In Praise Of Sampling

BEING an avid reader of The Namibian, the Friday edition especially, I found it yet again a pleasure to read.

The Weekender really surprised me by running an article on sampling. Being an aspiring hip-hop producer myself, I find this topic very interesting. I was exposed to hip-hop music and the art of sampling at an early age. Inspired by legendary beatmakers such as the Bomb Squad, RZA, DJ Premier and Dr. Dre, I started crate digging (looking for samples on an old LP) while I was still in High School.Over the years my musical excavations took me to vintage record shops in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. My best discoveries however, were made in dusty pawnshops all over Namibia and South Africa. At first using a turntable, sampler and drum machine, I would spent countless hours trying to make beats. With the arrival of computers my production methods changed, I now use my PC, sample CDs and music software to create that perfect beat.While many people may consider sampling as copying other artists music, I see it as musical education, because it taught me about other genres and artists and made me appreciate music that was before my time.Thanks to Ricardo Goagoseb, Tshuutheni and writer Denver Isaacs for making the article happen.Kold StoneVia e-mail