Video explains the world's most important 6-sec drum loop

[@JonnoPlays]

This is one of the greatest videos ever uploaded to KZbin. I watched it when it came out and came back to show it to my wife today because we heard an Amen Break song and I wanted to explain it to her. Very well done sir, you are a scholar and a gentleman 🥂

[@joelonsdale]

This 17 year old video was way ahead of it's time in terms of KZbin content. Additionally, it's a brilliant audio-mentary (if that's a thing) and I will be playing this to my music production students...

[@JoesGuy]

This video has been burned into my memory since it's upload in 2006. Truly timeless.

[@lealdoandrade]

Likewise.

[@mullrump2]

To this day I share it with whoever i think will listen

[@eamonwright7488]

Likewise. Still coming back to be emotionally drained by this fascinating, depressing story.

[@NathanieI87]

Same here. Showing this to my 11y kid in 2024

[@timothyberg23]

This was originally an art installation (dub plate) about the “amen” beat. The viewer would actually start the plate, sit and listen. Junglists loved this because it promoted their love of the music mixed with the history of the break, the artist who created it, and how it was exploited. He had to be as articulate (monotone) as possible because of the breadth of audience. The video is an extension of the installation.

[@nkhstudio]

Thank you for making the clear Timothy! This was never intended as a KZbin video!

[@grantlaplain5674]

Yes sir 😊

[@somebonehead]

What do you mean 'breadth of audience'?

[@DarrellVermilion]

@@somebonehead He means the lack of expression--the atonal, almost prosodic narration--prevents it from being associated with any particular community, group, race, culture, genre, or otherwise. It conveys information.

[@utuber.1337]

where did this installation appear first? thanks! :)

[@skinnyrigid]

"Overprotecting intellectual property is as harmful as underprotecting it. Culture isn't possible without a rich public domain. Nothing today, like nothing since we tamed fire is genuinely new. Culture, like science and technology grows by accretion, each new creator building on the works of those who came before. Overprotection stifles the very creative forces it's supposed to nurture" - Alex Kozinski (2003) Really, really love this quote

[@MichaelRabbitBass3]

awesomeness!😀

[@codyworley5623]

public domain only applies to things who have been around much much longer than 40 years

[@uprightdoublebass]

Cody Worley damn right

[@bozcro]

yeah whatever. write your own shit.

[@PhilippeCarphin]

+bozcro Ha, that's funny given the subject of the video.

[@MarkyMarc413]

KZbin was 2 months old when this video was posted and it still holds up today here in 2023. Wow. Great video explaining something I had heard before but had no idea about its long and storied history!

[@xerxes4real]

There were videos on KZbin starting April of 2005. KZbin was more than two months old.

[@ZombiesvRobots]

Saddest part of this story is that the drummer who created the Amen Break, Gregory Coleman, may have the most famous drum recording ever and yet died homeless, penniless and alone.

[@lewigallant]

i only disliked because its such a sad story

[@KurisuKagato]

Yeah, but you can still donate to Richard L Spencer, a former member of the Winston's, who still has the copyrights to the music. www.gofundme.com/f/amenbrother2

[@asongaboutafriend2592]

Ikr, this is just a clear example of how the music industry loves to rip people off just to sample their music.

[@qw8u]

@@asongaboutafriend2592 he had drug addiction too

[@asongaboutafriend2592]

@@qw8u no offense but so did whitney houston but they still gave her credit for her music.

[@eelamite]

this being written from the perspective of 2004 is crazy - to hear it 20 years later n see how well it aged and went on to influence more electronic styles of music further

[@The_NSeven]

Yeah I really had to remind myself that this was recorded 20 years ago. Feels like it could have been recorded yesterday

[@frankiebernard4728]

Junglissss

[@The_NSeven]

@@frankiebernard4728 massiv

[@The_Man_Who_Sold_the_World.]

Well, it was still the 21st century

[@eelamite]

@@The_Man_Who_Sold_the_World. man be forreal. it's been 20 years lmfao

[@billyh88uk]

I remember watching this over a decade ago. This video got me into drum & bass music.

[@kevinthebassfelon1304]

Nice.... That's Awesome, because this video taught me how to Not fall asleep (Practice makes Perfect.) while listening to NPR, which is a good thing when on a Road Trip or trying to get home after work in Bay Area traffic.

[@kevinthebassfelon1304]

Oh Yeah, and also how NOT to speak on the Microphone when at work..... I MC strip clubs. LMGDMFAO. Definitely a good "How Not to" video for ANY MC.

