The Amen Break
the 7-second drum solo that revolutionized music, and the drummer that never got credit
music timeline and written history
Definitions
drum break - noun
/druhm//brāk/
a short segment of a piece of music (such as a rock song or a march) in which the drummer(s) play alone, also: a short segment of percussion accompaniment that is used as a sample loop (merriam-webster)
sample - verb
/sam-puhl,sahm-/
to use a segment of (recorded music, sounds, or dialogue from another source) as part of one's own musical composition or recording, also: to use a sample from another recording or performer (merriam-webster)
amen break - noun
/ä’men,ā’men//brāk/
a drum break that has been widely sampled in popular music. it comes from the 1969 track "Amen, Brother" by the soul group the Winstons, released as the B-side of the 1969 single "Color Him Father". The drum break lasts about seven seconds and was performed by Gregory Coleman (wikipedia)
Still not convinced that the Amen Break is the single most influential 7 seconds in recent music history? To the left you there 500 records. Each record represents 10 songs that sampled the break.
Still not impressed?
Let’s do some math. The average 7-inch record—the kind that singles are pressed on—is 1.41 ounces. For scale, here are some things that weigh an ounce: 1 pencil, 6 sheets of paper, 28 paper clips, 1 slice of whole-grain bread, 1 CD, 10 pennies, and 5 quarters.3 If you’re upset that I rounded down to 1 ounce instead of multiplying everything by 1.41: I’m sorry I can’t make everybody happy, but you get the point.
So, a 7-inch single is pretty light, right? We haven’t even started the math! 5,000 records x 1.41 ounces = 7,050 ounces 7,050 ounces is $5,640,000 worth of cocaine 16 ounces = 1 pound, so 7,050 ounces/16 = 440.625 pounds.
I guess that’s not that heavy, maybe it didn’t prove my point. It’s a good thing we don’t weigh music, then.
We listen to it. We spend time with it. Music is special for that.
So how much time has the Amen Break given us? 1 7-inch record can hold 6 minutes of music at 33 1/3 rpm, so multiply 6 minutes times 5,000 records, you get 30,000 minutes of music, which is equivalent to 500 hours, and 20.83 days.
Oh, It’s also 1,800,000 seconds. So, 7 seconds became 1,800,000. One Million, Eight Hundred Thousand seconds. That’s pretty impressive.
5,000/Five Thousand
That’s around the number of times the Amen Break has been sampled.
1969:
Amen, Brother
The Winstons released “Amen, Brother” in 1969, featuring the important 7-seconds call the Amen Break. Between 1972 and 1990, the break was sampled in a variety of songs. One of the earliest being Lyn Collins’ 1972 “Think (About It)”, after that in 1973 was Incredible Bongo Band’s “Apache.” Both of these tracks were sampled in hip-hop songs years later. J Dilla, a late great hip-hop producer, sampled Collins’ in his 1996 “Ash Rockin,” before that it was heavily sampled in Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock’s “It Takes Two” in 1988, and lightly sampled in 1993 for Snoop Dogg’s “Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None).” “Apache” was heavily sampled by both the Sugarhill Gang and Sir Mix-A-Lot in 1981 and 1996, respectively, both closely recreating the song as “Jump On It.” Kanye West and Jay-Z also sampled it in “That’s My Bitch,” from their hugely influential, 2011 collab album Watch the Throne. The Amen Break even reached David Bowie, who used it in his 1997 song “Little Wonder.”
The Amen Break’s direct use can be seen in hip-hop as early as 1986 when Salt-n-Pepa sampled it in “I Desire,” as well as in N.W.A’s 1988 debut album’s title track, “Straight Outta Compton.” Safe to say, the break had seen its fair share of use and sampling, at this point in a sound’s career we could already call it influential or important, but it wasn’t until 1990 that the Amen Break showed how much potential it had. That was seen mostly through the UK rave scene.
1990:
Let the Bass Kick
Carl Cox was one of the first DJs in the UK rave scene to play with the amen break. Speeding and pitching it up created a perfect sound for new electronic music at the time. It was one of the first times when the hardcore genre featured the amen break.
This track was indicative of the use of the break that was soon to come.
1991:
We Are I.E.
Lennie De Ice’s “We Are I.E.” is credited as being one of the first-proto jungle tracks. De Ice combined the amen break with raggae basslines, and a series of sound effects including gunshots and reloads. The track was actually made 3 years prior, in 1988.
“We Are I.E.,” along with Noise Factory’s “Set Me Free” and the Bodysnatch’s “Euphony (Just For you London)” were part of the beginning of Jungle. A genre that took the UK scene by storm, and is still popular and evolving today.
