Ice-T was First to Sample Raymond Scott?

Ice-T in Los Angeles, circa 1986

So you thought J Dilla was first artist to sample Raymond Scott in Hip Hop? Think again. Long before he began to fight crime in the year 2000 as NYPD Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola on the NBC-TV drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and before drawing controversy with his 1992 song “Cop Killer,” which depicts a criminal’s revenge on the police, rapper and actor Ice-T was an unlikely early advocate of recycling Raymond Scott’s music. In 1985, the same year he appeared in the movie Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, he released the single "Ya Don't Quit,” which incorporates the famous ‘B’ section from Scott’s iconic 1937 hit tune, “Powerhouse.” A year later he released a sequel, "Dog'n The Wax (Ya Don't Quit Part II)” — which features a different “Powerhouse” element — on his album Rhyme Plays, and as a single on the Sire/Warner Bros. label. Both tracks, which have a Def Jam-era Beastie Boys/Run-D.M.C.-like production, represent the earliest-known examples of Raymond Scott’s music in Hip Hop. Listen to both songs below:

REWIRED released

Street date: TODAY. As in, NOW. CD and digital.

Rhythmic redesigns by three extraordinarily talented sonic artists.

Contains real Raymond Scott music, as well as some original sounds. Over 250 RS samples went into the album's 19 tracks.

All the info at ScottRewired.com.

And contrary to some online listings, there is NO vinyl edition. Yet.

Raymond Scott Rewired

UPDATE (Feb 6): Raymond Scott Rewired now has a website.

As a musician, composer, bandleader, and inventor, Raymond Scott was a perfectionist, but not a stylistic purist. His late-1930s six-man "Quintette" crafted novelty jazz that layered ethnic contours and pan-global riffs over a propulsive beat. In the 1940s Scott's antic melodies were adapted in Warner Bros. cartoons because WB music director Carl Stalling found the compositions genetically animated. Scott's mid-century orchestral works were danceable, except when they veered into complex, cerebral concert-jazz. In the 1950s and '60s Scott invented and recorded with electronic instruments. He was a genre-hopper, reflecting a musical restlessness and adventurousness. Scott loved what he did, but craved what came next.

As archivist for the Scott musical estate, I commissioned three remix artists to take apart Scott's catalog and reshape it in a fresh way. The Bran Flakes (Otis Fodder, Montreal), The Evolution Control Committee (TradeMark Gunderson, U.S.), and Go Home Productions (Mark Vidler, U.K.) were ftp'ed hundreds of Scott recordings in various genres, including unreleased material, spanning the 1930s to the 1980s. They were invited to have fun, but keep it rhythmic. Each contributed six audio montages with new titles, and they collaborated on Scott's signature tune, "Powerhouse."

The result is RAYMOND SCOTT REWIRED, produced for the Basta label. The album will be released in North America on February 18. Three tracks can be streamed on Soundcloud.

Over 250 sample sources were used in the construction of these 19 tracks. Those samples were edited, looped, flipped, and stretched; they were tweaked with EQ, pitch-shifted, compressed, and transformed. Disassembling one man's sonic legacy and reassembling the pieces into something different, something worth hearing repeatedly, requires an intuitive gift that approaches songwriting. Scott fans will recognize some passages, but in countless cases, the source recordings have been altered beyond recognition. The composer himself would have difficulty identifying his own works. The reconfigurations were done playfully, but respectfully. Nothing was destroyed. The originals still exist.

The cover art was adapted from an unfinished, untitled, black & white Jim Flora illustration from the 1950s.

A mixed-up, mashed-up composer

Coming from the Basta label in February 2014.

We turned over the entire Raymond Scott catalog ...

... to three celebrated mixologists who work under group names: The Bran Flakes, The Evolution Control Committee, and Go Home Productions.

They were given hundreds of recordings owned by the Scott estate, in all genres, including unreleased material, spanning the mid-1930s to the mid-1980s. Jazz, orchestral, electronic, experimental, studio chatter, one-of-a-kind rarities.

These gents were invited to have fun, keep it rhythmic, and make it percolate. Each contributed six audio montages with new titles, and they collaborated on Scott's signature tune, "Powerhouse."

The project is titled RAYMOND SCOTT REWIRED.

It's finished. Mixed, mastered, designed, packaged, and manufactured. You can preview three tracks on Soundcloud. Official release date is February 18.

Note: This post was originally published in May 2013. However, the US release was postponed due to a change of distributor for this release. 

Gotye puts Raymond back on the charts

It's probably been at least half a century since Ray scored a new hit, but thanks to Belgian-born Australian recording artist Gotye, Raymond Scott is back on top of the charts. Kinda. The Gotye song "State Of The Art" features a brief but memorable cameo of Raymond's voice as the track's finale, which was lifted from our Manhattan Research Inc. 2-CD/book compilation. The Gotye album, titled Making Mirrors, reached the Top 10 on the US Billboard 200, is currently the #2 US Rock Album (behind Bruce Springsteen, who holds the top slot at the moment), is the #1 US Alternative Album, and has already achieved global Gold, Platinum, and Triple Platinum sales status. Gotye will be this week's music guest on Saturday Night Live. • UPDATE: Gotye recently gave us this quote:

"Raymond Scott recorded some of the most unique and beguiling electronic sounds. An incessant inventor, designer, tinkerer — he's a big inspiration for me as a producer. His tightly orchestrated preudo-jazz with his Quintette was truly singular too. He was a real musical visionary."

Cindy + Me

Stereogum.com: "Caged Animals is Brooklyn denizen Vincent Cacchione, maker of homespun indie-pop that leverages electronics and guitars in the pursuit of sweetly endearing pop awkwardness. He has an album titled Eat Their Own and EP called This Summer, both on UK label Lucky Number, and he’s back with a new single. The clattering, theremin-y synth-bounce of 'Cindy + Me' is built on a sample from Raymond Scott's 'Cindy Electronium'."

Get Vincent's backstory on the tune and listen to it at Stereogum. Then watch the new video, which features a quintet of medical academy-trained monkeys:

The Guardian's take is here. The original "Cindy Electronium" appeared on the Manhattan Research Inc. collection of Scott's 1950s-60s electronica, and the sample was licensed thru Basta.

Listen to 3 Sneak Previews from Upcoming Mash-Up/Remix Album

The Bran Flakes (Otis Fodder, Canada), The Evolution Control Committee (TradeMark Gunderson, U.S.), and Go Home Productions (Mark Vidler, U.K.) were given hundreds of recordings owned by the Raymond Scott estate, in all genres, including unreleased material, spanning the 1930s to the 1980s. They were invited to have fun, keep it rhythmic, and make it percolate. Each contributed six audio montages with new titles, and they collaborated on Scott's signature tune, "Powerhouse." Approximately 250 sample sources were used in the construction of 19 tracks. Those samples have been edited, looped, flipped, and stretched; they were tweaked with equalization, pitch-shifting, compression, and all manner of digital cosmetology. Scott fans will recognize some passages, but in countless cases, the source recordings have been rendered unrecognizable. Album produced by Irwin Chusid and Otis Fodder, to be released on Basta in 2013. Listen to 3 preview tracks below: