The Loss of an Icon

Repost from www.presmusic.com

Michael Joseph Jackson (1958-2009)

As I'm sure you all well know, Michael Jackson passed away yesterday. While you may not be able to hear it in all of my music, he is a huge influence in what I put into the whole music making process. As a lot of you know, I made Iller Thriller, but that's not really what I meant by being an influence. When I make original music I am usually listening to Michael Jackson, both new and old songs, in order to get in the correct mindset. I found a map of all of the people who sampled Mr. Jackson on flickr and it really shows how much of an influence he was on the music community as a whole.

Saturday June 27th update:

I found that the same guy, Ethan Hein, had to split up two sample maps because if he combined the work he did with the Jackson Five, the sample map would have just been out of control. A further testament to the fact that this man was a legend. Here's the Jackson 5 sample map.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding him in his later years, he's without a doubt an outstanding cultural and musical icon, and he will be deeply missed by everyone.

Here's a reissue of Iller Thriller without the "buy my shirts" line. Play it at parties, and celebrate his life. Rest in peace Mike.

-Pres