I'm on the last chapter of this book:
Schloss quotes from some very interesting interviews (which are largely the centrepiece of the book since it's really a study of the sample-based Hip Hop community around the US - from Seattle, New York and Oakland).
Some of the people he interviews:
Prince Paul
Steve Stein aka Steinski
Domino from The Hieroglyphics
DJ B-Mello
DJ Kool Akiem
DJ Topspin
Jake One
Mr. Supreme
King Otto
DJ Mixx Messiah
Negus I
Samson S
Specs
The Angel
Vitamin D
Strath Shepard
Phil "The Soulman" Stroman
Wordsayer
Kylea
I only recognised the first three. Any of the other names meaningful to anyone?
Some quotesThere's rules to this shit (from Chapter 5):
Joe [Schloss]: It's one of those things, that there seem to be... I don't know if "rules" is the right word...
Vitamin D: Yeah.
Joe: But there are certain things...
Vitamin D: They're rules! It's all following rules.
It says that Steinski (as in, Double D and Steinski's the "Lessons") is now over 52 years old - that's my dad's age, jo!
"Hip Hop is a culture of urban black youths" se VOET - one of the founding fathers is moes a 'middle aged white dude'!
Then again, maybe it started as far back as 1956:
Joe: If you weren't the first, you were one of the people that really popularized that idea of taking stuff...
Steinski: Oh, cut-and-paste shit? Yeah.
Joe: Were you the first person to really do that?
Steinski: I don't think so.
Joe: OK, I guess "Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" -
Steinski: Buchanan and Goodman. 1956. Did you ever hear the "Flying Saucer" records?
Joe: Oh, where they cut in - they ask the questions and they kinda...So you see that as an influence?
Steinski: Totally. More than an influence, it's a direct line. Yeah. Absolutely, man. Those guys had pop hits with taking popular songs, cutting it up, and putting it in this context. Totally. Yeah. Absolutely.
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This book gives an insight into what the DJ/producer community (that is, the legion of crate diggers keeping this shit going) is
actually like in America.
In my opinion, it is the best academic work on Hip-Hop to date (granted I've only read the few they have in the library at varsity and they're all about the socio-political issues and not about the forms themselves - that is, they're boring and too racialistic). This dude just kilt it.
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And now (because I'm bit more confident that I know what's potting with the trusty breaks) I would like to hazard a simple beat that I cooked up fairly recently. It's not exactly 'sampledelic' but it is all samples (except for maybe some 808 kicks to ba** up the drum hits) - a bit tongue-in-cheek on the last loop. I lifted a snare off a reggae record and did stuff to it and I think it sounds really nca but please tell me what you think, anyone!
Maybe it's not finished yet.
Your comments and criticisms would be much appreciated.
Hola Baf'wethu!
