The History Of The Amen break | Mixmag Originals

Watch our brief history of one of the most sampled breaks of all time. An essential part of Jungle's history.

[@Mixmag]

Read our article about our favourite amen breaks here: mixmag.net/feature/the-20-best-tracks-that-sample-the-amen-break

[@thethoughtmaster]

Thanks for letting the people know. Of course the original DRUM & BASS tune that was named drum and bass was made in 1988 and was not influenced by the amen break, it was influenced by an earlier style of JAZZ called STEP MUSIC. You youngsters would not know that. The first DRUM & BASS tune was made by a white man in 1988 who asked a black DJ to promote the style in 1990 because most white people did not like the style at that time. It was 2 years after that time in 1990 that the AMEN style started to become popular to white people and did not keep going for long because HARDCORE as it was called was too hard and fast to be popular to all music lovers. Then in 1994 DRUM & BASS was truly in the mainstream and if you know your DRUM & BASS tracks there were many tracks associated with STEP and called STEP and STEP music reached it's peak in 1998. Some might say that JAZZ STEP killed off jazz radio because it was so good that when it was no longer the mainstream style' people expected more and lost interest in the other styles of jazz. Roni Size made crossovers with JAZZ STEP influencing DRUM & BASS with the track BROWN PAPER BAG that relates to the 1950's when people said that JAZZ was embarrassing and people should put a brown paper bag over their head in public to hide their faces. THE AMEN tracks originate from STEP JAZZ that is a 2 BEAT LICK that originates from the late 1950's. That is what inspired that style and all the other step styles. You can hear the similarities. NOW YOU KNOW SOME REAL ORIGINS. Youngsters.

[@myriaddsystems]

Is that Richard James (Aphex Twin) pictured on the left at 4:34?

[@jaseboon6282]

Please dedicate a vid to Stakkers - Humanoid 1988

[@marcuswalters8093]

This story has the saddest damn ending ever. The man who created the amen break died homeless and penniless. That's messed up.

[@Cloudkusanagui]

man did I choke up when that part of the video came. First image of him smiling when they pin the creation of the break to him and I was like "wow, thank you, hope you lived to see all that"... then, less than 5 minutes later there I was speechless to the fact he died homeless and had no footage or register of him talking about it or anything.

[@Marquis-Sade]

@@Cloudkusanagui Sadly he lived to see al that...he saw how many people lived off of his invention! :(

[@kengetkamulos]

Yeah a lot of top artists were dead poor. Van Gogh included.

[@ernestoescobar1967]

Another unappreciated artist

[@cottonfoo]

@@Marquis-Sade Too right. Where did it all go wrong? He should have been a billionaire.

[@BugattiFan301]

“More than 2000 times” my ass. It’s in the MILLIONS if you include little known and not on label/ amateur producers’ songs. I have five songs just on my channel I produced that feature the amen heavily.And there has to be at least 10,000 jungle songs that have it. You really can’t underestimate this break’s importance in the development of drum’n’bass.

[@Djfmdotcom]

Facts

[@gozutheDJ]

she said 'more than 2000' so shes technicaly right

[@richardspillers6282]

I mostly produce metal and industrial and we use the fuck out of it.

[@bsdrevr]

not just dnb, but it’s offshoots like breakcore which wouldn’t exist without the amen break

[@Apeirogon]

For officially released tracks, I’m not sure I would say millions, but definitely more than 2000. Whosampled lists 6312 tracks (as of nov 8 2023) tracks that use amen break. Keep in mind this only includes officially released tracks and not KZbin creators making their own unofficial songs and stuff like that

[@krasky]

The amen break is the „Wilhelm scream“ of music.

[@bellsoflagunabend6668]

Not as cringe or cliche but yeah

[@Richie33404]

Or that one squeaky gate noise that everyone uses

[@pittviper2243]

ty i was thinking the same damn thing lol

[@Leon-Noir]

The guy should be remembered as a true legend of music. Possibly one of the greatest influences in music ever. One sample changed the world. Just mindblowing.

