B is for B***F**: The Sesame Street Break #dnbproper #usdnb #samples #samplehistory #drumbreaks #breaks #dnb #drumandbass #drumnbass #jungle #tallygtuesdays #blowfly #sesamestreetbreak
Thus far, our journey through the origins of drum breaks has been an interesting one. We've deep dived into James Brown's "Hot Pants" and "Cold Sweat" breaks along with the infamous song "Apache" and the corresponding drum break. After learning about the sexual origins of both of Brown's songs, I was beginning to wonder if Brown was a sex addict. He very well may have been, but he's certainly not the only one with that on the brain in the funk world.
Today we are going to take a thorough look at a lesser known break called the "Sesame Street Break". This break was taken from the song "Sesame Street" by the parody artist Blowfly, also known as Clarence Reid. Blowfly refers not only to Reid, but to the band he fronted with the same name during the 1970s. Blowfly has been described by many as a comedic soul/funk band. The band was notorious for provocative song lyrics coupled with raunchy stage performances. Interestingly, Clarence Reid actually wrote songs for the beloved children's show Sesame Street.
If you listen to Blowfly's version of "Sesame Street", you'll very quickly notice that this isn't the version of the song we known and love; it's much, much dirtier. Like Sesame Street, the song focuses on the ABCs, but Reid attempts to make them "sexy". I say that in quotations because I found the lyrics to be unoriginal and kind of dumb; please pardon my honesty. Good thing we're only interested in the instrumental elements of this track!
Clarence Reid's "Sesame Street" is sampled in 380 tracks, according to whosampled.com. A significant amount of them are drum and bass and jungle, though the break's not nearly as well known as others, such as the Think break or the ubiquitous Amen. It does, however, lend itself to a wide variety of rollers and steppa tracks. A classic tune that utilizes "Sesame Street" in what becomes a legendary way is Deep Blue's 1993 Moving Shadow Records "Helicopter Tune". Chris Read states on whosampled.com that "the drums back an ever pitch-shifting conga loop to create sound patterns reminiscent of passing helicopter blades". It's quite remarkable. You can first hear the Sesame Street break 24 seconds in:
A little over a decade later Dillinja samples 'Sesame Street" in his iconic "Sovereign Melody" [Deep Jungle Records]. Listen for it at 00:47:
The 2010s brings us another roller, this one a vibey steppa by Calibre. "All Day" came out in 2011 on CIA Records. The Sesame Street break can be heard at the beginning of the track:
More recently, the legendary Myth samples Blowfly's drum break on The North Quarter's 2020 release "Long Time". Sesame Street is just 11 seconds in:
I hope you all enjoyed this article on this historically important drum break. I definitely plan to use it in future productions, and hopefully it'll be easier to pick out in drum and bass and jungle tracks. Till next time!
B is for Big Up!
Tally G
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