Producer Profile: The Dust Brothers (part 1, 1988)

The content and choice of samples in the early work by the Dust Brothers may be questionable, but what cannot be argued was how far they were ahead of conventional sampling in the late 80s and how much effect their work would have on the future of hip-hop. Love them or hate them, they are an important link between then and now. This post will look at the early production credits of the Dust Brothers, including their first batch of pop hits.

The first hit produced by the Dust Brothers, Young MC's 1988 single 'Know How' contains some of hip-hop's most hallowed breaks: Isaac Hayes' 'Theme from Shaft' and the Incredible Bongo Band's 'Apache'. The song also samples the hit 'Skin Tight' by the Ohio Players from 1973's album of the same title. Their success with Young MC would be followed by two gigantic hits for Tone Loc from his 1988 album 'Loc-ed After Dark'. 'Funky Cold Medina' famously samples Free's MOR rock hit 'All Right Now' and Kiss's 'Christine Sixteen', but also samples Funkadelic's 1979 sample-classic 'Knot Just (Knee Deep)' from the album 'Uncle Jam Wants You'. When most people think of the Dust Brother's early brash style of sampling, they think of Tone Loc's other hit 'Wild Thing' which features rapid fire blips of Van Halen's hit 'Jamie's Cryin'' from their self titled 1978 album.

Check back for further looks into the crates of the Dust Brothers and other producers in the future of this blog.

The Lowdown:
Young MC 'Know How'
from 'Know How' 12" (1988) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'Theme from Shaft'
from 'Shaft' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Incredible Bongo Band 'Apache'
from 'Bongo Rock' (1973) (MP3/Import CD)
The Ohio Players 'Skin Tight'
from 'Skin Tight' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Tone Loc 'Funky Cold Medina' and 'Wild Thing'
from 'Loc-ed After Dark' (1988) (MP3/CD)
Free 'All Right Now'
from 'Fire and Water' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Kiss 'Christine Sixteen'
from 'Love Gun' (1977) (MP3/CD)
Funkadelic 'Knot Just (Knee Deep)'
from 'Uncle Jam Wants You' (1979) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Van Halen 'Jamie's Cryin''
from 'Van Halen' (1978) (MP3/CD)

Five On It: November 2008's Essentials

This one is a killer, we covered some serious beats this past month and I've whitled them down to the best of the best for November's edition of Five On It.

We start with a cross-generation party starter: George Clinton's bugged out canine anthem 'Atomic Dog' (which originally appeared on our Halloween post covering 'We Can't Be Stopped' by the Geto Boys). In our second look at Large Professor's production work, we covered Grand Funk Railroad's rock funk break track 'Nothings the Same' from their album 'Closer to Home'. Grand Funk have a bad rep, but they have some serious beats in their back catalog. 'Apache' by the Incredible Bongo Band was covered in an in depth two part post on this blog. 'Apache' is as essential as it gets, you have to get this one if its not part of your DJing arsenal. The J.B.'s 'Pass the Peas' is just one of the J.B.'s breakbeat necessities produced under the Godfather of Soul, James Brown (this break was mentioned on the first part of our look at 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde). In the third part of 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde', we first mentioned Skull Snaps' huge 'It's a New Day', another absolutely critical beat for producers.

The Lowdown:
George Clinton 'Atomic Dog'
from 'Computer Games' (1982) (MP3 not available/CD)
Grand Funk Railroad 'Nothings the Same'
from 'Closer to Home' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Incredible Bongo Band 'Apache'
from 'Bongo Rock' (1973) (MP3/CD)
The J.B.'s 'Pass the Peas'
from 'Food For Thought' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Skull Snaps 'It's a New Day'
from 'Skull Snaps' (1973) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

BONUS CUTS:
Skull Snaps' self-titled, hard to find album is not limited to 'It's a New Day', it's full of quality samples. A young Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po as Organized Konfusion (with a guest spot from O.C.) rap over Skull Snaps' 'Tresspassin'' on 'Fudge Pudge'.

The Breaks: Incredible Bongo Band 'Apache' (Part 2)

Welcome to the second of our two part look at the Incredible Bongo Band's 'Apache'.