[@timetravelingjukebox]

Yes! I can't believe I just learned about it today. He is a legend and should be recognized and remembered as one of the greats! And more artists who have had their work sampled and not been acknowledged deserves to now! It's time to teach everyone about the past amazing geniuses who have laid the groundwork for music today!

[@jpeter3508]

An absolutely amazing sample. It's just telling of the times that we live in that Gregory Coleman died in 2006 when he was homeless! His music is responsible for the explosion of electronic music, such a shame he died on the streets without his legacy being acknowledged.

[@herbsmanherbs]

@@jpeter3508 that is such a terrible shame. I'd love to be able to pay my respects somehow.

[@herbsmanherbs]

Good to see the GoFundMe for the Winstons

[@masterhaterbater5927]

Nah, not really. When my brother first started learning drums as a kid, he came to this beat on his own, and I'm sure that's the same for many.

[@adamedmundson3496]

Man I bet when he laid that beat down he had absolutely no idea that it would reverberate through the rest of time, moving so many rooms of people over the years. Iconic.

[@Breakbeats92.5]

I was a hip hop/jazz/r&b guy growing up, and oddly enough, I moved in with my cousin somewhere in the 2000's. The only thing he listened to, from the time he woke up, until he went to sleep was drum and bass and jungle. It wasn't really my style but over time I noticed that the bpm's of the beats I made started to increase lol!

[@nya4198]

i love that

[@drew-g]

I'm laughing out loud at this and realize I do the same thing as your cousin 😂

[@mzkiki3439]

Broke my heart he died penniless. That talent that skill pioneered so many underground sounds that made millions for them😥 why was this never brought to light years before he died. Legends ❤

[@georgebaggy]

Pretty sure he was a heroin addict

[@pau4899]

@@georgebaggy does that mean he doesnt deserve to earn from his art???? stupid argument and you should be ashamed to categorize people like that, if it is even true!

[@georgebaggy]

www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32087287 It's true. He drove his family's finances into the ground and they separated from him. As the cousin of a heroin overdose victim I know how it all goes down. Many of them are beyond help because they refuse to help themselves. The guy didn't die homeless because others sampled his beat (which he wasn't even the copyright holder for). He died homeless because he made asinine life choices that led even his own family to abandon him on the streets.

[@wobbler6372]

I was one of the original 2000 who donate. They pulled it at 25k . He should had got about 500k .

[@weabooheaboo1198]

@@georgebaggy Thanks for the source you have another one on the Details of Coleman? I didn't see that info on the article other than his death of Heroin addiction and homelessness at 2006

[@karabinjr]

"the birth of sampling was born"

[@darthcheeseburger]

The amen break is the true GOAT of drum breaks. I can listen to oldschool jungle for hours and hours and still somehow never get bored of hearing it. It's fucking perfect.

[@wc6442]

Unfortunately, this is the story of America, so many contributions, unknown, unrecognized and uncompensated. At least, he and his band are being acknowledged now, so much and many never do.

[@Joshonthenet]

Yeah. Wait till you find out about colonization 🎉

[@ADreamingTraveler]

There's even examples of the amen break in video games like bomberman hero in 1998. it has a very dnb influenced soundtrack while working with the limitations of the console it was made for. that was probably the first time i ever heard the amen break sampled lol

[@6fejmk]

ok

[@famousfriend2472]

"the birth of sampling was born", damn

[@Richie33404]

The first time in history that a birth was birthed

[@dacoup5955]

Let me tell you as a huge DNB fanatic that drum break has been sampled a shit ton more than just 2000 times, i just copped some new tunes from Hoax and Makoto that had it blaring none stop, every time i hear the amen break a smile comes on my face and my head gets bobbing, i can't stop the beat from moving my feet ... its just a banger of a break and it never gets old, 172 is the sweet spot imo. All hail the amen break!!

[@Male_Parent]

It's been sampled not enough times. By that I mean it's been sampled a metric crap ton but it never gets old. Love me some D&B, Breakcore, and Jungle. It's the same thing as the lick, never gets old.

