One of my favorite internet wormholes to get lost in at the moment is the search for samples used in some of my favorite songs. I find it fascinating to learn how “Bittersweet Symphony” used a sample of a cover from a Rolling Stones song or how Amy Winehouse sampled Marvin Gaye, to name just a few particularly famous examples.
Because of this love for samples, and a general appreciation of French dance music I can’t help but love Daft Punk’s 2001 album “Discovery.” The follow up to “Homework” threw out the synths and drum machines that they were known for, replacing them with hundreds and hundreds of samples. The result is awesome.
There are entire series over on YouTube dedicated to uncovering and isolating the samples used by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. This includes single notes taken from “Evil Woman” by Electric Light Orchestra, sounds taken from Eddie Johns tracks were manipulated and transformed, and all kinds of soul music samples were used across the record. The sampler really did prove to be as effective as the keyboard for the robots.
The samples may have gotten the limelight on classics like “One More Time,” where “More Spell On You” by Eddie Johns forms the basis of the track, but that’s all taken up a notch on “Face To Face.”
More than 20 different tracks were sampled by Bangalter and de Homem-Christo on this one song, including from artists like Electric Light Orchestra, Kenny Loggins and Rockie Robbins. If you want a breakdown of some of the super clever ways all these notes and beats are used in the song, head here for a fascinating look.
Then, once you’re done having your mind blown by all this organized chaos, come back here and have a little holiday bop to “Face To Face” by Daft Punk. After that, you’ll be armed with fascinating stories about musical samples with which to bore your relatives with over dinner. You can thank me later.