[@sewerhunk5327]

That’s sad i got into this music at a head shop with a amazing sound system.

[@dlawlis]

Despite the fact that it is as the narrator pointed out "over 10 years old"? 😏

[@dajay2k]

Liar

[@amcaat]

6.7M views and this dub plate is still going strong. Thank you Nate. Thank you WINSTONS.

[@larsmehlhop-lange8884]

This continues to be one of the best videos to ever have been put on KZbin.

[@redwarf8118]

well, in terms of amen breaks; yes

[@Dcolvin101]

@djay doom what's the black rain video?

[@Hexegesis]

Wow, 20 years after this was initially recorded and its wild to think how well its held up today. Seeing that the original audio was recorded to a dub plate that only lasts about 50 plays and this video has been viewed nearly 7 million times is simply incredible. Even the fact that i can comment on this video is astounding to me. Hearing about the evolution of the Amen Break, and knowing that there's been 20 years of development and innovation in all these mediums is a bit humbling. I hope we can all keep iterating and sharing our unique and beneficial contributions to humanity and the world. Much love ❤️ 🌍

[@niciliketo]

Love the juxtaposition of monotonic voiceover and crazy drumbeats.

[@jeanlucturbo]

Nicholas Martin this is what all music theory classes sound like

[@GloriousAssam]

Nicholas Martin his voice is not monotone, it's just subtle

[@tanner.n2304]

this is your mind on drugs

[@SatEight]

Perfect description for abstract hip-hop

[@iplayguitarnbass]

No you don't

[@pacificgreen1714]

I have watched this mini doc SO MANY TIMES. I love it, I want a vinyl cut.

[@AllseeingEwe]

I never get tired of this video. Haven't watched it in probably 5 yrs and it just came to mind. Thanks for keeping it up!

[@richardsunday1612]

yes it appeared in my 'recommended' and I realise I already have it saved from years ago

[@ricostacos]

I don’t remember how but I found this video in high school; at least 14 years ago. I felt I had stumbled on something secret given the slight monotone and faceless narrator. It changed my perspective on music and here I am back again listening to it in my 30s still fascinated by the work put into this video and its continued relevancy on youtube.

[@BSmithLyrix]

Was going through my old playlists that I've made over the years. Found one playlist labeled, "Very detailed drum break-down, inspiring and informational." This was the only video. All my other playlist names have 2-3 words max lolll. This video was and still is very well made.

[@DK-wl4ne]

Jimi Hendrix' drummer, Mitch Mitchell, did it in 1967 - two years before the Winstons did. And it's been done before that by Chuck Berry and Philly Joe Jones. It's the reason percussion, with some rare exceptions of some rare pieces, isn't subject to copyright laws. There's just not enough variation in percussion like there is stringed instruments / arrangements.

[@roquefortified]

Sir , can you please further identify the Hendrix, so we may check out yr hypothesis? Thanks

[@MackTraXXX]

Dann Kopko yes but this is about the actual master release not the drum pattern, since the record itself was sampled that is where the copyright violation would occur according to the 1988 Biz Markie decision . The Zero G case is really blatant

[@hammerwielder]

roquefortified Fire

[@aaronisgrate]

Dann Kopko interesting. ...now im off to research lol

[@rippspeck]

+Dann Kopko I did some research and you are indeed correct. Though, as mentioned before, it's not about the pattern per se but the actual sample taken from a The Winstons record.

[@postRMO]

I think this was one of the first videos I watched on youtube. I grew up with this break from my brother playing jungle and it still holds tight now- its spine tingling in the right context.

[@daveb5041]

This is an antique youtube video: when youtube started to make videos longer then 15 minutes but still didn't have much bandwidth and 360p was high quality.

[@williamminyard8508]

I don't mind the video. Its on point.

[@RokuErickson]

I have played this at parties in order to educate people.

[@DaDualityofMan]

I always thought u couldn't make videos longer than 10 mins until like 2009 or something like that

[@bonchbonch]

The time before commercials.

[@c0wqu3u31at3r]

I watched this for GCSE music in 2008

[@adammclean1396]

It's about time I commented... This is my favorite video in the whole entire history of the internet.

[@lealdoandrade]

this was the first KZbin essay I loved, many years before so many of the ones which are ubiquitous now started being made

[@killdylbeats7142]

Dj you dj and produced? I swear I use to spin your tracks back in the day

[@I8one2Many]

can this guy sound any more excited

[@Waxxumus]

Like if you read this comment ^ In the video narrators voice.

