Sample Ideas: Songs People Haven't Sampled Yet

A playlist for producers and anyone else who wants to discover some great music.

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I turn 40 tomorrow (!). I’ve been actively listening to rap since I was in first or second grade. I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t think it was until middle or early high school that I really started to understand the process of turning sampled music into new songs. I know I had a vague understanding of sampling before then, but it was probably around eighth or ninth grade that I really started to get it.

Over the years I’ve had a lot of, “Wow, why hasn’t anyone sampled this yet?” moments while listening to music both well-known and obscure. I remember listening to Tears for Fears’ “Listen” from their classic Songs from the Big Chair in high school and thinking it was only a matter of time before a producer made a clever flip of it. I’m still waiting for that day.

Same thing with En Vogue’s cover of The Beatles’ “Yesterday” for their seminal record Funky Divas. My older sister bought this CD when it came out and it has been a consistent part of my listening routine since. I always felt that their rendition of “Yesterday” was incredible but it got lost in the shuffle a bit because the record had so many monster singles and standout moments. Once again I was certain a beatmaker would take a stab at chopping up part of the song, most likely the acapella opening. That day has yet to come.

According to WhoSampled, the most sampled song of all time is The Winstons’ “Amen, Brother,” which contains a seven-second percussion segment widely known as the “Amen break” around the 1:26 mark. “BreakBeat" Lou Flores and the late Lenny Roberts deserve a lot of credit for popularizing the break by including it in the first volume of their legendary Ultimate Breaks & Beats series in 1986. Their decision to slow the segment down helped further underscore how sample friendly the drums were.

WhoSampled has a jaw-dropping 6,178 examples of “Amen, Brother” being repurposed and the true number is very likely higher than that. I love records like this and I actually think they’re a great test of producer creativity. It’s impressive when an artist can wow listeners with a new take on a sample people have heard a million times before. However, there are so many amazing songs out there waiting to be sampled that remain untouched.

In addition to my 182 Micro-Chop Twitter threads and playlists and the Micro-Chop Monthly playlists I’ve decided to make a “Sample Ideas: Songs People Haven’t Sampled Yet” playlist where I capture music that sounds pretty sample-friendly to my ears. Want Inger Lise Rypdal’s gorgeous reimagining of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin' On Heaven's Door”? I got you.

How about La Protesta and Tony Pabon’s incredible take on Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” that might rank as one of the all-time great covers of the song? Look no further.

So far I’ve collected a total of 58 songs on Spotify and YouTube that nobody has sampled yet, at least not that I’m aware of. If you’re a producer looking for some great music to flip, this playlist is for you. If you’re not a producer and you just want some great music - most of which you’ve probably never heard before - I’d also recommend giving this playlist a spin.

I look forward to seeing and hearing what people create with these songs.

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