By the early 90s, 'Apache' was adapted into the genre of drum n' bass. Two landmark uses of the 'Apache' break in drum n' bass tracks is the 20-minute title track of Goldie's 1995 debut album 'Timeless' and the Metalheadz single 'Your Sound' by J Majik. 'Apache' became a widely used sample in the late 90s big beat style that became popular on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1997, Mantronix producer Kurtis Mantronik remixed Future Sound of London's single 'We Have Explosive' using the 'Apache' with devastating results.

In 2002, Salaam Remi flipped 'Apache' for Nas' single 'Made You Look', making the beat sound radically different than previous hip-hop tracks. Three years later, Missy Elliott used the sample on her single 'We Run This' from 'The Cookbook'.

Despite its potential for oversaturation, 'Apache' still sounds as fresh today as it did over three decades ago. The sample will no doubt be the basis for many outstanding hip-hop and dance songs to come.

The Lowdown:
Incredible Bongo Band 'Apache'
from 'Bongo Rock' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Goldie 'Timeless'
from 'Timeless' (1995) (MP3/CD)
J Majik 'Your Sound'
from 'Your Sound 12"' (1995) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Future Sound of London 'We Have Explosive' (Mantronik Remix #1)
from 'We Have Explosive' (1997) (MP3/CD not available)
Nas 'Made You Look'
from 'God's Son' (2002) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Made You Look'
Missy Elliott 'We Run This'
from 'The Cookbook' (2005) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'We Run This'

The Breaks: Incredible Bongo Band 'Apache' (Part 1)

'Apache' by the Incredible Bongo Band is arguably the most important break in hip-hop music and beyond. In this two post arc, we'll cover the history of 'Apache', it's use in early hip-hop singles, it's reinvention in electronic music, and it's resurgence in hip-hop.

'Apache''s history begins over a decade before the Incredible Bongo Band's version. The song was written by Jerry Lordan and was originally recorded by Bert Weedon, which initially remained shelved. The first notable version of the song is the Shadows' recording of 'Apache', which utilized a new echo chamber and tremolo technique that gave it a distinct sound. As the version by the Shadows gained recognition, Weedon's was released to cash in, but both would be trumped by Jørgen Ingmann's version of 'Apache', which broke the American top 10.



A decade later, Michael Viner began work on a project to score music for the low budget B movie 'The Thing with Two Heads'. The music, billed as Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band, became an unlikely hit and Viner quickly went into the studio to record a full length album. The band, consisting of Viner and studio musicians, created one of the most sampled breaks of all time, not to mention a handful of other amazing tracks on the album 'Bongo Rock'. The long instrumental break in 'Apache' made it a sensation on dance floors and was adopted by early hip-hop DJs like Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa. When hip-hop broke into the mainstream, so did the 'Apache' break.

Perhaps the most notable early use of 'Apache' is the Sugarhill Gang's track 'Apache' from 1981's '8th Wonder'. The track was used again two years later by the West Street Mob, also on the Sugarhill label, for their classic b-boy track 'Break Dance - Electric Boogie'. As the use of samplers increased by the late 80s, so did the use of 'Apache' in hip-hop. Jazzy Jay's 1988 production 'Old School' by Busy Bee used the 'Apache' break, as did the Dust Brothers produced 1988 single 'Know How' by Young MC.

Check back for part 2 of the history of 'Apache', including its adaptation in electronic music and its rebirth in the 2000s.

The Lowdown:
Incredible Bongo Band 'Apache'
from 'Bongo Rock' (1973) (MP3/CD)
The Shadows 'Apache'
from 'Apache' (1960) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Jørgen Ingmann 'Apache'
from 'Apache' (1961) (MP3/CD)
Sugarhill Gang 'Apache'
from '8th Wonder' (1981) (MP3 not available/CD)
West Street Mob 'Break Dance - Electric Boogie'
from 'Break Dance - Electric Boogie' (1983) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Busy Bee 'Old School'
from 'Running Thangs' (1988) (MP3/CD)
Young MC 'Know How'
from 'Stone Cold Rhymin'' (1988) (MP3/CD)