Sunday, April 17, 2011

5 Really, really well flipped samples (and Record Store Day 2011)

This has not been the most productive record store week for me with regard to blog posts, in previous years I've tried to add a few top 5 lists leading up to the Big Day (which was yesterday 4/16/11). Could only squeeze out one post this year... c'est la vie.

This year's Top 5 list: 5 really, really well flipped samples

Sampling is a foundation of hip-hop... won't belabor that here, but what exactly does it mean for a sample to be "well flipped"? To me it means that a sample is:

a) used in an unexpected way... bringing out elements of the source material that might have been unconsidered or only hinted at in its original context, or

b) used in an obvious way, but so perfectly executed that you gain an appreciation for the source material, as if hearing it for the first time.

In no particular order, here's a list of 5 really, really well flipped samples, with links to listen to the tunes
  • Edie Brickell - What I Am sampled by Slow Down (Artist: Brand Nubian - Producer: Grand Puba, Brand Nubian)
  • The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes for You sampled by Zealots (Artist: The Fugees - Producer: The Fugees) This is perhaps my favorite of the list as the Fugees track places the source material in a completely different context. Also I think Lauryn Hill is as dope as she's ever been on this track.. I mean, come on... sings her own hook *and* drops a ridiculous verse? Bananas.
Plus 1 more...

This year's shop: Waterloo Records, Austin Texas

A standout shop in a town with a fair number of really good shops... I was honored to celebrate Record Store day here!

Things I copped from Waterloo Records:
  • Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears
  • Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
  • book: Last Shop Standing: Whatever Happened to the Record Store (by Graham Jones)
  • Waterloo T-Shirts (for me and the munchkin)
Bonus List: Bands I was hipped (or re-hipped) to by my Austin host Clint Bishop
  • Band of Horses
  • Songs:Ohia
  • Godspeed You Black Emperor