Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) Sampler

One (corny) hip hop beat and two sampler instruments using recorded audio from two participants in Brooklyn Public Library's, Our Streets, Our Stories.

Although these instruments are intended for live performance, you can listen to bpl_mix.mp3 for a recorded demo of both the Marty & Inez samplers.

##Purpose Both NYPL and BPL have incredibly rich collections of oral histories, but raw, unstructured, 40 minute interviews of strangers is not engaging content in a traditional sense. How can music augment these peoples' stories and encourage others to connect more with their experiences?

Hip hop has always been an excellent medium for storytelling. Sampling in particular has proven to be very successful in re-interpreting past culture in a fresh way (e.g. speeches, movies, and other musical traditions). Perhaps we can use a similar technique to re-interpret these oral histories and breathe new meaning into them.

##The Sampler Instruments The basis of these sampler instruments were two interviews: Mary Needelman and Inez Spencer.

###Marty Chief counsel at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation and a life-long Brooklynite. The 4 audio samples used:

1. "Brooklyn my whole"
2. "Life"
3. "Right to stay"
4. "Trying to preserve communities"

###Inez Living in Nostrand Houses and reflects on how the neighborhood has changed. The samples here are:

1. "Things are different now"
2. "Taking back"
3. "Community"