Why do DJs Scratch the Ahh and Fresh Samples all the Time?
Тәжірибелік нұсқаулар және стиль
Where does the Ahh Fresh sample come from? The ahh sample is used in over 2400 songs on Whosampled.com. It would be hard to argue its not the most popular scratch sample for DJs. In this video essay, I take a look at the origins of ahh (Change the Beat Fab Five Freddy). Who popularised the ahh sample since its use from Herbie Hancock Rockit and why it is still so popular today. I mention Grandmixer DST, Herbie Hancock, Fab 5 Freddie, DJ Qbert, and the characteristics of the sounds themselves.
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Intro: 0:00
Who: 0:48
History: 1:36
Why: 2:48
ADSR: 3:28
Examples: 5:00
Conclusion: 6:05
References:
Doug Prey - Scratch Documentary
LANDR blog.landr.com/adsr-envelopes...
How to Wreck a Nice Beach: howtowreckanicebeach.com/
DJ Q Bert Do it Yourself: bit.ly/2Y5m7sN
Wild Style DVD Trailer: • Wild Style DVD Trailer
Grand Mixer DXT Tribute: • Grand Mixer DXT Tribute
Herbie Hancock Rock it: • Herbie Hancock - Rocki...
Herbie Hancock - Rockit (Live): • Herbie Hancock - Rocki...
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Пікірлер: 162
Great job very interesting still got the original 12 on my wall!
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Ha awesome, I had to buy the repress but I'm glad I've added it to my collection
@Yemsky
3 жыл бұрын
Together with the other sleeves in the Celluloid series creating the big picture.
I liked this a lot. AHHH FRESH is the Amen break of the scratch community.
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Awesome thanks man! It certainly is
Bill Laswell also co-composed, produced, and played bass on Rockit. He's an under-appreciated musical force.
Thank you so much for the history lesson. I used to scratch at the turn of the millennium, back when the internet was just getting legs but still not sufficient to educate me on this. As for your analysis, I think I'd posit two more reasons. 1 The white noise makes the speed and acceleration of the scratch really satisfying and easy to hear at all parts of the sample. So we hear and enjoy the scratch better. 2 it's never out of tune. It can go anywhere on a record. I think you touched on its ubiquity making it a good staple by which we can judge the scratch, but also things with which we are familiar have an unfair advantage over other things when it comes to our preference. We like what we know so it is a positive feedback loop.
Insightful. You managed to put a lot of useful information in a relatively small amount of time, without rushing it. I'll definitely have to check out your other video's. This stuff is really fresh! 👍
All this time, I always thought that sample would come from a soft drink commercial from back in the late 70's, which was the time when I was born.😁
I love videos where I'm not even particularly interested in the topic but it's so well-done and insightful and researched that it's fascinating and enjoyable.
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the lovely comment Matt! That vid took me so long, so that means a lot 😌🙂🙂
That was great! your videos keep getting better and better! Looking forward to the next.
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Cheers man. Think I'm gonna take a break and do something a little more manageable though haha. Some kind of tutorial or something... I got a few more ideas for these vid essay type vids though.
Really really good Si! Thanks for the history lesson!
This was cool to learn about I definitely wanted to know where those sounds came from and why djs started using it so thanks a lot!!
Great video! I Great up in SF back when q- bert was around and this sample is impeded deep into my brain. Took a genius like you to break this all down!
@Swisspastel80
3 жыл бұрын
When I started scratching I immediately started using the AHhhh sound because it was easy to hear what I was doing and not doing. Its true that its almost like reference tone
Early 80s,Double D and Steinski,Lesson 1 had every clichéd DJ soundbite on the planet,between Lesson 1-4,probably covered them all, including the "this stuff is really fresh"sample,they were also known as the payback mixes,the first one,Lesson 1 even featured humphrey boggart,a scene from the film casablanca with him saying "you played it for Harry,play it for me",Double D and Steinski were actually 2 young German DJs from Europe hanging around New York in the early 80s,but D and Steinski were big on sampling back in the day, Also,Hashim,al naafysh the soul"its time"is just as famous
This clip found it’s way to my algorithm…albeit 3 yrs later but, better late than never 👍🏾. Excellent analysis…well thought out. As someone who was in the culture prior to this phenomenon, I will add that part of the initial mystique of that sound was that many inside the culture initially doubted if that was authentic scratching on Rockit…nobody had ever heard such clean and advanced technique (by the standards of the time)…a lot of people swore that it was synthesized sounds…until that Grammy’s performance…once DJ’s saw that it was real, that sound and technique immediately became the standard measure of skill. Improving on DSt.’s original pattern was a flex…which is why so many records of the mid 80’s featured DJ’s using that sound…it was a means of proving turntable virtuosity.