[@DiegoFelipeDr]

He was training to be the Google Translator's voice guy.

[@alexandertheyhate6266]

Lmao; Bueller Bueller

[@tomfurstyfield]

It's K-Billy's Super Sounds of the 70's

[@MichaelSouhoka]

jay mon I agree too. His voice is too deep for this drum loop topic, like want to reveal something secret or confidential. No need to be like that. Everybody knows that this is sampled from the other song, just like Funky Drummer and Ashley's Roachclip.

[@giftedsnootist]

I love watching this every once in a while. Great video. My brothers and I used to call this beat “boom boom cha, putcha putcha boom cha”

[@Drumskankidge]

Never gets old. Never dies. The Amen Break is what I live for. Legit. So good. Never old.

[@adbeepat]

As a drummer born in the 1970's, who has lived through jungle, techno, blues, hardcore, and busting my fingers on my sticks to play all of those genres; I'm here to verify that everything said in this video is true. This should be a full length documentary, archived in a museum.

[@djdeemz7651]

You live in the UK ? I'm looking for a dnb drummer , I'm turntablist and want to start a dnb band , drummer , synth player , me on turntable's doing samples and scratches and an MC ...I'm bored of djing 🤣 need to make it all live

[@ThirdEyeWarrior]

yeah, that Break was used EVERYWHERE, it's literally, Drum and Bass.

[@danielengstrom9417]

yes, every drum & bass track has a variation of this and I miss it..especially the Speed Limit 8 disc series

[@deepspacerecordsuk]

Dan Engstrom no not every drum and bass track uses it.

[@iApiqh]

ThirdEyeWarrior Jungle*

[@dockdrumming]

+deepspacerecordsuk dsuk Not every D&B track, but quite LARGE number of them did.

[@BakoomishCips]

+dockdrumming It's almose every Jungle track.

[@adizmal]

Love this documentary, for various reasons... First off, the Amen Break is fucking timeless and ubiquitous. The part around 7:00, where Nate brings up the notion of DnB culture exploring the Amen Break to absurdity, describing it as almost a "chin-stroking, high-brow posturing art crowd" it really sheds a lot of insight on a whole slew of internet niche cultures. Furthermore, the concepts in this video are yet another part in the greater explanation of why sampling and remixing is the modern form of homage - nobody had the ability to produce identical analogues before due to technological limitations (nobody had a record player, they had to learn someone elses song etc), nor was the capability so widespread and in some cases more economically practical than owning an instrument and playing original stuff. I love to come back and watch this from time to time to remind me of these things, it's a great documentary.

[@rg3412]

The "amen break" sounds like a sped up version of the beat in the song "requiem pour un con" by Serge Gainsbourg in which the drummer is Jacky Rault. Recorded in 1967.

[@litherskew]

R G Very interesting observation. I took a listen on Spotify. Certainly sounds to be adapted form the Gainsbourg track.

[@jasonkidd1689]

I like how Bjork used the break for her song Crystalline.

[@rippspeck]

This was the first video I ever favorited on my original account almost 10 years ago by now. I'm glad I stumbled upon this again by pure coincidence, great piece of work.

[@MrJesan74]

Possibly the greatest youtube video I have ever seen

[@joe_croupier]

same here my friend Shocking the older we get i guess

[@SendyTheEndless]

For me, I can totally rule out the timing being the main star of the amen break. If you edit out every single transient and resequence the break on a strict grid, it doesn't really lose or gain any magic (it just gets more robotic and brutal sounding). It's definitely the timbre of the individual drum hits, and the way they function together as a whole, and how the compression of the kit has made the whole rhythm into a continuous unending sound which can be modularly reordered in any way desired.

[@nokk__]

16 years holds so much weight, the topic holds even more

[@whiskybones]

This video was modern music journalism before modern music journalism was even a thing.

[@cozza819]

So many huge channels doing this today

[@ReviewCrap]

So....this is music's version of the "Wilhelm scream"?

[@wiltee5144]

HAHAAAA!! YES IT IS!

[@56postoffice]

More or less yeah. The "Wilhelm Scream" I noticed about 20 years ago when it appeared in several big films. The "Amen Brother" break is the foundation for drum and bass which started over here in the UK in the early 90s.

[@mbvglider]

To me, a Wilhelm scream is a knowing handshake among industry insiders, like the sound of an 808. Sure, anyone can recognize it, but the Amen break is bigger than that. It's a huge building block of so much of music and evokes entire genres just by playing it at a certain tempo, and you can cut it up in any format and it still is recognizable. There is really nothing like this in film. It's just so pervasive.

