I'd been meaning to post about the already widely reported case of Timbaland apparently stealing a melody from a Finnish C64 demo musician. I don't really have much to add, but today I found this clip of Timbaland and Busta Rhymes in the studio. On top of Timbaland's keyboard (which Busta is playing), you can clearly see an Elektron SidStation - which is, of course, the best way to create Commodore 64 sounds in a modern studio.
1/28/2007
Timbaland vs Finland vs SidStation
I'd been meaning to post about the already widely reported case of Timbaland apparently stealing a melody from a Finnish C64 demo musician. I don't really have much to add, but today I found this clip of Timbaland and Busta Rhymes in the studio. On top of Timbaland's keyboard (which Busta is playing), you can clearly see an Elektron SidStation - which is, of course, the best way to create Commodore 64 sounds in a modern studio.
The SID Station is also a great way to rip off a classic SID tune, using the ASID player program.
ReplyDeletethis "widely reported" story has never entered my lap. And I LIVE on the net.
ReplyDeletepretty irritating tho. Sounds very similar through laptop speakers.
I wouldnt trust these tho
Chris - more coverage here...
ReplyDeletehttp://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&q=timbaland+finnish&btnG=Search+Blogs
Another blog has a pretty neat remix of the tunes. (Check out the file at the bottom)
ReplyDeletehttp://i-am-random-j.blogspot.com/2006/01/timbusted-rickit-rickit.html
The ringtone in particular is an obvious rip. It's literally just the mod with a beat put on top of it. I guess there is no need to say timbaland has no talent, because he obviously does, but it still doesn't make this ok to do.
ReplyDeletewe have covered this topic quite extensively over at the music blog I run livepa.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteAfter a little research and some very good comparison videos there is a substaintal arguement that the song may have been taken. On the other han the melody is rather simple and may have just happened to have lined up. The avaliability of the chiptune online though for the long amount of time that it has, puts Timbaland in a sticky situation.
LivePA Blog: Timbaland Maybe Stealing Music?
Follow up Post
keep yr chin up, T!
ReplyDeletethe MOD community is a pretty weak pool of talent to pull from for hip-hop.
ReplyDeleteunless you really really like 5 min synth solos in your mix!
yo!
true....but he made it into a pretty dope beat
ReplyDeleteTimbaland did, without doubt, sample the loop from GRG's C64 version of the song. In the arpeggio GRG changed waveform from pulse to triangle waveform at 11 _random places_ and all these random triangle bits can be heard in Timbaland's version too. Take the 2 last minutes from CD version of Do It, remove the center channel in Sound Forge and there you have GRG's SID playing, with only some drum sounds added on top of it
ReplyDeleteThey sure seem to have fun but that timbaland-guy absolutely should give credit to his original beat-source however his deed is not as ideologistic perverted and discusting as BLACK EYED FUCKING PEAS, they have sampled 3 really nice songs: Misourlo by dick dale, Homecomputer by Kraftwerk and that bossanova-song by that bossanova-guy and turned it in to disrespectful musical dog-latrine.
ReplyDeleteBlackeyed Peas surely suck now, but I bet you the drink of your choice that the sampled tunes you mentioned are credited in their liner notes and the original artists got some form of compensation for their use.
ReplyDeleteSo I would argue that what Timbaland did is far worse.
eh, so why doesnt he sue him?
ReplyDeleteThe plot thickens! Once bitten, twice – bitten?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV2fTEeP6GM
Sadly, i'm not surprised. That's how the game is played.
ReplyDeletethe plot thickens!
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Timbaland_plagiarism_controversy
Sorry, thickens-er!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't get it, what is the big deal? Isn't sampling the technology that hip-hop is based on? Does anyone really care other than the nerd who got ripped off? It's a decent melody but he didn't have the know-how to do anything with it. Timbo turned it into a banging track. Like he's done with a million other melodies, riff, etc that he's sampled. Show of hands, who would ever listen to the original version? Okay, now who would listen to Timbo's version? See?
ReplyDeleteThis just proves that he is hip to the C64 sound and therefore the demo scene, and is further proof that probably sampled from that tune.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, it doesn't change the fact that he still ripped someone off. You should have to clear samples to use them, it's other peoples material for fucks sake.
ReplyDeleteas cruddy as black eyed peas are, i'm sure that dick dale and kraftwerk were paid for the samples. The way this timbaland thing is shaping up, it just looks like out and out theft.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is no one wants their stuff stolen from them especially when the person steals it is making mad cash off it.
To me it seems that Timbo's arrogance grows as his skills shrink. The suckier he gets, the louder he trumpets his mastery over the entire known universe.
ReplyDeleteHe should go listen to some of the stuff he made back when he was good and hadn't urinated in his own head... to the brim.
It's a decent melody but he didn't have the know-how to do anything with it.
ReplyDeleteHe did have the know-how to do something with it. He released it for free and won a competition. I think that was a much better idea than letting Nelly Furtado sing over it.
Besides, Timbaland doesn't need any know-how. What he has done is like finding and kissing the ass of someone willing to pay for (and promote the consumption of) feces (the record companies), finding some fine and exotic food (in this case, Acidjazzed Evening), eating it, and shitting it out for profit.
Show of hands, who would ever listen to the original version? Okay, now who would listen to Timbo's version? See?
I listened to (and liked) the original version long before hearing GRG's cover or Timbaland's rip. In my opinion it's much better than anything Timbaland has ever "made", and musically it's probably way beyond anything he'll ever be able achieve without stepping on the backs of talented people.
Now I must ask you a counter-question: Would you listen to the Timbaland tracks if the stolen parts were taken out? I mean, it'd basically just be a crappy drum beat. It'd show how good of a musician Timbaland really is.
I think I´m gonna sample the Furtado tune and make a new worldwide hit out of it.. "Do it" sucks though, sorry.
ReplyDeletesid sampling dvd
ReplyDeleteDVD for PC/Mac featuring over 4000 Sidstation samples
50 presets sampled on all the range of the keyboard
200 Hits and more than 500 Loops
Sampling in WAV PCM Mono 16Bit 44100Hz
2 Gigas of content - High Quality Samples
Fully compatible with all samplers Hardware & Software:
AKAI.reason.acid.protools.cubase.halion.logic.sonar.ableton live
fruity loops.kontakt.sampletank. MPC.machfive.battery, etc...
http://sidsampling.free.fr/
http://www.myspace.com/sidstationsampling
I recommend this site: http://www.lyricsalive.com
ReplyDelete