@SiHargreaves
9 ай бұрын
Thanks for the insight! Makes a lot of sense. Its hard for someone luke me who wasnt really there to understand things in such a way. Thanks for sharing
Excellent video..research,content, presentation, and quality. Albeit not as versatile as other "traditional samples" my favorite it still "Ah yeah".
Brilliant! This sound is so synonymous with Hip Hop. Long may it remain king! Phat video sir💯
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Big up and thanks, happy New Year
Really dope! Well done man.
This was really interesting, that sample is synonymous with Hip Hop. Great vid, liked subbed.
Great content mate. Very interesting stuff.
I don't know a dime or nickel about scratching or music. But this video was put together hella well. The intro had me hooked
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Ahh thanks man! I put a lot of effort into this one 😃
The production value on your channel on what is somewhat a niche topic, is incredible. Mad respect. You've earned a subscriber. We need people like you for the culture.
@SiHargreaves
7 ай бұрын
Ha thanks! I do tend to over cook stuff somewhat haha
0:01 - NIN - Sin (Short) sampled the "stuff" phrase in Change The Beat.
Amazing video! Great!
Tha ks for that. I've always wondered how the original was done. Always knew it was a vocoder, but never knew what the carrier was. Brilliant.
Super Topic! Really cool job mate 🔥🔥🔥
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Cheers dude!
One of the most well done videos I've ever seen
@SiHargreaves
9 ай бұрын
Heh you're too kind
Great video! Thanks for the history lesson!
Just found your channel, shoutout to you my guy. Great videos ✅💎
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Welcome aboard!
Excellent stuff man 👌🏼 still my 2 favourite samples to scratch with along with "all that scratching is making me itch" (has been since Qbert's Summit routine)
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
That's dope dude. I haven't had a record with "all that scratching..." on the tables for a while now.
Yea buddy! This was a great look at the history of the two most needle abused sounds in world. Loved it.
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Ah thanks. Need to do another video essay type thing like this one
This is made so well! thank you 🙏
@SiHargreaves
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!
Nice to see how far youve come since 1000 subs on this vid...
Good Stuff Man 👍🏾
As much as I like scratches of "Ah" and "Fresh", my favourite bit of the original sample is the "Reeeeaallllly". It sounds like a proper robot from the future.
This video is worth a million views!! Thanks !
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Bruh! Thanks for that 😊
Awesome video! Thank you!!
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Glad you liked it!
That was really interesting. Just subscribed so will be checking out your other vids.
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Awesome, thank you! I'm still finding my direction on this platform, but I'm managing to stay pretty consistent so far! Thanks for watching.
Dope video. 👏👏
fabFiveFreddy said in an interview, available online, that he was the voice behind “ahh this stuff is really fresh”
Excellent video. Looks wicked and really informative
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Cheers Dave. This the one I told you about ha
Just found your channel, great stuff man. Subscribed 👍🏼
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Nice one! Thanks for watching
Great video. Thank you for this.
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good job love your work!!! Keep on this Vid. is really good. Respect
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Big up
this is soo fire had synth class yday and i was like, yeah! scratching is basically just ADSR!
Was really interested to hear the history of the samples we all use. Great Job. Dj Chris2Cool South Africa.
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks dude. Glad you enjoyed
@PR3DESH
2 жыл бұрын
South africa 🇿🇦🤘
Excellent video bro! Respect
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
Very well done! TY!
@SiHargreaves
Жыл бұрын
Merci merci!
You got yourself a new sub! Great video!
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Cheers!
Great video. Will show this to my students. We should also remember that because of the ‘white noise’ within the samples they cut through a mix a lot more clearly. Thanks again.
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing! That's awesome. What subject are you teaching them?
@samteacher1
3 жыл бұрын
Si Hargreaves music tech and music practice UAL. We do a week on 80s hop hop.
fantastic video!!!!!!!