[@fodderville5]

More like, ‘the lick’. There’s a jazz phrase that everyone plays as a nod to the original. It’s everywhere.

[@Timsturbs]

yes and no. most of the time amen is used intentionally because its amen. like in jungle and breakcore. but sometimes yes, you can find it sticking out in unexpected places like some japan pop metal song

[@Stun-69]

I used this myself back in the 80’s. Used in drum and bass all the time. Great drum loop. Great days!

[@BluesBones]

Thanks for putting this out there! I keep hearing conversations about this track, and it's fascinating to replay some of my old CDs from the 90s and hear this!

[@thatstupiddawg5989]

amen break is something id play as a kid without even knowing, it just feels right to play those notes

[@muxnod9857]

Yea, you're right. Rock that beat right on lunchroom table.

[@SendyTheEndless]

I wouldn't say the art crowd took the amen beat as "their own". They just explored it, like everyone else. Some people want to build an elegant hall where people can dance, others want to build a ramshackle folley that people can get lost in and explore.

[@IMNfilms]

Rewatching it, I really dig the spinning record visual throughout. This is a quality product.

[@KeithPhillips]

That was his voice cut to acetate... 🙄

[@blipblip88]

Stroking my chin and whispering 'very interesting...'

[@xpez]

+blipblip88 so true. Ever seen a Squarepusher show.... HAHAHA

[@superdkls]

lol

[@Rakoah]

+blipblip88 Same here lol

[@DelilahThePig]

Wipe the record down in Gruve Glide, waft the vapors away, let the recording breathe. Savor the 16 bits on a 30 year old acetate. You only get 50 plays.

[@soulintake]

DelilahThePig FYI, records are analog. Bits are digital.

[@fretbuzz59]

This narrator went on to a successful career producing recordings to help insomniacs.

[@isaicordero5654]

Lol a thousend times better than Diazepam but without all the negative effects xDv

[@zeebadz10]

It's fun, or maybe rather sad, to see that this exactly outlines what happened to youtube over the years with the ever increasing copyright restrictions that youtube put on content creators. Think back to 2006-2009, where nothing was holy. Anything could be stolen, mashed up and recreated and this proved to cause an explosion of content and internet culture. Then the maturing process followed, companies started encroaching on copyright, for their fair share of the youtube money. And now it's gone so far that the most successful channels are all so similar. List videos, commentary videos, and TV/Celebrity shows are now the most popular videos on youtube, whereas creative content creators constantly get fucked over for 'sampling' movies, tv shows and music. But that's just the way the world seems to work I guess.

[@wriderstv6411]

good observation

[@PerfectAgent64]

2007 was when the internet started to go to hell. It's all so tiring.

[@iforgotthenamemate]

amen brother.

[@TheEletronicFunky]

Yes the internet is a thing of the past... as in deep web before social media

[@MrJpbmusic2005]

Big Corporation companies are like Drug Dealers.....they give it to you for free until you become "addicted " to that product then you gotta Pay 😉😏😜

[@LancerMyMan]

Brilliant! This goes a long way to explaining why society seems to have a semi-gloss coat of "Lame" spilled over it at at this point in our history. I didn't realize the Amen Break was this out of control in it's use. I like that this has some solid research on that sample. Most people don't realize how much of this stuff goes on. I'm also a great believer that Copyright is completely out of control at this point, and stifles just about everything, including this platform. Thanks for posting this.

[@GravelordNEETo]

Yeah man, society is, like, so lame dude. Stay w0ke.

[@mikecourt13]

It's not un-dancable music, you just have to be good. There is still a consistent pulse underneath it. Used to dance to Squarepusher and Aphex twin all the time.

[@4TheWinQuinn]

Exactly. Me too

[@Mexximillion]

Probably a sight to behold

[@hansseldesouza4681]

I dance to Jungle in the Los Angeles underground rave scene

[@glenndouglas8822]

You dance to the bass not the drums in....jungle/Drum 'n' bass...

[@blindcamel6236]

Aphex Twin used the amen break? giving it all that talk about the thought of someone else's music inspiring his makes him sick then uses someone elses literal music what a fkn rat

[@pete3039]

All the years, all the music I hear with this, and now thanks to you I'm educated as to its origin. It is one of my favourite breaks in Drum and bass, and now I know, thanks very much 🥁💥🙏🏾

[@davidnika446]

That was one clever & creative drummer. What great arrangement, in the original song. I bet that one off-beat near the end of the riff is tricky too pull off.

