Sample Magic - sample dvd's and downloads for house, dance, electro and trance music

"So is it world, or rave? Both, in a way. It's not as hard as, say, vintage Belgian rave, but the world elements are not new age - they're very beat-oriented, and tend to hit hard. Some have a Brazilian vibe, some Middle Eastern, and some...uh...well, maybe Martian. This isn't a conventional construction kit, with sections of multitrack arrangements groued together in folders. instead, you'll find six folders of files at different tempos (90, 100, 120, 125, 144, 160) as well as some extras, like hits, pads, soundscapes, and effects. There are also presets for mapping sounds to EXS24, Reason NN-XT, Kontakt, HALion, and Stylus RMX. Recording quality is uniformly excellent- clean, but not sterile.

Each tempo folder has three sub-folders: beats, music, and percussion. So, you need to "go fishing" to find the right sound but the loops work well together, so it's pretty hard to go wrong. The Soundscapes in particular make great "glue" to ease the transition between different beat-oriented sections. Overall, this is an impressive set because of the quality - no filler, instead imaginative performances, and sounds that retain a certain degree of familiarity but also bring something new to the party. If you want to take dance/rave music into a different more exploratory direction that's international in scope, this is ideal."

EQ magazine, April 2008

"Rave pioneers Eat Static seem to have cut no corners with their remarkably ambitious trip around the globe. As the title would suggest, there’s a particular emphasis on electronic dance genres, from psy-trance to drum 'n' bass, though you’ll be escorted via an unusually exotic, scenic path. The samples in this pack are deliciously clean and wide - although, there’s plenty of lo-fi grit where required - making for a very mind-opening soundset. Although you won’t find many basic bread-and-butter sounds, it’s definitely the fresh, unique and interesting flavours that make this library highly usable indeed."

9/10, Computer Music, April 2008

"It now appears it’s as important for an artist to put together a sample set as it is to compile an album. On ‘Around the World in 80 Raves’, techno pioneers Eat Static have dug deep into their sample vaults to deliver a futuristic journey into dance – or at least that’s what the press release says.

Classis analogue synths and drum machines, live percussion, guitars and ethnic rhythms make up over 900MB of 24-bit loops and samples. It’s easy to hear the varied sounds that have inspired Eat Static from the M25 raves to the beaches of Goa.

From static white noise to Brazilian beats to grimy thumping basslines and everything else in between, not a sound has been left unturned. There’s percussion, synths, soundscapes, drums, organic basslines and some of the weirdest FX you are likely to find on any sample set. With BPMs ranging from 90 to 125, and 144 to 160, there is something for everyone.

The producers of this sample set claim all the samples are 100% analogue; all being made from Eat Static’s collection of vintage synths and the list is impressive. It must be true – these samples have balls and you can only get that sound from analogue. Everything has been recorded in industry standard 24-bit format, ensuring a big punch and crispness to the samples.

Being artists, producers and DJs, Eat Static have drawn from their own recording experiences to put together a quality sample set of diverse and, yes, inspiring samples that should make anyone’s creative juices flow. This set of CDs has been well thought out, has good sound quality and is well presented. Around the World in 80 Raves may not be to everyone’s taste – Eat Static and their ilk are waning in popularity these days – but if you want inspiration you really should check this sample set out for yourself.

Verdict: Sound quality: 17/20 Build quality: 17/20 - Ease of use: 16/20 Value for money: 17/20 - Feature set: 17/20 IDJ rating: 84%
A well-put together sample collection that’s destined to inspire."

84%, iDJ, March 2008