Music in 1s and 0s

The Art and Politics of Digital Sampling

Summary: Evolution and Impact of Digital Sampling Through Clyde Stubblefield’s “Funky Drummer”

The Ever-changing Life of Clyde Stubblefield’s Drum Solo

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Clyde Stubblefield’s drum solo from James Brown’s 1970 R&B song “Funky Drummer” has a “chameleonic existence” with various reinterpretations.
It takes on different meanings and moods in various songs such as Eric B. and Rakim’s “Lyrics of Fury,” Sinéad O’Connor’s “I Am Stretched on Your Grave,” Sublime’s “Scarlet Begonias,” and George Michael’s “Waiting for That Day.”

Digital Sampling as a Technique

This transformational phenomenon arises from the practice of digital sampling, where a fragment of one recording is incorporated into another.
Digital sampling has been embraced by musicians from various genres since the 1980s.

Questions Raised by Digital Sampling

The use of this technology raises several questions that span aesthetic, technical, ethical, and legal dimensions.
Questions include how composers have adapted their work, whether digital sampling represents a new compositional aesthetic, and whether it has led to ethical and legal concerns.

Case Studies to Address Questions

Four case studies are mentioned to explore these questions:
1. Notjustmoreidlechatter by Paul Lansky, which transforms speech into music.
2. The relationship between Camille Yarbrough’s “Take Yo’ Praise” and Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You,” where the former is sampled by the latter.
3. Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” whose sampling serves political and cultural agendas.
4. The phenomenon of the digital mashup, which delves into issues of amateurism and creativity.

This text serves as a comprehensive overview of the evolution and impact of digital sampling, as exemplified through the multiple incarnations of Clyde Stubblefield’s drum solo.

Definition and Basic Mechanics of Digital Sampling
- What is Digital Sampling?
- Analog-to-Digital Conversion (ADC)
- Digital-to-Analog Conversion (DAC)
- Standard Rates and Granularity
Versatility in Sound Manipulation
- Precision in Manipulation
- Extended Control

Historical Context: Digital Sampling vs Traditional Musical Borrowing

In other words, traditional musical quotations typically cite works; samples cite performances
– Mark Katz

The Distinction: Performative Quotation

Digital sampling can capture and recreate minute details like the force with which a drum is hit or the ambient noise in a recording, which it calls “performative quotation.”
Unlike traditional quotations that cite works, digital samples cite performances, bringing in all the timbre and timing details of the original event.

Significance and Creative Potential

Digital sampling sets itself apart through its capability for performative quotation, enabling a myriad of creative works in modern music.

This summary delves into the various facets of digital sampling, from its basic technological framework to its broader implications in musical creativity and borrowing. It underscores the revolutionary aspect of digital sampling as a form of “performative quotation,” which opens up vast creative possibilities.

The Uncommon Parlance Of Paul Lansky

Summary in Bullet Points

Initial Experience and Reflection

Author couldn’t initially understand Dutch announcement on KLM flight.
Realization led to thoughts on how familiar sounds can become unfamiliar, coining the term “aural squinting.”

Paul Lansky and His Work

Paul Lansky is a music professor at Princeton specializing in digitally manipulated speech.
“Notjustmoreidlechatter” uses a digitally manipulated reading from “Jane Eyre,” creating a complex musical texture.

The Challenge of Recorded Music

Lansky addresses how to make music that is solely recorded.
Introduces unpredictability using stochastic techniques, engaging the listener as an active participant.

Balancing Complexity and Simplicity

The piece includes both rapidly moving manipulated voices and slow harmonic background singers.
Uses an arch structure, with voices becoming clearer at the midpoint before fading.

Redefining Music and Listener Experience

Lansky’s work blurs the line between noise and music, challenging traditional definitions.
Emphasizes the listener’s role in interpreting and defining the music.

Essence and Success of Music

Lansky believes the essence of music lies in the act of trying to understand it.
Argues that music’s success is gauged by its emotional and aesthetic impact, not its technological complexity.

From “Take Yo’ Praise” To “Praise You”

Introduction of the Song:
- The recording begins with a piano playing an eight-bar introduction in a gospel style.
- The setting is imagined as a pianist playing on a battered upright piano, accompanying a nervous amateur singer.
- Some audience members are depicted as inattentive, engaging in neighborly conversations.
Entry of the Singer:
- The singer starts hesitantly, with lyrics reflecting a journey through hard and good times, expressing a need to celebrate and praise their partner.
Unexpected Musical Shift:
- As the singer holds the final word “should”, there’s a notable disruption in the performance.
- The singer begins to stutter unnaturally on the word.
- A blend of percussion instruments and an electric bass enter, enriching the musical texture.
- The note is held for an extended period, around thirty seconds.
Buildup to Up-tempo Dance:
- A synthesized drum adds to the complexity, escalating from quarter notes to thirty-second notes.
- This buildup leads to an eruption into an up-tempo dance rhythm.
Contextual Information:
- The described music is from the introduction of “Praise You” by Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim.
- The song is a hit from 1998, recognized in the genre of electronic dance music and famous both in Cook’s native Britain and internationally.

