Melvin Bliss / Sweet Daddy Floyd - Synthetic Substitution / I Just Can't Help Myself

Genre: Soul / Funk / Breakbeat
Year Released: 2017 (BAB001)
Original releases: (Melvin Bliss – Synthetic Substitution 1973 / Sweet Daddy Floyd - I Just Can't Help Myself 1978)

Description:

This double A-Side was the first 45 issue on the label Breaks & Beats, taken from Breakbeat Lou’s infamous Ultimate Breaks comps back in 86, and is a certifiable cornerstone of Hip-Hop production. Melvin Bliss’s “Synthetic Substitution” is one of the most sampled drum breaks of all time, its crisp, snappy snare and isolated intro made it perfect for clean chops and a defining texture in the early sample era.

“Synthetic Substitution” itself is a beautifully melancholic soul tune, with Bliss’s aching vocal performance floating over tight drums and light, airy instrumentation. But history was made in the first few seconds — the opening drum break, played by legendary session drummer Bernard Purdie, laid the blueprint for countless producers.

Its impact in Hip-Hop is immeasurable, appearing in classics such as:

Naughty by Nature - O.P.P.
Main Source - Snake Eyes
N.W.A - Real N*az Don’t Die
The Pharcyde - Ya Mama
And it can be found across multiple tracks on Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth’s debut album Mecca and the Soul Brother

Just to name a few….

The B-side, “I Just Can't Help Myself” by Sweet Daddy Floyd, is a deep-soul groover in its own right, but it has lived largely in the shadow of the iconic A-side. Together, the single is a perfect example of the unassuming 45 that quietly alters the DNA of modern music.