This is fucking fascinating ... brilliant breakdown
That was great. Definitely earned a like subscribe and comment.
Good effort .enjoyed that
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Nice one
Good Job!👍
Thanks for the video 👍
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
No worries man 😁
Herbie also added his own Sennheiser Vocoder as vocals when producing Rockit!
@SiHargreaves
9 ай бұрын
Good knowledge
dope video!!! thank you!
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Glad you liked it! ☺☺
I havent read the Dave Tompkins book but the scan you used was enlightening... It was Bill Laswells' Manager Trilling that repeated the term into a vocoder, but the record exec he was imitating with the famous phrase, was Bruce Lundvall, ex-CEO of the Blue Note Label ?! And imitating Lundvall, that's where the magic came from ? Fantastic, erm, stuff. Cheers fella.
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Great knowledge! Glad you enjoyed the video
@AutPen38
3 ай бұрын
I think he was also boss of Elektra Records in the '80s when Blue Note was effectively defunct. (He revived it later). Rumour has it that when he first heard Norah Jones' 3-track demo which included two cover versions of jazz standards he said "This stuff is realllllly fresh".
I have been scratching with these sounds for over 25 years and never knew where the original came from!
@blainelee8021
2 ай бұрын
Fab five freddy change the beat.
thank you!!! ❤️
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
DOPE VIDEO
Dope! 🙌🙏
@SiHargreaves
9 ай бұрын
🙌
Thank you!!!
Awesome. 👍
@SiHargreaves
9 ай бұрын
Thank you! Cheers!
Nice vid, thanks for putting it together. Because both sounds are noisy (e.g. there's no harmonic content in the AHHH and very little in the FRESH) they don't need to worry about being in the key of the song you're scratching over. E.g. If it was instead a single piano note being scratched, it'd sound terrible over music that isn't in that same key. Generally popular scratch samples don't have clear musical harmonics.
@SiHargreaves
9 ай бұрын
True that, I wonder why we haven't taken more sounds like that and processed them in the same way though
This stuff is really Freshhhh!
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
yeah boii
Brutal!!!!
Really great!
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Cheers man!
@nicklessticksfpv
4 жыл бұрын
@@SiHargreaves you can check my other channel "Supaphonik". I've been qsu valedictorian 2016, there is a serie "supavocab" with a tone of combos to work on. Keep up the good work.
great video
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it
Good video, i have been scratching fresh for 35 years
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Right on
One of the top most scratched record samples of all time: It’s been sampled in songs such as: ----------------------- Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz (2012) -------------------------- Paid in Full by Eric B. & Rakim (1987) ----------- Right Here by Justin Bieber feat. Drake (2012) -------- Rockit by Herbie Hancock (1983) ---------- So Far... by Eminem (2013) ---------- Finally Moving by Pretty Lights (2006) ----------- Yo Perreo Sola by Bad Bunny and Nesi (2020) ----------- Rhythm Rock Rapp by Daniel Sofer feat. The Unknown DJ and Dr. Dre (1984) ----------- Lamborghini by Trenchcoat (1987) ----------- P.S.K. - What Does It Mean? by Schoolly D (1985) ----------- I'm a Slave 4 U by Britney Spears (2001) ------------ Hey Young World by Slick Rick (1988) ------------- Face the Music by Crazy Town (1999) ------------- Cure for the Itch by Linkin Park (2000) -------------- Supersonic by J.J Fad (1987) -------------- Boyz-N-The-Hood by Eazy-E (1987) -------------- Hey Ladies by Beastie Boys (1989) -------------- U Can't Touch This (KMel Mix) by MC Hammer (1990) -------------- Stardust Speedway (Present) by Naofumi Hataya (1993) --------------- Posse in Effect by Beastie Boys (1986) ------------ Something 2 Dance 2 by N.W.A (1988) --------------- ‘Scrappy’s Rap’ from ‘Scooby Doo & The Ghoul School’ (1988) ---------------- And literally so many more!
good job
@SiHargreaves
Жыл бұрын
Thanks
I remember spending ages trying to find out what this was in 1986 before the days of the internet. Then Ed 'Jack N Chill' Stratton did a brilliant remix of "Showing Out" by Mel & Kim using both scratches to brilliant excess. I managed to track it down around 1991 finally. My first band name was ADSR in '87. :Great Stuff.