[@manictiger]

***** Jazz and everything closely related to it (like R&B, rock and metal) has a lot of notes that don't sync up well to a sequencer. The concept of "syncopation" is a little over-simplified by the software that tries to replicate it. People unconsciously change tempo to express mood. This means they might start at 155bpm, but may deviate to 153 or 157 or change by fractions of a bpm. Makes sampling difficult and composing to sampled songs even more difficult.

[@TommyLikeTom]

I don't appreciate you-tubers faking such intense happiness and enthusiasm

[@amazing50000]

'Amen Brother' is a remake of The Impression (Curtis Mayfield) songs 'We're A Winner' and 'Amen' (look them up). The Winstons was The Impressions backing band in the 1960s. So we can give Curtis Mayfield some credit for the Amen Break and Drum & Bass..

[@genevievebeals1131]

(2nd place I'm posting this) OMG you're right!! I just listened to The Impressions song, "We're A Winner" -- spot on has the Amen Break!!

[@amazing50000]

@@genevievebeals1131 Right.

[@bulletbelt97]

the drum-loop is 6 seconds, the video has 6 million views, it was uploaded in 2006 and has 6k comments. weird.

[@soversetile]

Dalton Swayze nice catch

[@itsdonaldo]

Dalton Swayze - there's 6 letters in your 1st and last names

[@viiiraj7]

illuminati confirmed 😂

[@LightWorkerBass]

6 is the number of man... you are a man. Also at the time of writing this..... your comment has 16 likes. 'x-files theme plays'

[@itsdonaldo]

@@LightWorkerBass Man is five, and the devil is six. The devil is in the details.

[@ArtemLokhovitskiy]

Maaan i love quality oldschool drum'n'bass (jungle)! Thank you, 6 seconds drum cut!

[@plaztik767]

This was so informative. I spent numerous nights at raves in the "90's" 🎼 (Mostly jungle, Drum and Bass themed parties) and often wondered where the genesis of that infamous break began. Your coverage of this subject was beyond excellent. Had to Subscribe..

[@henrylovespies]

Etherwood - amen roadtrip is a wonderful tribute to this amazing break

[@JeffreyAlvarez1]

Check out Mav - Break Is The Legend

[@SpoookyGamez]

Powerpuff Girls theme song comes to mind lol

[@thomasmatthews5732]

DemonWolfGaming James Brown's funky drummer sped up

[@xewi60]

DemonWolfGaming Same XD

[@DaVince21]

Action 52's intro comes to mind. :P

[@aVo_001]

And the Rocket Power theme

[@aaronbarber6238]

BomberMan Hero's OST as well.

[@cyvonix]

It's crazy how even though stuff like breakcore has vastly different synths and melody styles than most of these earlier tracks, the drums have stayed almost exactly the same in their implementation

[@disectormusic]

Ive sped it up , slowed it down, twisted it in unthinkable ways and made several tracks with this one loop. After I discovered it, it changed my life. Its extremely sad that the person who played this, dies poor and homeless. RIP legend

[@GrandMasterAbe]

I remember watching when it is just a few hundred views. Now, whoah! This video, mini doc, is a classic doc on music!

[@viralbuthow000]

Heard the Winstons are finally getting paid. Sadly GC Coleman died homeless and broke. If he earned just 10 per cent of the monies that drum break generated, he'd be alive and rich today.

[@ronwess]

I always wondered when I heard this whether it be in a drum and bass track commercial tv movie etc. It was so funky to me which got me into jungle and drum and bass music which heavily enfluences my own music creation. To actually hear it explained is intellectual and awesome. Which in my many music ideals has drove me to use and honor this famous 6 sec break beat ("

[@2engjnr2]

Every year or so I have to watch this vid. Takes me back to my roots 😁

[@stuart940]

thank you mr spock for a most enlightening lecture

[@MultiReadify]

That's fucking funny.

[@Fuzy2K]

This video was uploaded about two months before Gregory Coleman, the drummer of the Winstons, and the man who performed the Amen Break, passed away. :( RIP

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

At least you care. I see the other guy got his GoFundMe campaign funded before his passing. Probably went to his funeral unless I'm wrong.