Camille Yarbrough - Take Yo’ praise

Origin of the Voice Sample:
- The voice in “Praise You” is identified as Camille Yarbrough’s, originally from her 1975 soul/funk song “Take Yo’ Praise.”
- The songs are available for comparison on a companion Web site.
Digital Sampling Technique:
- Norman Cook has used digital sampling to both decontextualize and recontextualize Yarbrough’s voice, creating new sounds, functions, and meanings.
The Surprise in Sampling:
- Cook only samples the first twenty seconds of “Take Yo’ Praise,” which features unaccompanied singing by Yarbrough.
- Listeners often mistakenly believe that the opening of “Praise You” is an unaltered live performance recording.
Cook’s Additions and Manipulations:
- Cook added the piano, background voices, and enhanced the crackling LP sound from which the piano was sampled.
- He altered Yarbrough’s singing by increasing the tempo and flattening the melodic contour.
Achieving Wholeness and Nostalgia:
- Cook creates a sense of wholeness through harmonization and noise, using background chatter and crackling sounds.
- The background noise provides a sense of occasion, liveness, and place, while the crackling evokes a sense of time and nostalgia.
Phonograph Effect:
- The crackling sound is known as the phonograph effect, a digital simulation of the sounds from the vinyl age.
- Once considered an unwanted noise, it has become a meaningful element in modern sonic vocabulary.
- Cook uses this phonograph effect in “Praise You” to evoke nostalgia and transport listeners to a bygone era.

Techniques

Original vs. Sampled
Cook’s Techniques
Musical Variation
Meaning and Message
Gender Ambiguity and Neutering
Interpretations and Implications

Summary with Bullet Points

Original Song vs. Sampled Version:
- Yarbrough’s original song had a funky bass line, guitar, and percussion, evolving into a passionate, erotic piece with a postcoital coda.
- Cook’s version diverges after the first sixteen measures, with a vocal stutter and a synthesized drum, creating an intentionally clumsy effect to highlight the sampling.
Cook’s Intention and Techniques:
- The vocal stutter was Cook’s way of drawing attention to the act of sampling.
- The first four seconds of “Praise You” are looped, revealing the digital construction of the piece.
Variation and Repetition in Cook’s Version:
- Cook repeats Yarbrough’s singing and the last line, “I have to praise you like I should,” creating variation through changing accompaniments.
- Despite being dance music, Cook’s version has subtle elements that reward attentive listening, contrary to Cook’s own belief that his music is not meant for analytical listening.
Reduction of Original Meaning:
- Cook removes the complex, multifaceted love message and the broader social context of Yarbrough’s original song.
- The repetition of a few words diminishes the lyrical significance, leading to its perception as a fun, non-serious track.
Gender Ambiguity and Digital Neutering:
- Cook’s alterations lead listeners to question the singer’s gender or assume it’s a man.
- The technique of time-stretching, which changed Yarbrough’s voice’s nuances, contributes to the gender ambiguity.
- Cook’s version lacks the original song’s eroticism, rendering the voice asexual and potentially disempowering Yarbrough.
Potential Interpretations and Implications:
- Yarbrough’s voice could be seen as a free-floating signifier, making the song universally relatable.
- Alternatively, Cook’s sampling could be viewed as disempowering Yarbrough by erasing her history, identity, and vitality.

Ethical considerations

Appropriation or Homage?

Appropriation or Homage: The song “Praise You” by Fatboy Slim (Cook) raises questions about whether it’s another case of a white musician appropriating black culture. However, the situation is nuanced.
Yarbrough’s Reaction: Camille Yarbrough, the original artist, was pleasantly surprised by Cook’s version and appreciated the emotional core and gospel quality he maintained, even though she was ambivalent about the “dance hall” sound.
Profit and Fame: There’s an unequal power dynamic, with Cook being more popular and wealthy. Yet, Yarbrough didn’t view Cook’s adaptation as diminishing her work and acknowledged the financial benefits she received.
Cook’s Perspective: Cook claims his intention isn’t profit but love for the music. He ensured Yarbrough received credit and a significant share of the royalties, learning from a past experience where he didn’t secure rights beforehand.
Impact on Yarbrough: “Praise You” brought renewed attention to Yarbrough and her music, leading to financial gains and a reevaluation of her place in popular music.
Student Reactions: Some students felt Yarbrough was exploited despite her acceptance of Cook’s version and the financial compensation.
Complexity in Digital Sampling: The case exemplifies the complexities of digital sampling, raising questions about creativity, originality, and ethics, and forcing a confrontation with issues of gender, class, and race.

Digital Aesthetics And Politics In “Fight The Power”

Tracks Sampled in Fight the Power by Public Enemy | WhoSampled

Summary of Passage

Context and Introduction:

The passage discusses the opening of Public Enemy’s 1990 hip-hop classic “Fight the Power.”
It starts with a lengthy quote from civil rights attorney and activist Thomas N. Todd, nicknamed TNT.

Complex Sampling:

The song is notable for its dense use of samples in the opening segment.
The Bomb Squad, Public Enemy’s production team, used more than a dozen samples in the first 27 seconds.

First Sample Section:

A vocal sample repeating six times with a dotted rhythm.
The sample is from Trouble Funk’s 1982 song “Pump Me Up,” but played backwards.
Accompanied by a melodic line and possibly electronically processed saxophone by Branford Marsalis.
Additional sounds include snare drum hits and vocal exclamations, possibly referencing Public Enemy’s MC, Chuck D.

Second Sample Section:

Includes Clyde Stubblefield’s “Funky Drummer” solo, intertwined with numerous other samples.
Sounds in this section: fragmented vocal samples (including one from James Brown), guitar, synthesizer, bass, and various percussion.
The sound is described as dizzying, exhilarating, and too complex to absorb all at once.

“Our music is all about samples”
– Chuck D