The Think Break (Part One)

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Before I began researching and writing about various drum breaks, I only knew about two of them.  The first break was the titan known as the Amen; the second was the Think break.  This break is so ubiquitous, even if you think you've never heard it, you've definitely heard it.  While the Amen break is easily the most heavily sampled in history, clocking in at being sampled over 8,000 times, the Think break has been sampled well over 4,000 times since 1987, making it the second most sampled song of all time.

The Think break comes from the 1972 hit song, "Think (About It)" by American soul singer Lyn Collins, written and produced by none other than James Brown; it was performed by John "Jabo" Starks.  Collins had another release--another success--but she became most widely known for this specific song, as it has had such stature in music sampling history, most notably within early hip-hop and house, within the formative years of jungle, and then within liquid drum and bass.

Collins's "Think (About It)" is perfect for sampling because of its nature.  It is an upbeat, funky, and soulful song that is very percussion-forward, with clean drums in varying, distinct drum break sections and tight tambourines.  All of these mean that "Think (About It)" is one of the most versatile records for sampling of all time.

In a couple of weeks be on the lookout for the second and third parts of this article.  In the second and third sections of this journey into the history of the Think break, we will go through the varied and interesting history of the record as it was sampled during the formative years of many electronic music genres, leaving nothing short of a legacy.

Hugest of Ups,

Tally G