[@djJohnnyDomino.official]

I think the reason why The Winstons didn't bother to contest anyone who used their "Amen, Brother" (from 1969) break was because their entire song (sans the "Amen" melody) was basically copied from The Impressions' song, "We're A Winner" (from 1967), which meant, given the copyright laws of late, they would have had to deal with Curtis Mayfield, who wrote and produced the song, in one way or another. I guess since Curtis didn't bother The Winstons for literally stealing his song, The Winstons didn't bother anyone who stole their famous drum break. Pull up The Impressions' "We're A Winner," listen to the song, then do the same with "Amen, Brother," and you should immediately notice the sonic resemblance.

[@TuneStunnaMusic]

Dammit, now I have to buy THAT record. Youre right, completely ripped off the Impressions.

[@nkhstudio]

That's a good theory, but not really correct. It's important to distinguish between "stealing" a drum pattern and "stealing" a sample of a recording. Drum patterns cannot really be copyrighted. Drum recordings can. No one, not even Curtis Mayfield, would or could sue anybody for re-playing his drum patterns live as part of a new recording. If that were the case, whoever played the first, basic 4/4 kick drum pattern could sue all subsequent disco, house and techno producers. However, assuming he owned the copyright, Mayfield could sue anyone who sampled recordings of his drum playing. But the Winstons didn't do that (obviously they played live long before the advent of samplers). The reality is the Winstons didn't pursue anyone primarily because a) they weren't aware of the popularity of the sample until long after its use; b) the band in its original formation no longer existed at that point and c) they did not have the financial resources to hire lawyers (this last bit adds a whole racial, socioeconomic critique to the story--another example of black musicians not being able to reap the rewards from the very influential music they made. At the same time, had they policed their copyrights as doggedly as some corporations do, we would not have the Amen break culture we have today. There's a lot of contradictions!

[@djJohnnyDomino.official]

Yes, that is duly noted. However, In this case, I am not talking about just the widely sampled drum break, as this video concentrates on, but *the entire song*--thus, I stand by my theory.

[@Timto900]

Nate Harrison Well said my man.... thats spot on correct. Just wish I could say it how you put it. Jondom, You're whole theory is flawed. There was NO stealing back in the impressions / winstons days. Just respect, music and pushing forward. Mayfield wouldn't of sued winstons just like ray charles wouldn't of sued james brown, isaac hayes etc. There was NO suing!! You did a version of thier song out of respect, or it was some number who no one knew who wrote the original. Even back in 89/90 no one could of predicted how big or influential this break would become. Everything and everyone was being sampled! The main guy who embraced and respected this new ART form was the Godfather James Brown. He put another 20+ years on his career and countless money by doing so. Sampling Is just musical culture and social occurances evolving. Crack head record company money men got involved in the 80's thats when people started shouting "stealing" "He stole, they stole" Logical progression thats all. This argument was huge in early 90's now its dull. Now everybody samples.... but to do it creatively and make something new. Thats something else.

[@djJohnnyDomino.official]

tim a Looking at it from your viewpoint, I respect and appreciate your comment. Thank you.

[@mark_midmark]

Checking in 2021. I've seen this about 15 times. It's one of my favorite video essays on music of all time.

[@kikiwoodworth9094]

A Netflix doc called "Sample This" is one my favorite and most recommended videos ever. Much more riveting and full of inside stories about historical events that one would never expect. Fathers of hip hop and a little matricide too!

[@sandrasanders706]

One of the best docs ever!!

[@NicB-Creations]

Well, I never knew this. Now I know where drum 'n bass got it's sound.

[@tsifubar9744]

One of the most important and well recorded lessons in music. Very insightful.

[@jonathanbyrd12]

What a good documentary. Classic. Love learning the history of my favorite genres of electronic music.

[@tramplamps]

Have you seen the KZbinr’s Trash Theory channel ? Since we both love this particular video, you might enjoy trash theory’s videos, as he has a lot of videos about UK’s electronic music. But all of his videos are fantastic! It is with researched content about why certain artists are in my own library, or learning about what inspired them, its like discovering a new sidebar of influences I never knew I needed. The entire channel is a very well researched deep dive into a lot of UK’s 90s music-2010s, and what I think you could say is how their electronic scene was crafted out of a Post-Pink Floyd/Proto-electro-ProPunk-Sex Pistols time line. He uses tons of tonal influences that help as you watch, and tell narratives about what lead to where they are musically to their musical taste as a result, today. I really like the way he shows all the information for the each track cited, and the stories behind all the musicians are respectful and informative.

