A Daft Punk Sampling Etymology

Just got my laptop back after a week. It’s all fixed. Hooray. Quick catchup:

1. Palmsout Sound posted an essential listing of original sample sources for a dozen Daft Punk songs. It’s hard not to listen to these songs and rethink what the meaning of “creativity” is in sampling. There’s a fine line between lifting someone else’s music wholesale and rescuing an otherwise buried idea. In several of the songs, the samples are relatively hard to spot (e.g. the “Around the World” source), which makes a strong case for the sampler as curator, practicing the art of selection and recontextualization.

By contrast, even allowing for a more elastic definition of “original”, upon hearing “Release The Beast” I can’t help but feel a little disappointed to learn how much less original “Robot Rock” is. Go listen for yourself and see what you think. (P.S. Now that I’m already breaking your heart, and since you got so sick of “Crazy” last summer that you’re ready to hear it again, check out the song that Gnarls sampled to make that track.)

2. Nation of Ulysses/Makeup/Weird War visionary/genius (and former co-worker of mine back in my D.C. days) Ian Svenonious has a fantastic new TV show called Soft Focus on Vice TV. Watch the Ian Mackaye episode now, taped in front of a live studio audience at the Guggenheim, which somehow feels appropriate.

3. There was a new Glass Candy track on their Myspace page a few days ago but it’s no longer there. However you can still grab it from the fantastic 20 Jazz Funk Greats blog, which is always a fantastic read.

MP3: “Miss Broadway” – Glass Candy (via 20 Jazz Funk Greats)

It’s yet another cover, this time of Belle Epoque’s disco classique, Miss Broadway. As with their Kraftwerk cover (which is still available) I think they’ve improved upon the original. Go get it before Johnny Jewel changes his mercurial mind. Glass Candy will be playing in SF on May 17 at Donuts (yes, I will be there.)

4. Tomorrow night (Wednesday) is the debut of The Workout: Live, our new DJ night! Johnatron, Pozibelle and I will be joined by the fantastic DJ Audrock from Club Loaded. We will be spinning pretty much exactly the kind of stuff we post and talk about here. Bonus: there will be free cupcakes!

P.S. The free beer thing mentioned on the flyer is no longer true. BUT. There will be drink specials, like $1 sake shots or something.

P.P.S Wednesday is the new Thursday!