There’s a dusty six seconds of drums from a 1969 soul B-side by The Winstons that somehow ended up writing the DNA for a good chunk of electronic music. You’ve heard it – even if you think you haven’t. It’s been chopped, flipped, stretched and splintered into more versions than we’ll ever count. It’s the Amen Break, claiming its name from their track ‘Amen, Brother’.
The definitive breakbeat
The break comes in just over halfway through, played by Gregory Sylvester “G.C.” Coleman, and it’s nothing flashy – just pure pocket. But when sampled and pitched up, it morphs into a hyperkinetic rhythm engine.
If you want a copy of the original sample, it’s available as a pretty clean WAV here.
Considering the importance of the Amen Break in genres ranging from hip hop thru drum and bass and beyond, it seemed only fitting to showcase the diversity of tracks making use of the legendary sample.
Below you can listen to our 70 track, 5+ hour Spotify playlist curated to showcase the many ways artists have used the coveted drum break from Amen Brother by The Winstons during the past 2-3 decades.
