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Video explains the world's most important 6-sec drum loop

Landon Proctor
Documentaries
YouTube
15 HN users recommended this documentary11 months2011–2026 score 14.5
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

A perennial HN recommendation, brought up whenever sampling, copyright or music history comes up, often described as a must-watch.

Nate Harrison's 2004 video history of the Amen Break, a six-second drum sample from a 1969 b-side that became the basis of hip-hop sampling, jungle and drum and bass. It is also a meditation on cultural ownership and creativity.

“this is an excellent 20-minute video about the history of the Amen Break” (HN, 2013)

8 strong recommendations · 7 recommendations · 5 citations · Documentaries

20 Hacker News comments

From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.

@jeffool Jun 2012 Strongly recommends
on HN thread Youtube claims I don't own my own film
Read more
I wish you the best of luck Mdotstrange (if you didn't see it, he posted in this thread claiming BFM actively claimed copyright over the sound of wind.) Yes, piracy and copyright infringement is rampant, but by both individuals and corporations. A great example is the Amen Break. If you've got 20 minutes, I can't suggest this video enough for everyone: [this video] It's in everything from old hip hop, to Oasis' "D'You Know What I Mean?" to the original Futurama theme song! And all used with, according to the creators, absolutely zero royalties. (And they're fine with it, having been told. They get it.)
Shows Amen Break used everywhere without royalties
@joezydeco Apr 2013 Strongly recommends
on HN thread The Economics Of Girl Talk
If you want to go farther down the rabbit hole, this is an excellent 20-minute video about the history of the Amen Break, the "six-second clip that spawned several entire subcultures" and the rise of sampling: [this video]
Excellent 20-minute history of Amen Break and sampling
@jmarin Jun 2014 Strongly recommends
on HN thread Houston, We Have A Public Domain Problem
For anyone interested in more thoughts on copyright and (the killing of) culture, I highly recommend this video on the Amen break: [this video] Additionally, this comic is informative and fun: [link]
Thoughts on copyright and culture via Amen break
@DiabloD3 May 2015 Strongly recommends
on HN thread Typedrummer
For those who don't know what the Amen Break is, here is the most important documentary ever done: [this video]
Introduces the Amen Break
@jsmthrowaway May 2015 Strongly recommends
on HN thread The Roland TR-808: the drum machine that revolutionised music
The TR-808 is up there with samplers and the Amen Break in terms of defining modern music. If you have twenty minutes, there's a wonderful video explaining the Amen Break that I suggest everybody watch at least once: [this video]
Wonderful explanation of the Amen Break
@securingsincity Apr 2025 Strongly recommends
on HN thread Shared DNA in Music
This is my favorite video on the Amen break from about 20 years ago that explains the history and more of the context [this video]
History and context of the Amen break
@fred_is_fred Apr 2026 Strongly recommends
on HN thread A 25-Year-Fight over a 2-Second Sample
Here's the video to watch on the history of the Amen Break. It's very in-depth and I highly recommend it. I just noticed it's 20 years old too! [this video]
In-depth history of the Amen Break
@RyanMcGreal Aug 2011 Recommends
on HN thread John Mayer on Finishing Awful Songs
My favourite is the story of "Amen Brother", a forgettable (?) b-side instrumental by sixties funk band The Winstons that just happened to feature a really sweet break beat ... which went on to spawn an entire musical genre. [this video]
Story of a b-side break that spawned genres
@ykl Mar 2026 Recommends
on HN thread Bubble Sorted Amen Break
If you aren’t familiar with the Amen Break, here’s a now classic 18 minute documentary on the Amen Break and its origins and evolution: [this video]
Classic documentary on Amen Break origins and evolution
@tlynchpin Mar 2026 Recommends
on HN thread Bubble Sorted Amen Break
[this video] great deep dive into the Amen break. this video is from the yt days of yore, nice to see the yt algo still propping it up.
Great deep dive into the Amen break
@efortune Mar 2026 Recommends
on HN thread Bubble Sorted Amen Break
This documentary from 2004 (uploaded to YouTube in 2006(!)) is how I learned about the Amen Break and it's immense influence on the music of the 80s and 90s: [this video]
Taught commenter about the Amen Break's influence on 80s and 90s music
@bayindirh Jun 2026 Recommends
on HN thread Teenage Engineering: Introducing APC-2
...and here's a great documentary about this: [this video] This is a video about Amen Break, read from a wax disc which can't survive more than 5-6 plays.
Great documentary about the Amen Break

Citations, criticism and jokes

@jdietrich Apr 2017 Cites it
on HN thread Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of Roland, has died
Read more
That's substantially overstating the case. The TR-808 is an iconic drum machine, but you're far more likely to hear a cut-up sample of the Amen Break or the Funky Drummer Break. The importance of the TR-808, TR-909 and TB-303 is largely accidental. These units were a commercial failure and gained cult success largely because they could be bought cheaply. In much the same way, grunge musicians tended to use whatever horrible old guitars were languishing at the back of pawn shops - Fender Jaguars and Jazzmasters, Mosrites, Teiscos and Danelectros. In my opinion, by far the most important work done by Roland was the development of the MIDI standard. Ikutaro Kakehashi and Dave Smith moved mountains to get the industry to agree on a common standard. MIDI was the starting pistol for the modern age of music production. [link] [link] [this video]
Linked as background on the Amen Break's importance
@neilharbinger Aug 2018 Cites it
on HN thread Theft: A History of Music
and that, in turn, reminds me of The Most Important 6 Second Drum Loop [this video] and Raiding the 20th Century [link]
Related to music history theft theme
@kortex Nov 2018 Cites it
on HN thread Dropping Acid
Speaking of Wilhelm Screams of music, the Amen break is nearly as ubiquitous as the 808 clap. It helped catalyze Hip-hop, while Rave, and then Jungle and dnb, were virtually born out of that loop as Athena was born from Zeus' skull. [this video]
Linked to illustrate the Amen break's influence
@DragonL80 Mar 2023 Cites it
on HN thread Judge Decides Against Internet Archive
This is how copyright law is broken. It offers artists next to no protection. [this video] Edit: it really only benefits large companies who have managed to exploit it.
Example of copyright failing artists
@zer00eyz Nov 2024 Cites it
on HN thread The Impact of Jungle Music in 90s Video Game Development
Amen! [this video] The very best of jungle was "UK Apache with Shy FX - Original Nuttah". It got a bit of re-release for its 25th birthday (5 years ago) with an intro by Idris Elba. [link] Ali G gave jungle a moment to shine: [link] And jungle isnt dead its just evolved a bit! Nia Archives - Off Wiv Ya Headz from last year: [link] Amen brother, Amen!
Amen break video shared in jungle music discussion

Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.

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