Elephant & Castle is the alter-ego of producer David Reeps (who confusingly hails from Oakland, California), who has just released his debut, The Analogue EP. Sampling-wise, it’s pretty much like anything else I’ve heard in the last few years; his style owes as much to producers like Daedelus and Four Tet as it does to Phil Spector. Needless to say, it’s immense.

You can download the EP for free from E&C’s bandcamp page.

Copyright Criminals is a new PBS documentary on the rise of sampling, specifically in hip-hop music, and the cultural and legal ramifications.

Copyright Criminals examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money.

This documentary traces the rise of hip-hop from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry. For more than thirty years, innovative hip-hop performers and producers have been re-using portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. When lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a “borrowed melody” became a “copyright infringement.” The film showcases many of hip-hop music’s founding figures like Public Enemy, De La Soul, and Digital Underground—while also featuring emerging hip-hop artists from record labels Definitive Jux, Rhymesayers, Ninja Tune, and more.

Purchase this on DVD.

[via Dubstepper]