Hi, I wasn't sure whether I should put this in here, in General Discussion or in Crate Digging. I apologize if it needs moved. I have several questions relating to the idea of "obscure vs. mainstream", and your opinions thereof.

When you look for stuff to sample, how obscure is too obscure? How mainstream is too mainstream? Have you ever chosen not to sample something because it was too obscure or mainstream? Does it matter to you whether the song/album charted? Does it matter if the album is out-of-print, or was never even released? I understand that the phrase "crate digging" implies that obscure is good, but at what point do you go, "It's just too obscure!"?

I'd say you're probably missing the broader perspective in sampling as art. Ever since, I'd say, DJ Shadow released Endtroducing way back in 1996, there has been an over obsession on the part of producers to raid the oldest, most obscure, and oddball sample sources which has placed us into the current hipster cultural malaise we're currently living under. Obscurity doesn't matter, it's whether you do something interesting with whatever you're working with. Did the pioneers of hip hop sample James Brown because no one heard of him? No, they sampled him because he bumps.