Origin of the Boots?

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So, although I have yet to hear any, I'm curious about these various boots that I'm reading about here.

I'm equally curious as to how they came about. I have a 7" by the Evolutionary Control Committee which sounds like the exact same concept - in their case, it's Public Enemy raps set to Herb Alpert music. It dates back to, oh, I don't know - 1995 or 1996.

Wondering if connection is coincidental or causal or not accurate at all.

― doug, Monday, 25 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

dunno about origins, here are a couple of sites to check out songs

http://www.base58.com/booms/ http://www.djsonstrike.com/music.php

― Ron Hudson, Monday, 25 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I have the same single and yep, its pretty much the exact same idea (with perhaps the exception that most of the current boots are well known tunes over well known other tunes - the Tijuana Brass number is generic though great). On our jukebox (occasionally) there is a tune dating back to 1969 which mixes Norwegian Wood and the Mission Impossible soundtrack. That's the grand-daddy of the boots in my book.

COnnection may not be causal but good ideas always come in waves.

― Pete, Monday, 25 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

A lot of it used to be dj-driven. For example there was a period in the early 90s when I remember hearing club djs mixing in the beautiful instrumental passage from Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" with various things. Then SWV's "Right Here" appeared actually using the MJ sample as the backbone of the record. And earlier than that, Carly Simon's "Why" was another dj staple (there are obviously hundreds of them). The difference now would appear to be that it's driven by home users with suitable software on their PCs.

― David Inglesfield, Monday, 25 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

How come nobody's mentioned this yet? "Michael Jackson vs. Cookie Monster"? Yes! Just goes to show the general ubiquity of the idea...what's more interesting(?) now is that enough people think this (the 'boots' of recent threads) is interesting enough to be a subject of much discussion.

― arch ibog, Monday, 25 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ooh, the dangers of html posts. close that anchor.

― arch ibog, Monday, 25 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, the EEC single (bravely released by the lovely Pickled Egg Records) was the *ahem* first sign of the boot scene (not remotely the origin of it, but I'd say the first of the actual kind that has become rife now). And I certainly wouldn't say that the brass was generic, Pete, it's bloody Herb Alpert, people have heard of him before y'know...

― emil.y, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Generic for Herb Alpert. Yes, its obviously Herb Alpert.

― Pete, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

More Evolution Control Committee stuff here.

― Sean Carruthers, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That 'Rocked By Rape' thing is also part of a separate lineage (almost exclusively US-inspired, even when UK musicians were doing the sampling - Thatch samples just seemed crap, somehow) that sort of kicked off when Ronald Reagan became President. Seems rather tired now tho' - Dan Rather, again? - unlike the best of the current boots.

Another antecedent, pre-dating Pete's oldest by a year: 3rd movement of Berio's "Sinfonia"? Mahler vs. um, everyone!

― Jeff W, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Gawd I wish I'd thought of this in the article - rather than the overuse of Kylie Missy etc being a sign of the bootleg scene's limitations isn't it suggesting that bootlegs are the machine-pop equivalent of Jamaican 'riddim' albums?

― Tom, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Nah, its reversed (singers vs. riddims) and is the case because of the power, exceptionalism, and versatility of the vocals.

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Anyone know who does the Michael Jackson Q-Tip one?

I really want it. Is there a site for downloading these things?

― Ronan, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

oops. ok I see there is now.

― Ronan, Wednesday, 27 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I understand what you're saying about with the Jamaican riddim analogies (and the reverse), but I believs this current phase is a combination of DJ techniques, such as those employed by Afrika Bambaata (mixing Kraftwerk and hip-hop) and latterly, Soulwax, with remix culture.

The proliferation of cheap yet sophisticated editing software has enabled anyone with a bit of creativity to have a go themselves.

As for vocal selection, well that's largely governed by the acapella's available, which is why there are so many Missy, Destiny's Child (*guilty*) and Eminem bootlegs around.

I seem to recall the first time I heard the Evolution Control Commitee record, I was pretty amazed. When heard with some of the amazing (and some frankly silly and poorly executed) bootlegs today, it sounds unremarkable.

― braces tower, Thursday, 28 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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