Apache

By The Incredible Bongo Band

““Apache” by The Incredible Bongo Band is one of the most important records of the last 50 years. ”

It was sampled on more than 700 songs. It helped shape many new music styles such as hip-hop, drum and bass, techno, and many more.

"Apache" is also synonymous with hip-hop culture. Millions of b-boys worldwide danced to this amazing instrumental song. It's one of those records I will never get tired of listening to.

"Apache" was written by English composer Jerry Lordan in the late 50s. After watching a movie of the same name starring Burt Lancaster, he got inspired. It was initially released in the 60s by the British rock band "The Shadows" and reached the top of many music charts worldwide.

In the early 70s, Record producer Michael Viner started working at MGM Record and was in charge of putting together the soundtrack for a sci-fi blaxploitation movie named "The Thing with Two head."

During the soundtrack production, he was missing a couple of tracks. Michael asked producer and composer Perry Botkin to create two extra drum-based instrumentals for the movie leading to the creation of the Incredible Bongo Band in 1972.

One of Michael's favorite instrumental tracks was a 60s song called "Bongo Rock" by Preston Epps. Perry Botkin tried to replicate the vibe of that track and hired multiple studio musicians (Percussionist Bobbye Hall and drummer Edward Greene, among the others) for the job. They created two songs to complete the movie soundtrack: "Bongolia" and "Bongo Rock '73".

"Bongo Rock '73" became a minor hit in Canada, so Viner decided to capitalize on the track's success, asking Perry Botkin to create an entire album of Incredible Bongo Band's songs.

Perry assembled a full band, hiring Bahamian percussionist King Errisson, drummer Jim Gordon, and sax player Steve Douglas.

Other musicians for the sessions were recruited in Vancouver, Canada: bass player Jerry Scheff, organist Robbie King, and guitarist Mike Deasy.

In the 60s and 70s, most pop music audiences had no idea that many of their favorite stars did not play their music on their records. Acts like The Beach Boys, The Mamas & The Papas, and The Byrds relied on top studio musicians to provide the instrumentation for their hit records.

The "Bongo Rock" album was released in 1973, but it did not chart. Later on, Michael Viner decided to assemble a live band with different musicians to bring the studio band live on stage and on television.

In 1974 the group released a second album called "The Return of the Incredible Bongo Band" with unreleased material taken from the 1973 Vancouver sessions and some more songs borrowed from other musicians, including the only vocal track performed by the band called "Kiburi" produced by Keg Johnson.

The band never recorded another album. Later, Michael Viner became an audiobook publisher. But little did he know that one of the songs included in the "Bongo Rock album would become highly influential in the music world.

In the early 70s, new music and culture emerged from the Bronx, New York.

Kool Herc started playing at bloc parties in the streets and noticed that the crowd would go crazy when Herc played the drum break of the songs. Herc would spend days searching for new songs to drive the crowd crazy, always hungry for new records.

Those records were discovered based on instinct and looking at the album cover. One day he found the Incredible Bongo Band record and removed the vinyl label, so other DJs would not know what he was playing. The record became a hit, and more hip-hop DJs like Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and others started using it at their parties.

To keep the block part going into the night, Herc would then isolate the break parts from the records and use two different turntables and play them back to back so Herc could extend the breaks for a longer time.

The seed of a multi-million dollar industry was planted. Hip-hop music was created, and "Apache" played a big part.

The song even helped create a brand new art form called DJing. Grand Wizard Theodore recalled using the Incredible Bongo Band Record when he created the scratch for the first time.

Also, Grandmaster Caz, a legendary Bronx MC, remembers that he won one of his early hip-hop battles while rapping over an extended version of "Apache."

"Apache" was also included on a megamix published on Sugarhill Record by the legendary DJ Grandmaster Flash in 1982. Many people heard the song for the first time on that record.

It's incredible to see how "Apache" had a tremendous impact on music and culture since its release. It's been played at regular speed in many 80s records, then chopped up and played twice as fast in the 90s and 2000s.

All the different portions of the "Apache" have been sampled and appeared in countless records. Artists from all music styles sampled it. I am sure that "Apache" will stay forever and continuously be sampled.

People will figure out new ways of using it in songs, maybe playing it backward and finding new and exciting ways to pay homage to this wonderful piece of music!

What's your favorite song that samples "Apache"?

Mine are "Machete" by Moby and "Inner City Life" by Goldie.