Digital Sampling and Appropriation as Approaches to Electronic Music Composition and Production

Abstract

Through analysis, observation, critical listening, interviews and creative practice, this study explores how techniques of appropriation via digital music sampling are used for electronic musical composition and production. Included is an examination of literature and creative work focused on the Golden Age of Hip-Hop that explores early sampling processes and techniques. Through original compositions and an exegesis, the study provides unique and significant contributions to the field including the identification of four approaches to the design and construction of sample-based composition and associated techniques for achieving them using contemporary music technologies. The Golden Age of Hip-Hop is presented as a historical period of musical significance, not only for defining new genres and sub genres of music, but because of the influencing factors that emerging technologies had on new compositional processes and outcomes. Highlighting the lineage of digital sampling and appropriation in the Golden Age with contemporary approaches to electronic music composition is at the core of this study. The historical analysis is supported by the implementation of the identified approaches using contemporary techniques that further extend practices of digital sampling and appropriation.

I was initially attracted to the topic of this having come as a session saxophonist and record producer heavily influenced by the hybridisation of jazz and hip-hop. Both of these genres were influential factors in my musical development, with modern-day approaches to electronic music production heavily influenced and driven by the use of digital sampling and appropriation in order to construct musical works An overview of the art of remixing and how it serves as an apprenticeship within the realms of electronic music production, offers detailed insights into compositional approaches and habits of artists and producers when implementing digital samples of metric and non-metric timing to form a new work within electronic music production. Remixing is also supported by three legal parameters often associated to digital music sampling and appropriation, outlining how fragmented literal similarity, de minimis and the fair use doctrine have been developed to protect artistry, whilst allowing sampling through the democratisation of sampling technologies to flourish and challenge the assumptions of ownership, authorship and creativity. An in depth analysis of four case studies allow for an historical understanding of how digital sampling and appropriation formed the basis of some of the most influential recordings to have come out of the Golden Age of Hip-Hop and have continued to influence approaches to composition within modern-day electronic music production. In conjunction with the analysis of cases studies an overview of digital sampling technologies in the form of the Akai MPC 60 and the E-mu Systems SP-1200, offer great insight into the affordances emerging and developed technologies contributed to the compositional process, thus resulting in such formidable and influential outcomes.

Supported by the influencing factors of Hirsch’s theory of post-memory and Perchard’s theory of musico-cultural influences; the outcome of musical analysis resulted in the 4 approaches that can be defined as Lyrical Fragmentation, Cultural appropriation, Constructionist Collage and Improvised Remix. An exploration through composition outlines my use of metric, non-metric, temporal and textural variance, sonic sculpting techniques, and the exploitation of characteristics of sampled source material. These were motivating factors to create works based on the 4 approaches to digital sampling and appropriation. Finally, after ethical clearance (Musician Interviews GU Ref No: QCM/06/15/HREC) from the university, a survey was developed and distributed to select respondents asking them to answer questions related to the ideas in this study. The data collected from the surveys presents as one of the most outstanding characteristics of this study. It validates the scope and concepts of this study whilst comprehensively outlining individual approaches to digital sampling and appropriation a compositional practice. This data further elaborates on the 4 approaches identified in this study and offers scope for further research.