following on the heels of the previous post musing about the acceleration of cultural evolution, i thought it might be a good idea offer some kind of more concrete context for the process of how culture gets created. this video has been circulating for a few years at this point, but for anyone not familiar with it, it’s a fascinating breakdown (badum-ching!) of the impact of the “amen break”–a 6-second long drum sample from 1969 that can, in a strictly technical sense be held accountable for the musical evolution of hip hop, along with the spawning of a number of other subcultures.

(it’s a bit long but the video never changes, so don’t feel compelled to watch the whole thing. feel free to just listen to the audio.)

enjoy!