How thousands of stolen sounds became a kaleidoscopic masterpiece
In short: In 1999, The Avalanches began sampling vinyl with a reckless 'no-one's going to listen' attitude. They didn't keep a list of their sources, resulting in an album built from up to 3,500 samples that required an expert to untangle for international release.
The debut album by Australian duo The Avalanches, 'Since I Left You', was born from a chaotic process of sampling. Working in nearly identical studios, Robbie Chater and Darren Seltmann—the latter using the pseudonym Bobbydazzler—exchanged audio mixes and expanded on each other's ideas. They utilized Yamaha Promix 01 and Akai S2000 samplers to weave together a sound inspired by 1960s music, such as the Beach Boys, rather than the heavy bass of contemporary dance music.
The production was famously unorganized. Chater estimated the album contained over 3,500 samples, though some estimates suggest the number was closer to 900. Because the duo did not initially plan for an international release, they did not track copyrights, often sampling 'on the fly.' This lack of organization created significant hurdles; the album's international release had to be delayed until 2001 to allow for sample clearance by expert Pat Shannahan. This process resulted in several versions of the record, as certain recognizable elements—like a Rodgers and Hammerstein harp intro or dialogue from Robert De Niro's 'Midnight Run'—had to be removed for specific markets.
Despite these logistical complexities, the album was a critical phenomenon. It achieved significant chart success, reaching number eight on the UK Albums Chart and number ten on the US Top Electronic Albums chart. At the 2001 ARIA Music Awards, the group won four categories, including Breakthrough Artist – Album. The record remains a landmark in electronic music, praised for fulfilling the original promise of sampling by creating an entirely new, extraordinary sound from appropriated pieces.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Since I Left You
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