Spenda C aka Steve Lind is no stranger to the Australian bass music landscape. With one of the longest standing residencies at the iconic Sydney club, Chinese Laundry, he is hailed by his peers as the leader of the local trap music scene.
This has seen him through a stream of releases on esteemed labels such as Klub Kids, Vicious Bitch, Onelove and Ministry Of Sound. In addition to this, his productions have received worldwide support
On the eve of a single and EP release, Spenda C has announced his most extensive tour to date which will see him perform 16 dates across Australia and New Zealand.
After giving us some very insightful tips on how to sample music effectively, Spenda has curated his on compilation of his favourite tracks that featuring some of the best samples he’s ever heard. Check it and Spenda’s commentary out below.
A Tribe Called Quest – ‘Can I Kick It?’
When that iconic ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ bassline starts playing you can’t be sure if you’re about to cop some Tribe action or be treated to Lou Reed’s whimsical tale of a tranny road trippin across the USA… Either way you can’t help but tap your feet.
The Prodigy – ‘Out Of Space’
Liam Howlett is a genius when it comes to sampling. All of The Prodigy’s albums are riddled with obscure samples that barely resemble the original source. ‘Out Of Space’ is unique because Howlett has opted to sample huge chunks of Max Romeo’s ‘Chase The Devil’ pretty much as it is in the original. The outcome is a dancefloor devastating mash of jungle ragga rave that still does damage in my sets today.
Jay-Z – ‘Izzo’
While I’m not a huge Jay-Z fan (gasp) I am a massive Kanye fan. The way he flips this Jackson 5 beat into something completely his own while still managing to maintain that sense of familiarity is pure genius!
Flume – ‘Holdin On’
The sampling on this is done so well at first I didn’t even realise it was a sample! The vocal is from ‘I Can’t Turn You Loose’ by Anthony White but you would have a hard time to recognizing it afterFlume messes with the pitch and overall delivery of the original vocal.
Rihanna – ‘Where Have You Been’
I find this one really interesting… although Rihanna didn’t actually sample anyone she did use 4 words from a song written in 1959 by Australian song writer Geoff Mack. You know the one that rattles off a stupid amount of Aussie towns at an even more stupid speed.
RL Grime – ‘Core’
Undoubtedly one if the biggest trap tunes ever made, ‘Core’ takes its main synth drop from theProdigy track ‘Climbatize’. But sneaky Liam sampled ‘The Horn Track’ by Egyptian Empire so there you have it, 3 amazing songs with one crazy sound.
Daft Punk – ‘One More Time’
As soon as that horn sample comes in everybody on the dance floor be like “Woop Daft Punk!!” Cheeky French lads pinched that sound from ‘More Spell On You’ by Eddie Johns. Great example of a simple idea done so well.
Sugarhill Gang – ‘Rappers Delight’
One of my all time favourite party tunes. That horn stab with that super funky baseline from Chicnever fails to get the party going.
2 Pac & Dr. Dre – ‘California Love’
Dre is a sample guru. I pretty much love all his productions but his mid 90’s G-Funk phase was the best. That driving piano line in ‘California Love’ was ripped for Joe Cocker’s song ‘Woman to Woman’.
Tour Dates
Fri 01 May: Father Takeover, Villa, Perth
Sat 02 May: Carmens, Miranda
Fri 08 May: Cant Say, Melbourne
Sat 09 May: Plan B, Hobart
Fri 15 May: Mr Wolf, Canberra
Sat 16 May: Static, Hamilton, NZ
Fri 22 May: Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown
Sat 23 May: Apple Bar, Adelaide
Wed 27 May: The Argyle House, Newcastle
Fri 29 May: Flinders Social, Townsville
Sat 30 May: The Met, Brisbane
