Sample CDs
Jan 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Dave Hill Jr.
East West
Public Enemy: Welcome to the Sampledome
Arguably the first, and certainly the most successful, gangsta-rap group of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Public Enemy reinforced rap music's burgeoning artistic reputation with its politically charged lyrics, innovative sampling and crossover commercial success. In 2002, the group released its first new material in years, Revolverlution (Koch, 2002), and is continuing to revolutionize hip-hop by becoming the world's first Platinum-selling hip-hop group to publicly release a sample library. Welcome to the Sampledome ($99) contains more than two hours' worth of new Public Enemy music on two audio CDs and is license-free upon purchase. Documentation lists tempos but no track names, and, unfortunately, there are no WAV files. Still, much of this new material feels old — and that's a good thing. Thus, the same hard-edged funk and aggressive-yet-comedic jams of 1991 remain loosely intact, professionally broken down and aurally inspiring. I should warn that the disc is 100 percent instrumental, but these samples tease of the real deal. Whether you crave dark and funky acoustic drum grooves, air-raid guitar samples or Bomb Squad production tactics, it's all here. Better still, construction kits are included for every track style, so you can mix, match and rehash your favorite track's components. Although you won't get the pleasure of listening to Chuck D's baritone call for bottom end or Flavor Flav's “Yeah, boyeeeee,” now, at least, you have a tool produced by the one and only Chuck D.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 4.5
East West; e-mail sales@eastwestsounds.com; Web www.soundsonline.com
Sonic Foundry
Mick Fleetwood: Total Drumming
Mick Fleetwood may not be the first name you think of when you sit down to produce your next jazzy house remix. But considering his legend status as both musician and co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood does know a thing or two about making hit records. Total Drumming ($59), his first sample CD, provides 300 MB of blues, funk and rock grooves and fills, as well as an additional 200 drum, cymbal and percussion snippets or one-shots. Most of the loops are short, well-played, one- to two-measure miniphrase re-creations of signature Fleetwood Mac beats. The acoustic-drum sound is a bit homogenous throughout but succeeds in capturing the pronounced sound of Fleetwood's drumming. Although the recording quality is good, several of the loops contain a crash cymbal on the first beat, which can be problematic, as most loop junkies know, when repeated during a piece of music. Also, many of the loops are just too short to provide a consistent, realistic ebb and flow that you would expect from such a paramount studio drummer. On the other hand, the percussion folder is creatively packed with Taos (www.taosdrum.com) drum teases, talking drum conversations and some good, if busy, percussion mix loops. These rhythms are a glimpse of what Fleetwood the producer (not the drummer) can offer. I would like to see additional and longer loops next time around, but that's me — you can go your own way.
Overall Rating: 3.5
Sonic Foundry; e-mail customerservice@sonicfoundry.com; Web www.sonicfoundry.com
Ueberschall
Da Nu RnB Hip-Hop Two
It's amazing what you can get for less than a bill these days. Take, for instance, Ueberschall's latest installment of R&B and hip-hop noise: Da Nu RnB Hip-Hop Two ($99). This two-disc audio collection picks up where its predecessor left off, with more than 21 microsongs and their respective soloed loops, singled-out one-shot samples and a bonus beats section featuring more than 40 slick and funky drum extras (on CD 2). For some accomplished programming, check out number 76 on CD 2, “Filter Affair,” or the more artful number 80, “Error Correction.” These grooves, as well as the rest of Da Nu, sound programmed rather than played and are made largely from electronic sounds, including drums, synthesizers, piano, Rhodes, effects and synthlike organs, along with the occasional vocal bite or electric bass or guitar line. All sample contents and bpm information (which ranges from 50 to 110-plus bpm) are well documented in the accompanying CD booklet. Whereas most loop-makers provide one-, two- or four-bar grooves, Ueberschall fills you up with 12-, 16- or more. Because not everyone will want the given track's chord progression, Da Nu's construction loops are key. For instance, the track “Español” features a Spanish guitar melody that works equally well with or without the supplied groove. In short, if you are into the smoother (P. Diddy-Nelly-Kelly) side of hip-hop and contemporary R&B, you certainly will feel these tracks.
Overall Rating: 4.5
Ueberschall (dist. by East West); e-mail info@ueberschall.com; Web www.soundsonline.com
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