Unfortunately, it appears I still haven't received the CD's, yet. Therefore, this review will be based solely on the sounds they contain, which I had already downloaded. Expect the entry to be updated later, however, when they arrive.
The history behind this three-volume series seems to be a little blurred. Many sites argue that this was the first ever dance-themed sample CD, while Ed Stratton, the creator of these CD's, says in one interview that he was inspired by Ueberschall's preexisting Houseworx sample CD.
Regardless, in the same interview, he says that he compiled all the samples from analog equipment. This seems to be obvious in the quality of many of the samples: not only are all samples in mono, but some also have some unnecessary static, clicks, and pops, as is typical for something pulled off of a commercial vinyl record, for instance.
Which appears to be exactly what Stratton did. The samples consist almost entirely of uncleared copyrighted samples from preexisting songs and movies. Some were very well known songs, ranging from James Brown's "Funky Drummer" to Tears for Fears' "Shout". All others are from lesser known songs and movies, though some probably gained some press in the first place because of these CD's, such as the now-often-sampled "Amen" break by the Winston brothers, who still haven't received royalties from the countless songs that sampled their B-Side.
The most troubling part of this is that, combined, the Datafile CD's claim to have 3000 samples. I have not had the time to confirm this number, but regardless, there are only a handful of samples that had no chance of being an uncleared sample from a commercial song or movie, even if most of the exceptions were from sample-based synthesizers and drum machines. I even recognize a echoey kick drum in volume 3 that is identical to a sample from the preexisting Sonic Images, which was another sample library that was often used with the Synclavier.
It amazes me in retrospect how many people used these CD's in the libraries despite the copyright infringement involved. Zero-G claims to say that the Datafile CD's did not have a commercial license, though I will likely confirm whether this is true with the authentic CD's of volumes 1 and 3. Whether it's true or not, a lot of electronic musicians used them in the '90s for commercial projects, ranging from the drumloop in Gary Numan's "Desire" (a sample pulled from Monk Higgins' "One Man Band (Plays All Alone)") to virtually all of the non-analog sounds in the soundtracks to the early Wipeout games.
To conclude this rather troubling bit of electronic music history, below is an old video of mine showcasing some of the sounds in the style of the aforementioned Wipeout games.
Regardless, in the same interview, he says that he compiled all the samples from analog equipment. This seems to be obvious in the quality of many of the samples: not only are all samples in mono, but some also have some unnecessary static, clicks, and pops, as is typical for something pulled off of a commercial vinyl record, for instance.
Which appears to be exactly what Stratton did. The samples consist almost entirely of uncleared copyrighted samples from preexisting songs and movies. Some were very well known songs, ranging from James Brown's "Funky Drummer" to Tears for Fears' "Shout". All others are from lesser known songs and movies, though some probably gained some press in the first place because of these CD's, such as the now-often-sampled "Amen" break by the Winston brothers, who still haven't received royalties from the countless songs that sampled their B-Side.
The most troubling part of this is that, combined, the Datafile CD's claim to have 3000 samples. I have not had the time to confirm this number, but regardless, there are only a handful of samples that had no chance of being an uncleared sample from a commercial song or movie, even if most of the exceptions were from sample-based synthesizers and drum machines. I even recognize a echoey kick drum in volume 3 that is identical to a sample from the preexisting Sonic Images, which was another sample library that was often used with the Synclavier.
It amazes me in retrospect how many people used these CD's in the libraries despite the copyright infringement involved. Zero-G claims to say that the Datafile CD's did not have a commercial license, though I will likely confirm whether this is true with the authentic CD's of volumes 1 and 3. Whether it's true or not, a lot of electronic musicians used them in the '90s for commercial projects, ranging from the drumloop in Gary Numan's "Desire" (a sample pulled from Monk Higgins' "One Man Band (Plays All Alone)") to virtually all of the non-analog sounds in the soundtracks to the early Wipeout games.
To conclude this rather troubling bit of electronic music history, below is an old video of mine showcasing some of the sounds in the style of the aforementioned Wipeout games.
UPDATE: I recieved the CD's for volumes 1 and 3 at last. The booklet for volume 1 says nothing about what kind of license is given to the user, which is sort of good for Zero-G in that they tell the truth about no commercial license being granted. However, on the back of the jewel case, there is a notice on the bottom saying that all the content is owned by Ed Stratton despite the songs known to have been sampled from, some of which I had heard of before listening!
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