1992:
Ricochet
Foul Play, a three person music act, debuted in 1992 in the UK hardcore scene. With the rise of jungle, Foul Play and others in the scene, such as Tom & Jerry, and Omni Trio, followed the new sounds and established themselves as pioneers of the sound. Around 1992-1994, Jungle was reaching mainstream audiences and charting.
1994:
Incredible & Original Nuttah
In 1994, two jungle tracks made it to the UK Top 40, a huge feat, especially for such a young genre. M-Beat and General Levy’s “Incredible” and UK Apache and Shy FX’ “Original Nuttah,” were the ones to do it.
1993:
The Beginning
Invisible Man released a track in 1993 called “The Beginning.” This was one of the first tracks explicitly called Drum and Bass. Drum and Bass comes directly from Jungle, but has a more refined and calmer sound to it, leaving its raggae influence behind to new sounds.
Soon after, Roni Size released “Witchcraft” and began embracing the sound of Drum and Bass.
1997:
Vic Acid
In another genre of electronic music, IDM (Intelligent Dance Music), DJs begin playing with the Amen Break and distorting it to a point that it’s unrecognizable, matching their sound. Squarepusher does that here in Vic Acid, and Luke Vibert, an IDM producer has an alias Amen Andrews.
Safe to say the Amen Break’s reach is far and wide.
2000:
Twilight Voyage
LTJ Bukem released his 2000 DnB Album Producer 01, an atmospheric and calm drum and bass project, featuring Twilight Voyage, an eight and a half minute song that features heavily programmed drums and spacey melodies.
On the flip side is Photek’s “Seven Samurai” released in 1998. It still features the programmed drums, but holds onto the punchiness from earlier sounds. Both have their own uniqueness to them and are important to the scene.
2021:
Midnight
The Amen Break’s influence is still seen today. Dirty Bird uses a fast break on “Midnight”, akin to jungle and breakbeat. His sound explores all types of electronica, while he adds his own style to the mix.
Dazegxd and Mon create an amazing, dream-like breakbeat track. Tokyopill creates a dark and moody jungle atmopshere on “Digital Blue”, using texture and samples to make a specific and memborable sound. Lastly, the very popular PinkPantheress sings soft and catchy melodies over a classic jungle sample on “Break it Off.” PinkPantheress’ has credited jungle, drum & bass, and classic electronica as major inspirations. Jungle, DnB, and Breakbeat are alive and well.
The amen break’s influence is still strong.
Gregory C. Coleman was born on September 25, 1944. He was the drummer for The Winstons, and the drummer of the Amen Break, a famous drum solo taken from the recording "Amen, Brother" made in 1969 by The Winstons. This solo is the most frequently sampled drum loop in modern music and is used in genres from hip hop to drum and bass and beyond. Apart from sales of the original recording, Coleman never received any royalties from the widespread use of the sample.
Coleman died in Atlanta, Georgia, in February 2006. He was said to be homeless at the time. Coleman was twice married and is survived by a daughter and step daughter. His Amen Break is the most used drum loop in music history.
Spencer said it was unlikely he was aware of the impact he had made on music.
Gregory C. Coleman
(wikipedia)
Thank You
Thank you to The Winstons: Richard Lewis Spencer, Ray Maritano, Quincy Mattison, Phil Tolotta, Sonny Pekerol J. Lee Zane, and the biggest thank you to Gregory C. Coleman. The man that started this all.
Thank you to the artists I’ve written about here. The amount of art that has been inspired by the break and just how big it all became is truly incredible.
Thank you for making it this far and reading this much. It’s important to me so I appreciate you getting all the way here.The biggest point of this projcet is to say that it’s important to acknowledge where things came from. Everything comes from something, and it’s all connected. To fully respect and appreciate art, let’s always know where it comes from.
Whatever we’re enjoying, let’s go deeper.
Blues, Jazz, Rock n Roll, Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop, Disco, House, Techno, Jungle, Drum & Bass, Garage, Grime, Dubstep:
All came from Black Culture
(verbicide)
It’s important to know that so much of the UK rave scene was founded and developed by black people and culture, as with so much other music. It’s important to recognize this because so many of these genres can become lost and the people of color who pioneered the sounds we take for granted are often overlooked and underpayed.
Additional Listening
Albums/Artists
• Essence - A Guy Called Gerald
• ##extra zone - Dazegxd
• Journey Inwards - LTJ Bukem
Mixes
• Old Skool Jungle Mix (Blazeitdown)
• Jungle Classics Vinyl Mix 1 (DJ Rap)
Compilations
• Jungle Tekno 4 - Intelligence & Technology (1994)
• Jungle Tekno 5 - The Deep Side (1994)
• The Ultimate Drum & Bass Collection, Volume 2 (1996)
• Bailey - Intelligent Drum & Bass (1996)
• Smooth: New Dimensions In Ambient Jungle (1998)