East West Phat and Phunky Audio Loops w/Atari / PC MIDI Files

Rich Mendelson is the programmer of the five star rated sample CDs Dance/Industrial 1 and 2 - Phat & Phunky is his latest effort. There are over 160 complete loops and these are then split up into more than 2000 individual drum, effects, and instrumental samples. Clearly, a lot of thought has gone into the format and general layout of the accompanying CD booklet, which comprehensively lists the loop bpms, and all the pitches of the relevant multisamples.

So what makes up the average loop on this CD? Taking track 34 on CD One as an example, it begins like many of the other loops, with a percussive 8-bar drum loop, joined at bar 16 by a solid analogue bassline. Another eight bars later, Rhodes, laid-back organ, clavinet (with wah-wah), and marimba all join the loop, filling the groove to just the right level. There is plenty of sonic depth to all the sounds, and nothing ever seems too crowded. Once the main groove is over, we then get all of the individual drum samples that made up the loop, followed by a very usable multisample of the bass (C2,C3 and C4), the clav sample, organ pad, and the marimba (sampled at G2 and G4).

Another notable inclusion' comes in the form of track index numbers, which are assigned one to each sample. This flexible approach takes the hassle out of recording lots of individual samples from one CD, and should be applauded for its accessibility.

The general feel of Phat and Phunky is of a modern dance production tool, with the emphasis on soul, funk and hip-hop, although there are some interesting excursions into reggae and techno territory. There are many samples that we've all heard before (such as Moog and TR909 stuff), but the majority of noises are fresh and exciting. Particular attention has been paid to the signal processing, which gives many of the samples an unusual edge. Clever use of flanges and creative reverb techniques really make many of the guitar and keyboard sounds stand out from the drum loops, and work nicely in a finished track. All the samples are clean (except where intentionally crackly), and nearly everything is eminently usable.

Included is a free Atari/PC disk, containing the MIDI file note information for every one of the 165 loops. This is very useful if you want to fine-tune either the tempo or the mix of a loop, without having to go through all the tedious trial and error experiments of time stretching. This makes Phat and Phunky a truly 'interactive' sample CD, allowing both customising of the loops to fit your own track specifications, and also an insight into the programming ideas and tricks that go into professional loop construction.