What music uses geeky samples?

May 29, 2009 3:48 PM

The track www.nevergetoveryou uses the ICQ "Uh oh!" sample. What other commercially released music uses samples from computer programs, OSs, or related geeky sources?
posted by Mwongozi to media & arts (17 comments total)

Brad Paisley's "Online" uses the Mac OSX power-on sound.
posted by smorange at 3:54 PM on May 29 [1 favorite]

I'm not sure if "video games" counts under "related geeky sources," but there's a whole genre based on video game samples: chiptunes.

There's a documentary about the genre, Blip Festival: Reformat the Planet. I'd give a million recommendations but I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for.
posted by Juliet Banana at 3:55 PM on May 29

Chiptunes are indeed all kinds of awesome, but that's not that I was looking for in this particular instance. I'm just looking for direct samples inserted into otherwise "normal" tracks.
posted by Mwongozi at 3:57 PM on May 29

I think you'll enjoy this:
Jib Kidder - Windowdipper
posted by sen at 4:02 PM on May 29

The intro to Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" uses one of the Mac system sounds (although on the album, the intro is actually at the end of "Airbag", the previous song).
posted by tapeguy at 4:11 PM on May 29

On a similar note, Fitter Happier from OK Computer is spoken using SimpleText.
posted by ALongDecember at 4:20 PM on May 29

Manu Chao's Desaparecido has what I believe is samples from Galaga (about 1:27 into this video)
posted by vacapinta at 4:22 PM on May 29

On Air Library's "Fell to Earth" uses that old AOL squeaky door open sound.
posted by fontophilic at 4:26 PM on May 29

um .. all your base are belong to us?
posted by lester at 4:58 PM on May 29

The Smashing Pumpkins 'Where Boys Fear to Tread' from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness contains an explosion noise from Doom.
posted by mkb at 5:00 PM on May 29 [1 favorite]

Todd Rundgren's "I Hate My Frickin' ISP" uses modem sounds, as does White Courtesy Telephone's "AND NOW?" (which is named after the prompt on a BBS)
posted by bink at 5:01 PM on May 29

Britney Cleary's I.M. Me (from 2001) uses the AOL door opening sound and various IM sounds from the time. This is an unofficial video but the song was commercially released. It sounds just as bad now as it did at the time but still a cute throwback to early 2000's Internet culture.
posted by wackybrit at 8:26 PM on May 29

lester, the "all your base" voice-synthesized voice wasn't in the original game intro.

Sometimes, I still surprise myself with my nerdiness.
posted by Pronoiac at 8:34 PM on May 29

Kraftwerks The Telephone Call features sounds from one of the greatest computer networks known to geek-kind.
posted by dirm at 9:04 PM on May 29

I'm 99% sure that "Touchdown Turnaround" by Hellogoodbye! features the AIM "message received" trill in the bridge, but I can't be certain.
posted by Alterscape at 11:09 PM on May 29

Not exactly the same thing, but "Carnival" by Mr. Bungle uses samples from the pinball game Funhouse
posted by orville sash at 6:47 AM on May 30

Johann Johannsson : IBM 1401, A Users Manual.
http://open.spotify.com/album/4JxmdvYcvfrJJVujRTWS5d
posted by Dr.Pill at 10:21 AM on May 31