where can i find a copy of the Amen Break?

August 5, 2005 1:23 AM

Where can i get a copy of the Amen Break?

I dont have a record player, so buying the original winstons vinyl is out. Is there some place where i can get a relatively high quality version as a free download? If not, anyone know which breakbeat collection it's on? I know a lot of third party companies basically sampled and released the Amen break, but there are so many breakbeat sample CDs out there i dont know which one has it. Also, you get a cookie if you can get it to me for free or for under $20.

posted by EvilKenji to media & arts (11 comments total)

You ought to be able to get it from www.thebreaks.com, but that's refusing connection to me at the moment. I'm pretty sure I have a copy if you can't get hold of it anywhere else. Email in profile.
posted by benzo8 at 1:26 AM on August 5, 2005

If you're looking for a download, why not just download the Amen Brother track?
posted by Jairus at 2:03 AM on August 5, 2005

really tangential to the topic, but here's something I forgot all about until you mentioned this. It does have a copy of the Amen break in it, but I'm not sure if it's at the resolution you want.
posted by boo_radley at 2:25 AM on August 5, 2005

"Amen, Brother" sample and all the rest (.wav and MP3 formats)
posted by Smart Dalek at 2:32 AM on August 5, 2005

We talk about Sample Rate rather than resolution in audio... Anyhow, I've put a .wav format loop you can download at http://www.benzo8.org/audio/amenbreak.wav...
posted by benzo8 at 2:36 AM on August 5, 2005

On preview - Smart Dalek's link has the .WAV too...
posted by benzo8 at 2:37 AM on August 5, 2005

I'm obviously in the wrong thread. I'm looking for a way to eliminate those long, green gaps in AskMe posts.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:12 AM on August 5, 2005

According to AMG, it's on a CD called Block Party Breaks, Vol. 2. Amazon Marketplace has a couple of copies.
posted by hyperizer at 12:47 PM on August 5, 2005

sweet benzo8, pretty good quality. As for the ign link, thanks, but the quality is a bit rough for my tastes. Benzo, could ya tell me the copyright info on this particular file? I plan on cutting it up and sampling...ya know...the norm :-p
posted by EvilKenji at 8:21 PM on August 5, 2005

Sorry - was away for the weekend!

I cut the loop myself from the vinyl and topped-and-tailed it some years back. The copyright is as standard - if you release something using it, you'll need to negotiate clearance with the relevant publisher/record label. That said, the Amen Break has been so widely sampled/chopped/recorded that it's almost de-facto public domain and I'd suggest that if you distorted it far enough you'll be fine without legit. clearance. Of course, iana(music)l so take this with a pinch of covering-my-own-ass salt...
posted by benzo8 at 12:01 PM on August 7, 2005

Since benzo8's link has gone offline:

Jungle Breaks has a variety of loops used in drum'n'bass, including the Amen Break.

More: the history of the Amen Break and more sample history.
posted by LanTao at 12:54 PM on November 13, 2005