[@Richie33404]

Squarepusher does amazing things with it

[@s3nsec0rruptr80]

Learning such an influential person in music died homeless... it's shaking my world

[@phoenixmastrogiovanni157]

welcome to the real world I guess

[@AsydTrip]

This video just changed my life. I didn’t know this until now. Yet I’m someone who’s listened to and been a huge fan of this break my whole entire life (I’m 33)

[@clover4925]

Its crazy that the creators of the most sampled piece of music in history, barely got the recognition they deserved

[@davidaroberts3175]

I've had the pleasure of working with Rodney Mills who recorded the original Amen Break by the Winstons. He's actually worked with bands who sampled it without even knowing he was the one who recorded the original.

[@DJPastaYaY]

Absolutely crazy how this sample is in a ton of music

[@wobbler6372]

The drummer died homeless on the streets in 1996 .that's why was one of those 2000. They deserved so much more

[@FeralKimchi]

Very interesting but also terribly sad that the drummer didn't receive more compensation for his contributions to music.

[@amancalledjim5382]

Amen to that brother!

[@laurisaarinen1126]

Sometimes i think, why this exact beat. But the thing is, amen break just has the PERFECT drum sound. Especially the snare. So crisp, so groovy. Big up also to the producer of the track, something people forget to mention ✌️

[@jaseboon6282]

Hip Hop, DnB, Jungle all born of this beat LEGENDARY!!!

[@sssncodesstuff3364]

Hip hop was not born from amen break.

[@LxrdBreezy00]

the one loop thats been used in everything

[@AllenHanPR]

imagine being the influences of 3000 songs and then dying homeless.

[@jordangayle7794]

Wow this is a great video, so informative. It is criminal that this man (and this group) is not world renowned and revered let alone penniless. What a world.

[@leewightman8619]

The amen brake is one of them brakes no drum machine can replicate....I didn't realize Dre used the amen in straight outta Compton

[@ablackgoliath1827]

Well fck me, I didn't know that here in 2019. Been killing that riff for YEARS! Sad how a brother got ripped though. Big up mix mag for this one.

[@spencexxx]

Know your history....it ain't just about beats and rhymes

[@pety1245]

This sample is the cornerstone of the music industry

[@AleksSnipes]

An sample of an edited version of this sample was even used in the intro to Eyeless by Slipknot. And several songs by Rom Di Prisco, who wrote a fair majority of the songs for the older Need For Speed games

[@m_5373]

Como disse a lenda DJ Marky essa música deu a origem ao Drum & Bass, meu gênero de música favorito sempre!!, Obrigado Gregory C. Coleman.

[@solus1526]

I can’t believe I was today years old when I found out this, mind blown

[@brEZ527]

It sucks how they basically didn’t get any credit for it at all. They all deserve millions of dollars for helping create so many genres

[@marcelovillano630]

A great story perfectly synthetized, excellet.

[@Deckardpr]

It's always good to recap how beautiful real music is. YOU GUYS R BRILLIANT. THNK YOU. ❤️🇵🇷

[@julimorro]

I like to call this "the powerpuff girls" break

[@StylistecS]

The power puff girls break comes from Funky Drummer

[@julimorro]

@@StylistecS it's the same but another bpm 🤷🏻‍♂️😂

[@hev486]

@@julimorro no is not the same dumbass

[@m_5373]

Exactly!

[@GregLikesJelly]

That's the funky drummer break, both the amen and funky drummer are used in a lot of jungle and other songs but are totally different sounding

[@Snaily]

“The birth of sampling was born"

[@Backseatsman84]

😂

[@patrickjose7162]

Great video!Thank you!

[@KoolKy04schannel]

it's gotta be sampled more than 2000 times surely

[@steelpitbull1]

This is the first thing I learned to play organically on drums. I didn't know it had a legit name, I just thought it sounded like the Powerpuff girls outro theme😅

[@pur_owo]

that's the "Funky Drummer Break" i believe (on looperman)

[@skateerdud]

1:09 “meaning the birth of sampling was born” how high were you when you wrote that 😂

[@Mazreoli]

Fabulous vid, cheers Mixmag!

