Monday, March 9, 2009

T.R.O.Y.

T.R.O.Y.

Trans Europe Express Revisited

Posted: 09 Mar 2009 02:30 PM PDT



In my last post on this subject,  I broke down the famous train sound pattern from Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express." For the sequel I put together an (incomplete) selection of tunes that all sample this particular sound. The diversity of the material truly reflects Kraftwerk's cross-genre appeal. Keep an open mind!


1. Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force – Planet Rock (1982) 
The most famous sampling of TEE – not the beat though. An emulated version of the train sound is played in the background when the synth melody from TEE sets in. Check my blog for more stories about this song.

2. Anthony Rother – Trans Europe Express (1998) 
That's a no brainer ... outstanding remix and probably the only one that can hold up to the original. To quote myself: Rother "took the sluggish juggernaut steam engine and remodeled it to a REAL express train by increasing the bpm ...  Whereas the original version was still rooted in a long musical tradition - a symphony that went through several movements, Rother's tightly composed TEE has finally arrived in the Modern Age, thus realizing what was only hinted at but not unfolded by Kraftwerk."

3. Kool G Rap – Rhymes I Express (1989) 
Only samples the pattern in the chorus but it's such a dope song that I had to throw it in. Nice play on the double meaning of "trans" and "express." 

4. Special Request – Salsa Smurph (1983) 
Electro novelty track that was quite a hit back in the days. I have no idea why; it's just SO odd. Weird sounds, lo-fi production, weird keyboard playing ... did I mention this is really weird (and fascinating)?

5. Kartoon Krew – Inspector Gadget (1984) 
Nowhere near my favorites from the era but it still is a nice little tune, featuring some solid synth and vocoder work. 

6. Sir Mix-A-Lot – Society's Creation (1990) 
Heavy minimalistic beats and some unusual socio-political commentary from the Bumpasaurus. We are treated with a chopped up and barely recognizable version of the Kraftwerk sample. The 909 snare drum sounds a bit too technoid for my taste ... but then again even Mantronik used the 909 and he is the king of the beat, so who am I to complain?

7. Ras Kass – Ghetto Fabulous (1998) 
That song is way past my usual timeframe, but it is a strong track and remarkable in its own right for slowing down the Kraftwerk sample to the point of disintegration. The relation to a train sound is completely lost, but it still retains its floating, ethereal character.

8. Professor Griff – Last Asiatic Disciples (1990) 
PE's own conspiracy theorist/wingnut Professor Griff with a nice upbeat version of the sample which drops quite unexpectedly and is over before you know it. Well seasoned dosage of subsonic boom provided by Luke Skyywalker of 2 Live Crew fame. 

9. Ultramagnetic MC's – Crush Kill Destroy (1984-1990)
"Traveling At The Speed of Thought" isn't the only Ultra song sampling Kraftwerk. I think I even prefer Crush Kill Destroy for its raw and unpolished minimalism ... even if the production is a bit on the „raw and unpolished" side, too. Call me biased but how can you not like Kool Keith's wacky space scientist lyrics? 

10. De La Soul – Ghetto Thang (1989) 
Very subtle use of the pattern and a great example of freeing a sample from its original context to create something completely different. 

11. Wolfgang Riechmann – Wunderbar (1978) 
Riechmann was a contemporary of Kraftwerk and part of the Düsseldorf electronic scene. It is not exactly the same pattern as in TEE but you can clearly hear the similarity. This is a wonderful song with a slight spaghetti western feel that always reminds me of the For A Few Dollars More theme (as used by Babe Ruth's "The Mexican"... as used by Planet Rock) ... and there we are, full circle.

12. Cosmic Rockers – Exodus (2007) 
I couldn't resist sneaking one of my own songs in. Probably the darkest and most Detroit sounding tune I ever made. The percussion pattern adds to the chilling and mechanical atmosphere. A little challenge (not too tough though): Can you ID the two vocal samples?

-- Cosmic Rock

Notorious B.I.G. (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997)

Posted: 09 Mar 2009 03:00 AM PDT


On March 9, 1997, at around 12:30 AM, The Notorious Big was shot 4 times while leaving the Vibe Magazine party in Los Angeles. He was pronounced dead at 1:15 AM.

Today, The T.R.O.Y. Blog is doing a recap of all the coverage that has erupted on the Internet following the Notorious premiere. You will get to see artists & close friends remembering Biggie Smalls, Demo Tracks, Mixtapes, Old Video Footage, and a full link streaming to the Notorious film.

Enjoy,

Remembering
Jadakiss - Letter To B.I.G.
Lil' Cease - Letter To B.I.G.
Love Bug Starski Remembers Biggie
B.A.M. Remembers Biggie
DJ Hard Hitting Harry Remembers Biggie
Skyzoo Remembers Biggie
Lady Luck Remembers Biggie
Un Kasa Remembers Biggie
DJ Premier on Biggie and Puffy
Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie On Notorious B.I.G.
Easy Mo Bee talks Bad Boy, Notorious Big, & Tupac
P. Diddy - "The LA Story"
P. Diddy - Tupac vs. Biggie Story

Notorious Movie (2009)
Part 1
Part 2

Christopher "Frank White" Wallace
R.I.P. (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997)

-- Thomas V

Blog Building 3/08/09

Posted: 08 Mar 2009 05:00 PM PDT



There's not a whole lot to report this week, but that's a good thing. I know that many of you have been hard at work exploring our archives, and I encourage you to keep at it. For those that are not in the know, we recently published a useful guide to our favorite posts, a sort of "Editor's Picks" kind of list. Access it here and catch up, already.

This week's poll, which asked you to name your favorite Gang Starr album, had an interesting outcome. Moment of Truth emerged victorious, but the margin was quite small, with Hard To Earn coming in very close at second place. My personal favorite Daily Operation garnered a respectable number of votes, but the all-time game-changing classic Step In The Arena appears to be all but forgotten. That's a shame, so expect a full album analysis for Gang Starr Month (April, suckas!) with breakdowns of the beats and lyrics. More immediately, look out for a new poll this week that'll deal with Notorious B.I.G.'s singles.

And speaking of Biggie, tomorrow we have a modest memorial planned. In addition to that you can look forward to the following:

A "long lost" Twista album

Trans Europe Express revisited

A "homegrown" remix of Big L "Put It On"

A compilation of hip hop from East Palo Alto, CA

And much more in store...

Recap (3/01/09 - 3/07/09)

Posted: 08 Mar 2009 06:00 AM PDT


T.R.O.Y. is the blooming rose that grew from concrete smack dab in the middle of a blog meadow where the flowers are wilted. Catch up on what you missed this past week.

Spotlight

T.R.O.Y. 101: Our Favorite Posts - This is as meta and navel-gazing as it gets, but if you're a fan of our blog then this guide to our best links was manna from heaven. Or something like that.

Sounds Like The '90s (Volume 3) - Nike heads and aging b-boys unite! The third installment of our popular, generation gap bridging series.

Cella Dwellas Non-Album Tracks - Freestyles and rarities you didn't even know existed, from Brooklyn's illest RPG fans.

O.C. Focus

Assorted Gems

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