It is only suitable that DJ-Follower's music evolution article series talks about the most influential drum loop of all time. How does a 6-second drum loop become a foundation for a whole sub-culture? What does this mean in terms of copyright laws? This one's a classic, so many of you already know the story of the 'Amen, Brother', but some of you might find new knowledge here. If you're not stoked about reading, there's a video that explains everything. Get schooled!
The Winstons were a 1960s based funk and soul group based in Washington D.C. Why are they important? Well, in 1969 an EP was recorded. The song entitled 'Color Him Father' sold over a million copies, reaching number 2 on the R&B charts and number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It resonated with the feelings of the people at the height of the Vietnam war thus becoming widely popular. Little did the group know, that the B-Side of the same EP contained a song which would become the foundation of jungle and drum & bass culture - 'Amen Brother'!
The song actually sampled two songs itself, a traditional gospel number called 'Theme From Lillies On The Field(Amen)' (1964) and 'We're A Winner' (1967), both by The Impressions, written by Jester Hairston,a school teacher. However, these tracks have a little to do with the famous 'drum solo' of G.C. Coleman. I used quote marks, because it isn't really much of a drum solo what you're hearing. At exactly 1:26, without any notice, everyone but Coleman stops playing. This creates the illusion of a drum solo, while actually Coleman keeps playing the same beat throughout the song. You must admit, when the other instruments drop out, magic kicks in. This is about the most ingenious drum break you can come up with. Notice the missing beat? This is what some music journalists hold to be the main reason behind 'Amen's' eventual immortality. If you're having hard time following the train of thought, count out loud. The break is four bars long, e.g sixteen counts. The missing beat is at the end of the 3rd bar. If you count out loud and reach 11, you'll feel a certain kind of weightless effect because your brain is expecting to hear a drum beat that isn't there.
When in late '80s, sampling took over hip hop culture, the producers dug out old funk, soul and pop records for inspiration. In respect to fans of Salt N Pepa, Divine Force, Stetsasonic, Nenah Cherry and Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock While - these acts were the first to sample 'Amen, Brother'. But they used the brass instruments part, and not the break.
It's widely thought that the above heard 1988 track 'Straight Outta Compton' by N.W.A was the first tune to sample the Amen break. But it was Mantronix who freed the Amen Break in his 1988 track 'Feel Alright Y'all'. While 'Straight Outta Compton' only loops the same beat, the track below has dismembered and reprogrammed the Amen Break piece by piece.
Mantronix set Amen Break loose by taking it out from its original context and arrangement. After chopping up the break into smaller pieces, he rearranges them making the break into something completely different.
By 1990, UK rave culture was spreading its wings in a big way, and the Winstons' breakbeat became what we now know as jungle or drum & bass. The fanatics of the new thing called sampling, musical gene scientists of sorts, were fascinated with the Amen break. Soon, they succeeded in mapping the musical genome, isolating each individual snare drop, individual kick drum and hi-hat of Coleman's four-bar break. That, in itself, was a natural development. But what's mind-boggling is the fact that these junglists could've created any drum patterns with these individual elements. Instead, the bulk of them went for variations on the same theme, using the same hesitancy of the missing beat, reinventing the thirty-year-old 'Amen' break.
Just an example of one of the drum & bass tracks that has adopted the Amen Break. The 1994 track by Tom & Jerry called 'Dancer'.
After jungle and drum & bass had established itself, a new genre was emerging that drew from the same sources. Intelligent Dance Music (IDM) developed. Serving as examples are Squarepusher’s 'Come on My Selector,' Aphex Twin’s 'Come to Daddy' and Jega’s 'Pitbull'.
When Gregory C. Coleman (September 1944 – September 2006) heard years later that his drum break originated so many styles, he was shocked. He simply replied:“Oh don’t tell me that stuff…I’m gonna get a big head.” Pretty amazing, that a 6-second drum loop could have such an impact on culture. Played by the drummer who never saw any royalties for the clip, who unknowingly changed the world of music forever..
Now, according to whosampled.com, Winstons 'Amen, Brother' has been sampled about 800 times. But these are just tunes that people have bothered to add to the database. In reality, you really can't measure how many times it's been used. It would be pointless, anyway. What's amazing is the fact that The Winstons have never asked any royalties for usage of their song. This song, it's break, became a part of the public domain, thus giving raise to a whole subculture. Watch the meditative video below for further associations on this subject.
'Can I Get An Amen?' is an audio installation from the year 2004. It aims at providing a critical perspective of the most sampled drum beat in the history of recorded music. Along the way of tracing its origins, questions about copyright and the freedom of expression are raised.
For further study of the sampling and remixing culture, watch the open source documentary: Rip! A Remix Manifesto.
So what does the future hold for the seemingly evergreen Amen [break]? Will there ever come a day when it loses its impact and has to be put out to pasture? “No,” says [drum ‘n bass producer] Remarc, firmly. “I’ve heard so many producers say ‘I ain’t using Amen no more,’ but it remains as strong and as important as ever.” Equinox [another d ’n b producer]: “Amen will always be there, no matter what happens. Even if the scene goes pure two-step, someone out there will be using Amen.” And for the final word on the matter, Ray Keith [AKA d ‘n b artist, Renegade]: “People will never get bored of it. It’ll just keep changing with the times. It’ll still be used long after we’re all dead and buried.”
—From “Forever And Ever Amen” by Joe Madden