The controversy surrounding Xtal

[cern]

Quote from a Steve Jeffries: 
 

Quote

Just for everyone's information. The first track here is the track that was sampled by Richard D James to create Xtal, it's called Evil at play. It was written by myself, Mary carewe and Don greig for the Chappells music library back in 1986. As you can hear apart from the drums and a change in one beat of the rhythm, Xtal musically is basically what we created, the mood is the same. We're still waiting 30 years later for some recognition that we came up with that tune.

you have to remember, we did write the original melody and chord structure, that is me playing piano on xtal and that is Mary Carewe's voice singing the melody. Our tune, our chords, our playing, her voice but no recognition, no payment, no royalties for 30 years. Richard lifted our track (in full) and used it throughout Xtal. Which is why we have now been given 50% of the writing. I'm also happy he considered our track as a basis for his creativity - but he didn't acknowledge that for 30 years. Using somebody else's music for your own benefit is not morally right, and has always been the problem with sampling and effectively stealing someone else's copyright. Respect him for his work, respect him more if he accepts his inspiration was triggered by somebody else's creativity. By the way, are you saying if I recorded a cover of Let it be and added some drums and synths, I can claim some of the writing? I might try that

Sounds little bit pissed here lol and this is stuff that happens when you sampling stuff and get successful 

The source on Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4kIAl6n-yg 

What you think? Is it stolen right off? 

[YangYing]

lol

[Freak of the week]

lol

[Ski Nell]

she should claim copyright infringement too

[Dragon]

re-listening to Evil at Play and it's not the same track, that's one hell of a wild claim. and writing a youtube comment that says "we waited 30 years" is not the same as doing something about it during that time (maybe they're not serious?)

but even so, the idea that 20-year-old Richard would deliberately take someone else's track to make himself famous is bullshit. it was R&S who took on the task of sorting through these homemade cassette tapes of an unknown musical prodigy, they (most likely) chose to open the album with Xtal and it consequently has a legendary status as debut Aphex material. no-one at the time anticipated that.

 

[Satans Little Helper]

1 hour ago, cern said:

As you can hear apart from the drums and a change in one beat of the rhythm, Xtal musically is basically what we created, the mood is the same.

@ steve jeffries:

wot?

That's a stretch. Completely different mood, imo. He was sampled. No need to be a d*ck about it.

Edited September 25, 2022 by Satans Little Helper

[exitonly]

if you're going to make library music, don't be upset when it gets checked out

[Freak of the week]

library dork music

[Grain Bastard]

This could be IDM’s Me too moment starting…

 

We need Rich to deny it and then others to come forward with further accusations…

[chronical]

I bet if he wasn't loaded that comment wouldn't exist

[rek]

The 'writing' of Evil At Play appears to be both the melody and cadence from John Williams' main theme for Star Wars, which was world famous before Evil at Play. So they are extra bold in claiming that they "wrote" it. I mean if I'd heard the thing out of context I'd imagine they were humming Star Wars.

Edited September 25, 2022 by rek

[Grain Bastard]

8 minutes ago, chronical said:

I bet if he wasn't loaded that comment wouldn't exist

It’s not about money, it’s about the truth!!

 

#tusshurtmypooer

[dcom]

Puh-leeze.

[ignatius]

everyone sampled everything back then. the law didn't change until when? i forget.  they got 50% of the writing royalty so isn't that enough? 

the beastie boys and the dust brothers went through a long litigation from like a hundred musicians over copyright for samples used on Paul's Boutique but when it was made that was just how things were.  the lawsuit didn't happen until the law changed for clearing samples. 

[danshoebridge]

It's fair that the guy's getting recognition for the original sample. 

 As you can hear apart from the drums and a change in one beat of the rhythm, Xtal musically is basically what we created

That's obvious bullshit though, both main synth melodies, bass and drums are all RDJ unless I'm missing something. 

[rek]

if Warner Brothers owns Chappell, then why was Jeffries trying to get royalties from Apex? shouldn't Apex have had to pay BMG or Warner Brothers? if it's about the writing, i'm pretty sure John Williams wrote the melody. Damn i should have been a lawyer.

[zlemflolia]

"It’s not yours, it’s ours, and we’re not even asking you any more"

-jugplex triplet

[logakght]

On 9/25/2022 at 1:34 PM, danshoebridge said:

It's fair that the guy's getting recognition for the original sample. 

 As you can hear apart from the drums and a change in one beat of the rhythm, Xtal musically is basically what we created

That's obvious bullshit though, both main synth melodies, bass and drums are all RDJ unless I'm missing something. 

 

This. Sampling is indeed pretty ambiguous, like for example with Daft Punk: Those idiots indeed used someone else music as the basis for their product (Discovery is an example), maybe, as the business men they are, agreed to make a contract with those people to get paid, but still Daft Punk get hailed as geniuses. 

In this case, that sample isn't the song, it's just a nice complement for a wonderful chord progression by RDJ. So yeah, I hear no problem here.

[zero]

what a weird turn of events. 1-2 year old youtube comments discussing an Xtal sample that has been known about for how long now? I read through some of those comments, and this Steve Jeffries guy says he didn't find out that Richard sampled this until 2016. and that it took 6 years to get co-writing credit for...and then I'm guessing some royalty payment. what the hell? if he's in the music industry, or publishing (as his youtube comments indicate), then how the hell didn't he know about this? Xtal is probably one of Aphex's most well known tunes...unless I just live in a vacuum. this seems to me to be all about money, not some right vs. wrong argument.  

[rek]

 

[TubularCorporation]

The Star Wars thme is less similar to Evil At Play than Smells Like Teen Spirit is to Louie Louie.

[rek]

if the key or intervals aren't similar, i'm a bit tone deaf but it's what i honestly thought I heard.

[cern]

"By the way, are you saying if I recorded a cover of Let it be and added some drums and synths, I can claim some of the writing? I might try that"

Like wtf he compare a classic Beatles track to his accapella library thing? 

He sure need them Tampax 

[prdctvsm]

 

Grand Marshall  2 years ago 

THE GOOSEBUMPS

[TubularCorporation]

46 minutes ago, rek said:

if the key or intervals aren't similar, i'm a bit tone deaf but it's what i honestly thought I heard.

There are three notes that are similar.

 

I mostly heard that they were fans of Rosemary's Baby.

43 minutes ago, cern said:

Like wtf he compare a classic Beatles track to his accapella library thing? 

TBF, I'd unironically rather listen to good, late 70s library music than half of the Beatles catalog.