You know the old theory, Six Degrees of Separation? The idea goes that everything and everyone, everywhere is connected through just six steps (or less) of interrelation. Popular spin-offs of the theory, developed by a Hungarian author back in the late 1920s, include; Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon and TV’s, Lost – yeah…the show that failed to deliver on absolutely every single one of its promises…Still wondering what the hell that black smoke was all about!?
Anyway, the already brilliant people over at Who Sampled have developed a new feature on their site: Six Degrees of Musical Separation. A two channel search engine that allows users to input names of their favourite artists and discover just how they are connected, Six Degrees has us completely baffled!
Ever wondered how Death Row’s 2Pac and surf-rocker Jack Johnson are connected…simple, just 3° of musical separation. 2Pac’s ‘I Get Around’ was sampled by the Beastie Boys on ‘3 the Hard Way,’ the Beastie Boys’ track: ‘Get it Together’ was given the remix treatment by producer Mario Caldato Jr. and it was Mario Caldato’s production that put the finishing touches on Jack Johnson’s: Better Together… hence, 3° of musical separation.
A testament to Who Sampled’s wealth of archival knowledge, this feature simply cannot be beaten. Highlights thus far have included matching Japanese jazz king, Takuya Kuroda with Metallica (via Roy Ayers and Dr Dre: 3°), Skepta and Mickey Mouse (via Arthur Baker and Tag Team: 3°) and the Jungle Brothers with The Smiths (via Kurtis Blow: 2°.)
Only once have I discovered a 6° combo…with Australian band, Retiree separated by a trail of half a dozen connections to British punk-rock outfit the Cockney Rejects. Covers, samples, remixes, features and production credits all in, this has been the most tenuously distant link between two artists I have managed.
As always, Who Sampled – heroic work!
