100 Drum Breaks Volume 3

100 more songs with open drums for listening, sampling, and inspiration.

If you want to support Micro-Chop you can follow me on Spotify and subscribe to the newsletter and YouTube channel.

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Do you like drums? Do you like drum breaks? Well then, do I have news for you.

You may have liked 100 Drum Breaks Volume 1. You may have liked Volume 2.

Allow me to introduce you to Volume 3 - 100 songs compiled into one playlist for easy listening and sampling.

Maybe this playlist will inspire you to dive into the extensive discography of a group like The Chi-Lites.

Or maybe you’ll be inspired to sift through the excellent catalog of one of my favorite reissue labels, Athens Of The North.

And of course, many of you will find added value in these songs for sampling purposes, which is great.

Whatever the case, I hope the songs on this playlist spark some curiosity and bring you a bit of joy. What do you think of my selections? Let me know in the comments.

Last but not least, check the full playlist below. Make sure to dive deeper into these artists, their stories, and their work, and tell other people about them while you’re at it.

1. “Christine” by J.K. & Co.

2. “Soul Meeting” by Big Jay Bush and The House Rockers

3. “Soul Meeting” by Ronnie Mitchell

4. “Bouncy Lady (Album Version)” by Pleasure

5. “Simple Song” by Zebra

6. “Say I’m Your No. 1 (12” Remixed Version)” by Princess

7. “The First Time” by William Stuckey

8. “What You Do for Me” by Pure Silk

9. “Hustle On Down (Part 1&2)” by Michael Legrair

10. “Mystery of Ages” by Carlos Garnett

11. “Party Is A Groovy Thing” by People’s Choice

12. “Out On the Coast” by Larry Willis

13. “I’m The Man” by General Caine

14. “Nobody but Jesus” by Shirley Caesar

15. “Family Again” by Sly & The Family Stone

16. “Checkin’ Out Your Love” by T. Life

17. “E S P” by Richard “Popcorn” Wylie

18. “Do Whatever Sets You Free” by Johnny Frigo

19. “After the Love Has Gone” by Princess

20. “I Keep Comin’ Back to You” by The Chi-Lites

21. “Disco King” by Barry Stoller

22. “Campbell Lock (Instr)” by Don Soultrain Campbell

23. “I Like the Way You Do Your Thing” by Little Beaver

24. “Only Make Believe” by Bell & James

25. “Marvins Groove” by B.W. Souls

26. “Help Yourself” by The Undisputed Truth

27. “Get Out of My Life” by Bobby James

28. “Light Four” by Herbie Flowers And Barry Morgan

29. “Get Out of My Life, Woman” by Tages

30. “A Man Could Get Killed (Rock) (Funk) (1974)” by Sunship

31. “Upon This Rock” by Joe Farrell

32. “The Soil I Tilled For You” by Shades of Brown

33. “(Blame It On The) Pony Express” by The Pioneers

34. “You Should Have Seen the Way He Looked at Me” by Dixie Cups

35. “Air Cushion” by Bobby Alessi

36. “Train Of Thought” by Gene Pitney

37. “Hot Line To Jesus (Album Version)” by The Rance Allen Group

38. “Sweet Pea” by Floyd Cramer

39. “Beautiful World Out There” by Mac & Katie Kissoon

40. “Don’t Be Cruel” by Roy Williams Trinity

41. “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep” by Los Únicos

42. “Things Yet to Come” by Randy California

43. “Beautiful Country” by Turley Richards

44. “Better Be Sure” by The Road

45. “Windy City Boogie” by Chicago Gangsters

46. “The Godfather, Part II” by Ettore Stratta and His Orchestra

47. “Boxcar Hobo” by Sassafras

48. “Hupendi Muziki Wangu?! (You Don’t Like My Music) (Original Mix)” by Kid

49. “Training Day” by Herbie Hancock

50. “Hopscotch” by Charlie Rouse

51. “Essa Menina Tá Ficando Moça” by Dom E Ravel

52. “Yes We Can Can” by The Pointer Sisters

53. “Funky Chunky” by Peter Green

54. “Blue” by Sadistic Mika Band

55. “We All Got To Help Each Other” by Kenny Rogers

56. “Nigeria” by The Hippy Boys

57. “Nasty Girl” by Vanity 6

58. “Mongoose” by Elephant’s Memory

59. “Lament” by Movement In The City

60. “Repent Walpurgis (2009 Remaster)” by Procol Harum

61. “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Willis “Gator Tail” Jackson

62. “Candy Maker” by Tommy James

63. “Te Amo” by Aposento Alto

64. “Dirty Feet” by Daly Wilson Big Band

65. “Cherrystones” by Eugene McDaniels

66. “Philadelphia” by B.B. King

67. “Mainline” by Stuart Bascombe

68. “The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo)” by Ramsey Lewis

69. “New Orleans” by Nat Adderley

70. “Do You Care - Academy International” by Liberation Singers

71. “Nice ‘N’ Naasty” by Salsoul Orchestra

72. “Useless (I Don’t Need You Now)” by Kym Mazelle

73. “What It Is (Funk)” by Apollis

74. “Wandering Man” by Giuliano Sorgini

75. “I Got Some (Pt. 1)” by Billy Garner

76. “Sweet Pea” by Tommy Roe

77. “We Got Our Own Thang” by C.J. & Co.

