Sampling is at the core of good electronic music. Countless subgenres of electronica, hip-hop, and other big genres use sampling in a variety of creative ways. But out of the thousands of acts out there, a few core electronic artists took sampling in an entirely new and influential direction. Let’s take a look at the achievements of just three major acts that took sampling to a new level!
1. The Avalanches
You might know this Australian electronic music group from songs like “Frontier Psychiatrist” and “Because I’m Me”. They’ve been around since the tail-end of the 1990s. And their debut record Since I Left is one of the best examples of their ability to take hundreds of samples and use them in incredibly unique ways in just one song.
They didn’t just dig through old musical records for their samples, either. Many of their songs sound like sound collages. There’s always an element of humor and enthusiasm in their borderline-avant-garde works. In a lot of their music, you won’t be able to identify a commonly used sample, either. In short, The Avalanches helped make electronic music weird.
2. Daft Punk
We couldn’t really have a list of electronic artists who revolutionized sampling without mentioning at least one major mainstream act, Daft Punk. This duo influenced European electronica in a major way, and there’s a reason they managed to gain popularity across the pond, too.
These producers opted for less-obvious records to sample from, let LFO drive a lot of their mixes, and managed to create house music that has been imitated to hell and back. But nobody will ever be like Daft Punk.
3. DJ Premier
Electronic artists often use sampling for their own works, but DJ Premier took his sampling talents to other musicians as well. You might know him from his work with big names like Dr. Dre, Christina Aguilera, Limp Bizkit, Kanye West, Jay-Z, and plenty more.
DJ Premier was influenced by hip-hop’s historical use of sample masters, and he would chop them up in a staccato rhythm to build the foundation of songs. Known for using samples from soul and funk records, DJ Premier would also use chunks of different hip-hop songs to form lyrical sentences in one singular song, complete with classic turntable scratches. His music sounds more like a conversation, and plenty of artists who followed in his footsteps have tried and failed to replicate what he does.
Photo by Michael Kovac/WireImage
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