Just discovered what is probably the best short history of the Amen break I’ve seen (a ~6 second drum loop that has become widely used in hip-hop, jungle, drum ‘n’ bass and other electronic genres) and its influence and uses. The piece becomes a commentary on intellectual property and the attempted clamp-down in the US on unlicensed sampling.

Worth a viewing regardless of whether your musical interests extend into this field or not. You won’t find much of visual interest in the video – just listen to the content.

Unfortunately I can’t agree with his assessment of IDM/D&B artists like Squarepusher as being made for a “chin-stroking art crowd” that are into “high-brow posturing”, being a fan and having proved the author’s claims of “un-danceability” wrong on many occasions!

If you’ve never heard of the Amen before, here’s some more reading:

• Amen break
• Some tracks that sample the Amen break