“It was deemed that an artist could sample ‘an unrecognisable portion of a work’ without the need to declare the sample or indeed pay the original artist”: When sampling ruled the world - and drummers didn’t get paid!

Amen Break.

DRUMS WEEK 2025: Despite being much maligned, the 80s were an incredibly interesting and vibrant time musically speaking. The dust was beginning to settle on the punk phenomenon, and that can-do spirit was infiltrating new forms of music, in both the US and the UK.

Young musicians were forming bands, but with synthesisers, drum machines and turntables at the heart of their sound. A phenomenon began to emerge, thanks to a new technology which was becoming more affordable with the passing of each year.