The process of taking a small portion or specimen to represent a larger whole for analysis or testing. In music, it refers to incorporating portions of existing recordings into new compositions.
From 'sample' (13th century) via Old French 'essample' from Latin 'exemplum' meaning 'example.' The statistical sense emerged in the early 20th century, while the musical technique became prominent in hip-hop culture during the 1980s, revolutionizing music production.
Sampling transformed from a scientific necessity into an art form, with hip-hop producers turning fragments of old records into entirely new musical landscapes. The legal battles over music sampling in the 1990s essentially created modern copyright law for the digital age.
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