Saturday 26 September 2009

Skream! accused of using Dub midi file

Croydon dubstep innovator Skream! has been criticized by dubroom.org (a website offering free midi versions of Dub tunes) for using their version of "Rock The Nation" by Messian Dread. In a statement posted on dubroom.org, They accuse Skream! of using the file in his "Blue Eyez" track featured on his 2006 self titled debut.
This is of course a slightly unusual example of the issues in sampling in hip hop and electronic music as midi files are not actual audio files in themselves but a kind of "digital score" which your computer plays back with whatever synth is available (often a nasty cheap sounding piano).
If Skream! in fact used the midi file, he mapped it onto a synth which, assuming he programmed it himself, means that he still had some creative input into the sound if the sample.
However, such blatant use of a melody could still be regarded as lazy composition. It would be interesting to see what legal rights Messian Dread and dubroom.org have in this case. However, since both releases probably sold too few copies in the grand scheme of things for any legal action to happen.
You can check out the similarities for yourself at:
Skream! - Blue Eyez
Messian Dread - Rock The Nation midi file

Wednesday 2 September 2009

Radiohead live at Reading 2009

Radioheads Reading set was a classic performance encompassing songs from all of the bands eras from "Pablo Honey" to "In Rainbows". Unfortunately, I wasn't there to witness it first hand, but the lovely BBC have put most of the set up on the iPlayer. You can watch this until monday.