[@jonathanbyrd12]

@@tramplamps no I have not but I will definitely check him out. Thank you. Also, have you seen the documentary about this? Is why I hate dubstep or something like that is it's really good. It's like the history of dubstep and where it came from. In fact he had on there was considered the first dubstep song ever and I found it on record and then when I play it it people go ape s*** crazy cuz they're like never heard of that before. It was great. I think it's called Skrillex. Maybe hate dubstep or I'm not sure you'll know when you see it. It's a great documentary

[@AveMcree]

I aint gunna lie this is a great video and this dudes voice is mad scary

[@jonathansoko1085]

a 6 second loop spaned like 30+ years of Drum and Bass and jungle, its brilliant. To this day i cant listen to a so called drum and bass record without it.

[@westonkenyonmusic]

1:25 *Here, I'll play it again* 😂😂😂 It is only 6 seconds, after all.

[@nahaniyes]

I'm not even kidding when I say that I can't wait until bedtime. I am 100% using this guy to fall asleep to. I love it.

[@Th3OmegaPoint]

This guy reminds me of the radio DJ in Reservoir Dogs.

[@SLOPTOBERFEST]

Th3OmegaPoint I was literally thinking this and I scrolled down to read this comment!

[@IMNfilms]

That's stand-up legend Steven Wright in Reservoir Dogs. I was thinking that he kind of sounds like a pre-recorded message. No matter. Excellent video.

[@randallross420]

my favorite documentary ever.

[@risbalfour86]

Yeah this is big !!

[@randallross420]

Aggy O dropping major knowledge

[@eonhand8]

I'm the firestarter, twisted firestarter!

[@ztazon]

Outstanding job! Thank you very much for your most serious work. Great class.

[@PrAnG2000]

I've had this break on UBB vol 1 since 1986. That's the compilation that most hip hop groups would have sampled it from.

[@yeanah2571]

Brilliant video. Obviously a lot of time, and research went into this. As a huge dnb fan, it was very interesting.

[@bikerscout2012]

When they started cracking down on sampling and mandating clearance, it completely destroyed hiphop. Most commercial hiphop today is absolute garbage. Trap and its annoying hi-hat rolls has got to go. Sampling from funk, soul and disco records by a DJ is a quintessential "instrument" in hiphop. Just listen to the elaborate sample collages before the age of sample clearance on Paul's Boutique by Beastie Boys or PE's Fear of a Black Planet. Absolute masterpieces!

[@mrmustard1975]

For someone that listens to and is familiar with solely commercial radio, this may seem to be true. But there are two points of contention here. A) The music on commercial radio today is filled with just as many samples as it was in the 1980s; you just probably don't recognize them, and B) You said it yourself, that's "commercial radio". If you check just under the surface and look at what is happening in non-mainstream hip-hop today, you'll find quite a bit of amazing music that blows away what is on commercial radio. And that underground music is generally free of the hindrance of sample clearance. People that decry the music of the current day as somehow - in any manner - being inferior to music of the past are simply ignorant to all the music that is available today. Pop (commercial) music always has been and always will be designed to cater to the masses. You need to remember that today's pop music is the classical music of tomorrow. In other words, people will always perpetuate the fallacy that "older music was better", yet never acknowledge that after some amount of time, the "new" music will be the "old" music, yet people will still be talking about how "old" music is better than "new". You might also find it interesting to backtrack the samples used on albums like Paul's Boutique or Fear of a Black Planet -- you'll find all of those samples still in rotation in all styles of music today.

[@MrRushbrown]

It sucks, most people don't even realize that a sampler is a synthesizer and is actually hard to use

[@mrmustard1975]

PaintedWOLF I dunno man, if the music you listen to gives you "that vibe", then whether or not it is considered good by five people or five million people is a moot point. It's good to you. Also, I find the concept of being tricked into liking something fairly strange; either I like something or I don't. No amount of repetition or advertising is going to change that. That's like saying if you don't care for Swiss cheese, having it shoved down your throat by a crowd of people telling you that Swiss is the best, will somehow make you like it more.

[@tomfurstyfield]

While I agree that samplers are hard to use (hardware ones anyway) they certainly aren't synthesizers

[@brandonpryormusic]

bikerscout2012 dude the hi hat rolls irritate the shit out of me!!!!

[@HokeyBugle]

I love the way this video is made. Love to see more, thanks for the great info

[@RexBenincasa]

The following is the information that I was looking for:" ...there is a drum solo (performed by G.C. Coleman) That's the most important part to me! G.C. COLEMAN. With all due respect to the Winstons as a great group, let's mention and remember that G.C. COLEMAN is the name of the drummer on the original track.