78. “Doggone” by Love

79. “Cool Hand Stanley” by Wynder K. Frog

80. “Rubber Lips” by Young-Holt Unlimited

81. “Soul Struttin’” by 1910 Fruitgum Company

82. “Little Man In A Little Box” by Barry Fantoni

83. “You Can’t Do It Alone” by Nile Rodgers & CHIC

84. “On The Way” by Release

85. “Fekete gép” by Mini

86. “Found The Groove” by Wreckin Crew

87. “Sideway Shuffle” by Linda Lewis

88. “Money (Dollar Bill Y’all) (7” Version)” by Jimmy Spicer

89. “Father Time” by Newban

90. “Soul Song” by Shirley Scott

91. “Return To Me” by Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers

92. “Woman” by Barrabas

93. “The Thing” by Carleen & The Groovers

94. “Talk” by Big Jullien And His All Star

95. “Funky Donkey” by Pretty Purdie

96. “Tio Macrô” by Dom Salvador

97. “Baretta’s Theme (Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow)” by Rhythm Heritage

98. “Get Down” by Release

99. “A Possibility (Back Home)” by Wanda Robinson

100. “Down Stretch” by Eddie Gomez

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Some Nautilus Flips

Highlighting a few gems from an endless selection of sampling and replay wizardry.

If you want to support Micro-Chop you can follow me on Spotify and subscribe to the newsletter and YouTube channel.

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Bob James’ catalog has been sampled thousands of times by countless artists spanning many different genres. Throw on a James selection at random, and you’re practically guaranteed to hear elements that you’ll recognize from rap classics from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and beyond.

None of his songs, however, has spoken to sample-based producers more than “Nautilus.” Featured at the end of his Creed Taylor-produced six-song LP One, James had modest expectations for its potential cultural resonance. “My point about ‘Nautilus’ is that nobody paid any attention to it,” he told Daniel Isenberg aka Stan Ipcus in an essential 2013 NahRight feature. “We weren’t thinking of it as being one of the important tunes. And we had put it in on the last cut of Side B, which traditionally at that time would be the least important place.”

It may have seemed like a non-essential album element at the time, but “Nautilus” is now regarded as a classic that has been interpolated and sampled many hundreds of times. Reimaginings range greatly in how obvious the sample is, to which part of the sample the producer decided to flip.

On the creative but obvious end of the spectrum, there are offerings like Lord Shafiq’s David Sanchez and Rodney Lundy co-produced 1987 gem “My Mic Is On Fire.” For this number, Sanchez and Lundy layer a section of “Nautilus” over hard-hitting drums for the verses, while the hook makes excellent use of a scratched snippet from the song’s opening.

There are also subtler, difficult-to-detect usages of “Nautilus,” like The Ummah’s gorgeous 1996 remix of Keith Murray’s “The Rhyme.”

By the way, here’s an amazing 30-minute beat extension of the instrumental by the YouTube channel La Fuerza, which has a gang of beat extensions.

I’ve been researching and listening to “Nautilus” flips a lot recently and wanted to share two interpolations that I’d never heard before. The first is Gábor Szabó’s 1975 recording “Time,” which features a nice replay of the opening of “Nautilus” before moving into a gorgeous, mellow number that has also been sampled more than a few times. I believe this is the first time anyone has sampled or replayed James’ classic.

The second one takes more creative liberties with its “Nautlius” replay, but it still makes for a great listen. The song is Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic 3’s 1983 single
It’s Life (You Gotta Think Twice).” Using music provided by Harold McGuire, Jay Burnett, Jerry Bloodrock, and John Fowlkes, producer Jerry Bloodrock crafted a catchy, head-nodding blend of synths, sparse drums, and sound effects. This is a song that I could see having a resurgence someday if it were put to use in a movie, TV show, or viral video.

There are hundreds more “Nautilus” chops and flips to explore, so having fun deep diving if you decide to dig into more. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ones I put in front of you today.

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Covering Vince Guaraldi Trio

Beautiful versions of a special Christmas song. And some other tunes.

If you want to support Micro-Chop you can follow me on Spotify and subscribe to the newsletter and YouTube channel.

