Chopping and re-sequencing a sample turns any audio into a rhythmic-melodic instrument — timbre and rhythm at once

Sample-chop slices a sample into segments and re-sequences those slices. This turns any recorded audio — a vocal, a drum break, an old record — into a playable rhythmic and melodic instrument: the choice of which slice plays when creates a new rhythm, while the source audio supplies the timbre. It is therefore a move that operates on timbre and rhythm simultaneously, unlike synthesis moves that only shape timbre. It underlies hip-hop sampling, footwork’s chopped vocals, and jungle’s sliced breaks.

Examples

Chop a vocal into 8 slices and re-trigger them out of order to make a new hook. Strudel: s(‘breaks’).chop(8) or .slice(8, ‘0 3 1 5’).

Assessment

Explain why sample-chop is described as timbre and rhythm at once. Name two genres built on chopping and re-sequencing samples.