[@david57boring]

"meaning the birth of sampling was born" lmao

[@simonkormendy849]

The Emu Sampler wasn't the first sampler, it was actually the Fairlight CMI.

[@MontiRock]

but you know how expensive the Fairlight was? And Hardly anybody beyond the major label industry even knew that that was. Maybe she should have said the first AFFORDABLE.

[@timornoscommovet1111]

The Fairlight was the essence of Yello and The Art of Noise 💪🏼

[@gunnargrimsson]

The first sampler was really tape ;) But yes, the Fairlight was probably the first commercially available digital sampler. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_(music) & en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampler_(musical_instrument) are both an interesting read.

[@sssncodesstuff3364]

No one said it was first sampler.

[@jordonvazquez7620]

I miss the drum & bass boom of the late 90s and 2000s.

[@darthrellik4021]

That’s all you got out of this video?! How sad of a person are you?

[@MoonchildMindaugas2]

0:46 that's Neil Young. Look up the video where he visits a record shop ;) (darn it... can't find it on YT)

[@TheDutchCreeperTDC]

so *THAT'S IT!* *THAT* is the amazing story...

[@EdiDrums]

Cringe

[@OwenL2020]

People in the comments: "She" didn't get the number of times sampled right and missed minute details!! REEEEEEEEEE

[@grug2085]

Really good video

[@corri303]

I find it pretty ironic that with todays copyright law enforcement the amen break would have had ZERO impact on other music genres because everyone sampling it would have had their asses sued and yet people find it unfair that the winstons never got paid. Them not getting paid is the only reason people are still talking about amen brother, otherwise it would have long be forgotten and completely irrelevant by now..

[@rhythmandblues_alibi]

I don't necessarily think that's true. Electronic music has always had a massive live following so a lot of samples that might never be approved for use in recordings are still heard and shared at clubs and raves.

[@douglasnorris109]

Neil Young shopping for records at :47. In the video he finds bootlegs of his live shows and has a moment. The full thing is on KZbin somewhere.

[@myriaddsystems]

Superb presentation

[@Sebless]

Made me go eyeless 👁️

[@tttooolya]

AMEN BROTHERS!

[@ForTheOmnissiah]

"Has been sampled more than 2000 times" it's a LOT more than that. I'm guessing they mean was sampled and used in a significantly successful song.

[@MrJoldroyd]

God that is so tragic about Gregory Coleman. Imagine seeing other producers and DJ's get rich off your legendary drumming while you die penniless

[@tech1238]

Nice!

[@kalillita]

You should make a video about the Dembow break o Dembow beat...cause right now is using in everything

[@tenko5541]

My favorite version of the sample is definitely General Levy - Incredible.

[@Richie33404]

I am the

[@jelaninoel]

Always loved the beat but had no idea if it went by a special name or not

[@loremipsom224]

Skipped over Richard and had a picture of Richard in the video w o w hahahaha

[@straightforwardAcidTechno]

Amen 🙌

[@rishikeshjadhav8651]

Almost every song has some evolved version of the original but paid nothing, the creator died homeless !

[@centralelectronica7534]

Wow, i thought that Jungle derived from Drum and bass, now I know that it was the other way around.... INCREDIBLE!!!

[@colonelpercival2832]

Not only that, it wasn't until 1995 that the sound shifted towards drum and bass and two step, with Alex Reece's Pulp Fiction

[@zeldor7124]

Seems like RnB turned into DnB

[@DamianBrown]

Mixmag should've linked the gofundme

[@Mister_H.]

I’ve got a copy of Carl Cox’s Let The Bass Kick…. And it’s been played to death!

[@BeatMO]

now i feel kinda sad using amen breaks without paying

[@JamesonScalia]

$$$ Music history at its finest $$$

[@Gullikaktus]

1:00 "In the same year, the E-mu SP sampler was released, meaning the birth of sampling was born." For second I thought I have a stroke.

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

Save the date for my next video. You might hear this sample.

