Artist/writer Nate Harrison made this audio installation back in 2004 about the Amen Break. So it’s a bit old, but who cares… the music nerd in me loves this all to hell. Shit, it’s probably the most sampled drum beats in the history of, well, music.

Statement from the artist: The video begins with the pop track “Amen Brother” by 60’s soul band The Winstons, and traces the transformation of their drum solo from its original context as part of a ‘B’ side vinyl single into its use as a key aural ingredient in contemporary cultural expression. The work attempts to bring into scrutiny the techno-utopian notion that ‘information wants to be free’- it questions its effectiveness as a democratizing agent. This as well as other issues are foregrounded through a history of the Amen Break and its peculiar relationship to current copyright law.

If you dig this video, take a peep through some of his other works and writings on his website. There’s some interesting stuff that deals with intellectual property, cultural production and how the creative processes in electronic media if formed.