History of the "Amen" Break Used in Hip-Hop, Drum 'n' Bass

Nate Harrison is an "interdisciplinary artist" in Los Angeles whose projects explore electronic music culture and media. One of his projects from 2004 is called "Can I Get An Amen?" and it explains the fascinating history of one of the most commnly used musical breaks -- looped drum samples taken from other song recordings -- often used by DJs, early hip-hop artists and electronic musicians, notably those creating drum 'n' bass in the 1990's.

In fact, the "Amen" break is virtually a sonic icon, it is arguably the most recognizable beat of the entire drum 'n' bass genre and is largely synonymous with it. The break has found its way into TV commercials and soundtracks, further burrowing into the ground of the pop-culture soundscape. The "Amen" break takes its name from the original song from which it was sampled, a 1969 hit that is now as obscure as its creators, a funk-soul group called The Winstons.

Nate Harrison's history is illuminating. It's as clever an exposition as it is a work of media art in and of itself. (Technically, the artist's media used for this artwork is listed as follows: "recording on acetate, turntable, PA system, paper documents.") The story is told via a turntable playing a vinyl dub-plate recording of the artist speaking (we assume it's the artist who is speaking) and this is in turn videotaped and edited into a QuickTime movie you can view online at Harrison's Web site. Really good stuff, this.

Essential Links

"Can I Get An Amen?" (2004) by Nate Harrison
Nate Harrison Web Site

Posted by at October 2, 2005 05:14 PM