[@soversetile]

Rex Benincasa thank you

[@shihabsjoi]

Progjazzfusion if you just stop listening to how your own words sound and listen to what's being said in the documentary, it's about how a beat shaped a lot of hip-hop and dance music, NOT how it was the first beat to have an impact on all music in the universe.

[@thebedroomshow9010]

16:25 what’s so interesting about this already unique audio essay is how the speaker mentions/implies that potential samples will not be able to be used and realized into new work. This recording was most likely made in the early 2000s, back when the internet was seen as a fluke as much as sampling was at its conception. We have come a long way thanks to Soundcloud, KZbin, Bandcamp, and other streaming services.

[@venericanone]

Sampling at it's conception? Internet a fluke ? I think you're thinking of the 90s buddy

[@AuralVirus]

Ironically this excellent video has been sampled on the 1st track "Amenucation" of the recent D'n'B album by _"Section - The Fourth Hour"_ on Counterpoint label [Cat : CPTLP001] just released on 22 July, 2022. I think thats testament at just how good this video is, having watched it at least 10 times over the years, recommended it to many friends, posted it on my facebook and I may have downloaded it for myself. Kudos. hope its seen as a compliment and not a copyright issue.

[@robertwill23]

Wow. Great video. Amazing take on sampling, music, culture and copyright through history of one drum loop. I like that straightforward slightly dark style of video - it's like a greetings from paranoid Bush's early 2000s. Guy narrating dryly and patiently in almost empty room with poor lighting surrounded by wires taped to the wall.

[@63M1N1]

a society "free to borrow, and build upon the past, is culturally richer than a controlled one" lawrence lessig

[@sociologie4507]

"a new contextualization" should be the name of this documentary.

[@TreacleMary]

the moment when you realise this video was released closer to the advent of jungle than today

[@FLEXER657]

I watched this Video many years ago as i was listening to D'n'B and Jungle music. Was reminded of the Amen Break due to its appearance in the recent Coop Shooter Game Ready or Not. When a tense shootout situation occures, the Soundtrack kicks in with a flippin Amen Break beat.

[@drunkenroundtable]

That was a very interesting video. Thank you very much for making it.

[@Multificationify]

we need an update for 2016

[@HexNottingham]

"...but first, a word from our sponsor, Westin's Golden Soda Biscuits. I'm enjoying one right now." ::crunch, crunch, chew... sip::

[@lucasdimmel]

I still reference this as one of the best informational KZbin videos, all these years later. I recommend it to all my friends that care about music.

[@Baqsam]

One of the most powerful videos on the web albeit the monotonous voice (which kind of helps serve the aesthetic of the video)

[@lealdoandrade]

Agreed. I think the whole 'anti-video' aesthetic it has only makes it more powerful.

[@nicholasfaith8999]

I used to hang out at the bassist for the Winston's house both he (Sunny) and his wife Brenda have both died. I used to look at the 7" gold '45 single on the wall and marvel.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

I'm sure it showed the side that had "Color Him Father" on it!

[@NoodleCollie]

I have a friend who puts this video on at house parties sometimes, specifically so that the narrator can kill the vibe of the room stone dead.

[@thelostbadger]

lol

[@stoltzderrick]

11 years old, over 6 million views, but now Iam here. Thx Landon.

[@Dr.Valans]

The drummer of that sample died homeless and penniless. I believe. Seems disrespectful to not credit him. Does that make sense? Am I outta line?

[@hazardtg3008]

No dude! This guy should had been a household name, from gangsta rap to bloody hard rock to reggae. This guy should have been very very rich

[@manavai9159]

Drew Velez dang, that's sad. but also not surprising.

[@droidshots]

Drew Velez The line is a DOT to you!

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

The business knows how to chew you in and spit you out.

[@WebMint_]

Drew Velez In the late 80s, no one really knew this break actually came from amen brother as it came from a drum beat compilation. n.w.a. most likely would have found it from there

[@VSigma725]

The second I heard the loop I was like "oh hey, isn't this from Firestarter?"

[@misha2197]

V. Sigma That's what I thought.

[@pagea5288]

My immediate thought

[@Sibaker79]

No. It's not

[@vampires4life]

I'M THE SELF INFLICTED

[@KurisuKagato]

It was also used in Prodigy's song, "Poison", as well.

[@kandysman86]

when learning to play drums at age 6 this is the first beat I picked up without ever hearing it. it just came out once I learned how to keep a beat

[@jameslucero2870]

Thanks for this video, I grew up listening to jungle, original nutta was way ahead of its time! This is way before Serato