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Back in November/December of 2020, I decided to do a couple of sample challenges on Twitter. The #SwinginFlipChallenge had a big response, and it was really fun to see what people concocted using Mint Condition’s all-time classic “U Send Me Swingin’” as source material. Here’s a memorable flip from Naj Ahead.

I also did a #ChristmasFlipChallenge with BRKLSbeats and some additional help from STLNDRMS. Producers crafted very memorable entries. A-Side 45 even cooked up a Dipset Christmas flip.

Several of the flips stood out, but a few evoked an especially strong emotional reaction. One of them was a fresh take on Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “Christmas Time Is Here.” Both the instrumental and vocal versions of that song are beautiful, timeless creations. A Charlie Brown Christmas is up there with the best Christmas albums ever recorded and it gets plenty of burn in my house every year.

It’s a sacrosanct Christmas song and one that many artists seem hesitant to touch. That didn’t seem to faze California-based producer/funk musician DADPNTS. He offered a textured, vibrant, and mesmerizing interpolation of the original that gives it a modern twist while respecting the OG version. I highly recommend checking it out.

If you’re looking for an interesting mix of Christmas classics and unheralded gems, both new and old, here’s a 32-track playlist I put together a few years back, which you can check out on YouTube. It also features the DADPNTS cover.

Before I leave you alone, here’s one more for the road - Butcher Brown doing another excellent cover of “Christmas Time Is Here” live and in studio circa 2013.

Enjoy. And let me know what you think in the comments.

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100 Beats By 100 Different Producers

I love my excessively long instrumental playlists. Here's one of them.

If you want to support Micro-Chop you can follow me on Spotify and subscribe to the newsletter and YouTube channel.

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I love creating absurdly long instrumental playlists. I enjoy playing them in my classroom and at home. There are so many amazing beats, it’s impossible to give them all the attention they deserve.

However, compiling them in one place and pairing classics alongside lesser-known gems gives unsung artists and songs a shot at getting some shine.

So here’s a YouTube playlist of 100 beats by 100 different producers. I’m going to include the first eight songs below because they slap. So do the next 92.

I hope you take some time to listen and find something to add to your listening repertoire. Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments.

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100-Song YouTube Playlists

Beats, drum breaks, funk, obscure oddities, rare/forgotten rap, horror scores, and more.

If you want to support Micro-Chop you can follow me on Spotify and subscribe to the newsletter and YouTube channel.

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With a new teaching job and two young children, there hasn’t been a whole lot of time for writing or music curation. That said, I did make several 100-song YouTube playlists at various times early in the morning and late at night throughout this past summer.

I’ve shared some of these playlists via Twitter and my newsletter, but I’ve also sat on a number of them. I wanted to compile them all in one place. I know everyone’s brains and lives are overflowing, so please allow yourself the freedom to ignore all of these if you aren’t interested.

However, if you want to discover some music, both new and old, these lovingly compiled playlists might catch your ear.

I wish I had more time to write about each one in depth, and that might happen at some point, but for now I’m putting them all in one easy-to-use list for you to browse at your leisure.

Fans of this newsletter might be especially interested in the UPROXX music video playlist. They have an amazing collection of rap videos with upload dates going back almost two decades. With a heavy focus on the 90s, selections include an impeccable mix of obvious classics, forgotten favorites, and songs that never quite broke through from all over the United States. I stopped making the playlist at 141 videos, but I could easily double it with all the great videos in their archives.

Anyhow, here’s the list of 100-song YouTube playlists. Love them? Hate them? Either way, let me know in the comments!

• 100 Drum Breaks
  

• 100 Drum Breaks Volume 2
  

• 100 Instrumental Songs from Various Genres
  

• Legacy: Celebrating Lil’ Keke’s Remarkable Career in 106 Songs
  

• 141 UPROXX Music Videos
  

• Ohbliv: A 112-Beat Production Journey
  

• The Other ’89: A Journey Through Essential & Forgotten Funk, Jazz, House, and Rap in 100 Songs
  

• 100 Beats By 100 Different Producers
  

• 100 Songs from Horror Movie Scores
  

• A Micro-Chop Deep Dive: 100 Library Cuts, From Ultra-Obscure to Essential
  

• 100 THE SOULPRANOS Songs
  

• Sifting Through The Archives: 103 Athens Of The North Essentials
  

• Digging Coolfunk Zézé 2: 101 Vintage Funk Grooves from the Vault

• 102 OGDonNinja Cuts
  

• Memphis Dust & Digital Gold: Micro-Chop Selects 105 SouljahFromTheNorth Songs
  

• Dream Dial: Micro-Chop Digs Into 100 Songs from Paradise Is a Frequency
  

• 100 Gangsta Boo Tracks: From Solos, Collabs, and Features to Mixtape Treasures and Mafia Classics

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