@SiHargreaves
9 ай бұрын
Heh cool man, it's funny as someone who was born in 1985, I missed all this stuff first time around and a lot of the music sounds pretty dated now
@culttelevision
9 ай бұрын
Yup everything was very linear as we were limited by affordable tech . I had access to a Yamaha DX-100 and a TR505 drum machine and that was it . Quite limiting :)
Because creativity in samples is rare
@SiHargreaves
9 ай бұрын
Yeah its hard to find good ones. It does sound good though dunnit
Nice
good one :)
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks 😃
Actually producer Michael Beinhorn is the creator of the fresh sound. He was Freddy's producer for change the beat. Basically Beinhorn revolutionized sound design in hip hop and then once again in rock with Soundgarden, Marilyn Manson, Korn etc. He is killer in the sound design department
@SiHargreaves
2 жыл бұрын
Interesting. Wasn't what my research told me but what do I know haha. Where'd you find that out?
DST!
It's kinda the Wilhelm Scream of scratching.
Popularized by Mixmaster Ice from UTFO......gotta teach truth.
You didn’t say the first track where “ahh” was scratched tho…Wasn’t MixMaster on a UTFO’s single of 1984? Roxanne Roxanne I believe…
Cause it’s the cornerstone of hip hop and it’s homage
Who was the guy in the intro dj’ing, if you can include a link to the video that would be great?
Fresh
Just checked, the Roland SVC350 vocoder sells for £1500. Ahhh this stuff is really expensive!
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Damn, wish I'd bought more hardware before all these silly prices... Wait, was there even a "before these silly prices".
@harrymoschops
4 жыл бұрын
@@SiHargreaves Ha ha that's fresh! Top vid btw
Anyone know the name of the scratch sample used in Return of the mack?
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
Trying to think what the scratching in Return of the Mack even sounds like...
Michael Beinhorn
fresh
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
Cheers!
I own roland vocoder for a relativelly long time (way back from the 90's) but never though of using a white noise as a carrier, and never realized that is actually source of a countless hiphop/electrofunk tunes, and base for a classic scratch sound. Dumb.
@SiHargreaves
Жыл бұрын
Heh I dunno if that's dumb. Think you're being hard on yourself!
@ambientoccluser
Жыл бұрын
@@SiHargreaves Yeah not having "knowhow" was a thing back then. Producers on local studios was mostly selfish and guardkept some things. People nowadays don't realize how valuable is internet and yt channels including yours. in late 80's/early 90's when I was young, and full of will, curiosity, and energy, only way to learn things was somehow connect to similar interests people (and that was hard without social networks and with interest for subculture/alternative and not pop)..., through the music magazines, and they surely haven't "bother" with this kind of stuff, mostly usual self praising, social commentary and anecdotes unrelated to detailed music production. Only way to somehow learn what people use was listening to d.j. anouncements on a radio show late night, specialized tv shows, and reading booklets on some records and cd's. It ended up with lot's of savings from various manual part time jobs into dumb things they dump on me on music shops, like Yamaha RX5, Akai XR10, thinking it would make me a electro funk producer:) Haven't got a clue about compression, or mastering :) Thanks!
Cause an Ahhh is the best practice sound everrrrrr
@SiHargreaves
3 жыл бұрын
haha, not fresh?
@yougotmike
3 жыл бұрын
@@SiHargreaves Sometimes lol
Ahhh, I used to have the original on vinyl and broke it! Gutted.
@SiHargreaves
2 жыл бұрын
gah! How'd you 'break' it??
@forwardever
2 жыл бұрын
@@SiHargreaves I was showing someone how flexible it was! 😂 This was when I was a teenager and didn’t know any better. He just burst out laughing. I bought it from Fat City Records in Manchester for a couple of quid. I still have the sleeve and every time I come across it I’m filled with regret! 😂
It's time ?
Why don't you state - at any point - the name of the track you've based your entire vid on? (Une Sale Histoire by Fab Five Freddy for anyone who's wondering, last few seconds: kzread.info/dash/bejne/m55hrZhraaespMo.html )
@SiHargreaves
4 жыл бұрын
I mention it in the "history" part of the video 🙄In English it's called "Change the Beat - Beside"
How about we don't over analyze it and just say the samples are used by everyone because they sound dope.