Last Time, a traditional song This May Be The Last Time which The Staple Singers recorded 8 years prior. They were never even mentioned in the credits and didn’t receive a penny in royalties. In the end the Rolling Stones’ publisher Allen Klein fought to get The Stones 100% in royalties, and The Verve got nothing for their work of art. The full story is explained in this video…

Sampling Today & Beyond

We have come a long way in the world of sampling. Some may argue that today’s DJs are less skilled with their hands when it comes to sampling, looping and modifying sounds in the live setting. Technology has definitely made the processes a bit easier but has also raised the bar much higher when it comes to creativity and innovation. The possibilities are endless and evolving while the popularity of sampling constantly increases: the majority of commercially successful pop songs today contain samples (with the rights bought for hefty amounts of money).

The samplers of today can be connected and/or controlled with laptops and smartphones (some are strictly software/DAW based) and will continue to take sample-based music to unconceivable places. How exciting!!

We hope you enjoyed this mini history lesson. Please write us what you know about the world of sampling in the comments below or on the Facebook post. We’re sure we missed many facts about this complex and ever-evolving movement in music. We’d love to read what you know!

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Joe has been singing since he can remember and started playing guitar when he was 10. He's been using it as a songwriting tool ever since. He is passionate about melody and harmony and admires musicians who create these in unique ways. Check out his alternative / indie projects Best of Feelings and Zef Raček.

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