A Note on the Amen and Apache Drum Breaks

I was inspired on the weekend, reading Will Hermes' piece in the New York Times about a recent re-issue of material by The Incredible Bongo Band. The Bongo Band's song "Bongo Rock" produced the drum break most widely known as "the Apache break", which, depending on exactly how Ol your Ol Skool knowledge is, could be considered the most widely sampled drum break in hip hop history.

Those who know hip hop really know hip hop, and I am not going to argue about the specifics of hip hop history--particularly when reprisals can be so dangerous.

However, when you begin to include trip hop, cinematic hip hop, electronic music and other hip hop offshoots, it would seem the most widely sampled break is either the Amen, or Funky Drummer.

All of this is noteworthy to me for a simple reason: sample culture is awesome. While I maintain that the chasm between the merely mediocre and truly brilliant producer is significant, there is something culturally cool about referencing the same source material and taking it in new directions. Not unlike jazz solos that riff and reference other jazz pieces, sample-based music may be linked by a common passion for what each DJ or producer carries in their crate, but it is also linked by a few artists and motifs that act as pillars for the overall aesthetic.

Some further reading on the Amen break.