Due to the pandemic, University of Minnesota Press pushed the publication date of my agency client Nate Patrin’s new book, Bring That Beat Back: How Sampling Built Hip-Hop, from April 28 to May 26. Evidently, not everyone got the message, but that’s just fine because the book’s first review in a consumer publication has already appeared, and critic Adam Ellsworth, writing for the Boston-area outlet The Arts Fuse, enjoyed the book very much. The headline is “Bring That Beat Back”—A Stellar History Of The Art Of Sampling, and the first line below that tells readers, “Nate Patrin’s magnificently written and wildly informative new book argues for the artistry of sampling, its potential for beauty.”  I invite you to read the whole review, but for a quick hit, please see the screenshots below with two key sections of the piece. I’m optimistic there will be much more coverage of the book in weeks to come, but until that I’m very excited for my author, and offer him hearty congratulations! To have the first review of one’s debut book be such a positive and thoughtful essay is very heartening indeed!

As a postscript for this good news blog post, you’ll also find here a lengthy Spotify playlist of all the music associated with the book.