Sampling the Sacred in House Music

Abstract

Since 1984, house music has plundered the musical language and recordings of Christianity, particularly the Pentecostal and Gospel traditions, without stirring any apparent backlash. Yet, in recent years dance music producers have attempted to sample comparable Islamic sonic materials and courted controversy with the establishment in North Africa and the Middle East. Is sampling a tool that can be used indiscriminately across cultures? Or are there limits to its reach?