Amen Brother

The Break That Built Jungle

Dubmatix

Jun 20, 2025

Transcript

(You can also download from my Podbean site here)

Today’s mix is a little different in terms of tempo and the backbone of the beat - there’s no one drop or steppers, this mix is the meeting of funk and dub coming together to form new - Jungle / Ragga Jungle - a fresh, revolutionary sound that tore through the UK and world in the late 80s, early 90s that continues to this day. I’ve sifted through the digital crates to bring a few of the classics together for your ears - enjoy.

What Is the Amen Break?

The Amen Break is a 6-to-7-second drum solo that became the most sampled piece of music in history. Pulled from the 1969 B-side “Amen, Brother” by The Winstons, this unassuming moment reshaped hip-hop, jungle, drum & bass, and electronic music forever.

The Original Record

Track: “Amen, Brother” (B-side)
A-side: “Color Him Father” (a Top 10 hit on the R&B charts)
Artist: The Winstons – a funk/soul band from Washington, D.C.
Label: Metromedia Records
Release Year: 1969
Format: 7″ Vinyl (45 rpm)

Listen to the original break (starts at 1:26):

Who Played It?

Drums: Gregory C. Coleman – the man behind the Amen Break
Band Leader: Richard Lewis Spencer (saxophonist and vocalist)
Other members included:
- Ray Maritano – sax
- Phil Tolotta – organ
- Sonny Peckrol – bass
- Quincy Mattison – guitar

The break was never meant to be legendary—it was recorded to fill time on the B-side.

The First Uses

The break first surfaced in DJ culture through:

1986: Salt-N-Pepa – “I Desire”
1987: Stezo – “To the Max” (arguably one of the first pure samples)
1988: N.W.A – “Straight Outta Compton”
1988: Mantronix – “King of the Beats”
1990–91: Hardcore rave and jungle producers start chopping it into pieces

By the early 1990s, the Amen had become the bedrock of jungle music in the UK.

What Makes the Break So Special?

The Amen Break is:

A 4-bar drum solo with syncopation, ghost notes, and swing
Packed with analog warmth and gritty texture
Chop-friendly – perfect for slicing, rearranging, reversing, or layering
Instantly recognizable due to its snare hit on bar three and open feel in bar four

Its versatility made it a go-to for producers across genres—from underground rave to commercial pop.

Cultural Impact

The Amen Break is everywhere:

In thousands of tracks across genres
Used in TV themes (Futurama), ads, and video games
The core break behind:
- Jungle anthems like “Sound Murderer”, “Original Nuttah”, and “Dred Bass”
- Hip-hop classics and electronic staples

BBC called it “Six Seconds That Shaped 1,500 Songs”

Royalties & Legal Issues

Neither Gregory C. Coleman nor Richard L. Spencer received royalties.
In the 1990s, Spencer discovered the break’s popularity but was unable to claim any income due to expired copyright protection.s
In 2015, fans raised over £24,000 on GoFundMe to support Spencer and acknowledge the cultural debt