[@andreasmaaan]

Amazing history. Btw @mixmag do you realise that the audio on this video is mixed around 12dB quieter than other content on youtube? Bit of a weird error for a music publication xD

[@Belochk4]

fire

[@rhythmandblues_alibi]

"The birth of sampling.. was born." ? Dear god 😅😂😂

[@krisraps]

Its Soo So Sad That Gregory C. Coleman Died Homeless And Broke.. Almost Want To Cry, Its SO SO Sad That The Truth In Laws Eyes Are Only To Them Who Have Money. Its A Pay To Live World.. :( Im Soo Glad That The Coowner Got them 24K. that made me soooo happy

[@PulsationMusic]

Thank you so much amen break ❤️

[@mortenrobinson]

1:04 the birth of sampling was born? 🤔😂

[@ryananderson6893]

@ 4:33 is that Richard D James (aphexTwin) beside Amen Andrews ? it looks like him..

[@m0niker]

totally

[@AldenDoble]

That's definitely him. Good spot!

[@stephenlamley541]

Fyck i love this music specifically jungle and breakbeat i had a recording of a dat tape i wish i could find dark sounds. Proper sinister. Love that shit the darler the better for me. A geezer called nev made it from Birmingham uk. Is all i know. Lost to time a real shame wed always get it out when mashed up. Anyone elses head foggy af from those days.

[@mc.gemstone]

Thanks, Digi valentine for sending me here. c:

[@heffaazul]

LTJ, Randall, Levy, DJ SS, .....Amen.

[@Killishness1337]

Lemon D

[@daev13k]

Renegade, Omni Trio, Foul Play, DJ Zinc, DJ Aphrodite, Dillinja, Higher Sense, Invisible Man, Hokusai, JMJ, DJ Pulse....

[@myriaddsystems]

Is that Richard James (Aphex Twin) pictured on the left at 4:34?

[@TheLevelsEdge]

The Tuss indeed. I was sad it took so long to finally find him mentioned.

[@brendanramsey8311]

Peep Aphex Twin at 4:34

[@myriaddsystems]

I thought it was him- Thanks for confirming

[@TheLevelsEdge]

@@myriaddsystems Arched Maid

[@zakaroonetwork777]

I am Great full that I grew up on an Isolated Military base cut of from the world. I had MTV and Moetown Records. So Glad I wasn’t free to get into raves and sweaty night clubs.

[@Shyinka]

First thing I thought of was the Powerpuff Girls theme song.🤦‍♀️😭😂

[@TheLevelsEdge]

Funky Drummer. It does sound similar to the Amen.

[@astrazenica7783]

I actually remember roller skating to salt n pepper. Shit I is OLD

[@CG64Mushro0m]

the amen break is the spock of music

[@AlbertBalbastreMorte]

Ok, but is it the one used in the Powerpuff Girls intro?

[@TheLevelsEdge]

Funky Drummer.

[@dechampfleury]

I wonder which drum kit has been used here

[@ruslanmikhailov2844]

thank you for this video amen ;)

[@SevenDeMagnus]

You never what would transpire.

[@minggnim]

$24,000 ... should have been $24 million ... or more!

[@op4lnah527]

Nah powerpuff girls gotta pay up for that theme song.. at least a smooth million

[@yoursleepparalysisdemon1828]

he dead

[@op4lnah527]

@@yoursleepparalysisdemon1828 his family can get the money of course

[@ginay4662]

I recognize that beat from The PowerPuff Girls!

[@yuriination]

💖

[@Macky2Tacky]

Dang, it'd be pretty cool of this started a genre having to do with breaking things from their core.

[@abyssosque]

So true, imagine if music that used glitchy noises, breaks, drums and bass could do something with this

[@Macky2Tacky]

@abyssosque And imagine we called it Drum and bass because it has drums and bass in it. It'd be pretty sick. Too bad no one would do that

[@heyjude6680]

wasn't it also used in heavydirtysoul by tøp?

[@an0nym0us68]

wow 1988 !!!!! Lenny De Ice , so what makes ''the Beginning'' the first d & b track?? there were lots of tracks with that sound in 1993, ....The White House Crew..... Intense..... Foul Play.... Bassment Phil..... Ron Wells....Acen.... Guy Call gerald .. just to name a few, they were all flirting with that style of production ??