Culture
The History Of The Air Horn Will Startle You
This video traces the use of popular culture’s most recognizable sound.
You hear air horns almost everywhere in contemporary culture. Many pop and hip-hop tracks feature it. Most popular radio stations use it tirelessly throughout the day. But where did this obnoxious assault on the ears actually come from? According to a video segment made by Great Big Story, the sound’s popularization is the work of one man: Cipha Sounds. The New York hip-hop DJ allegedly lifted air horns from Jamaican dancehall songs and sampled it on his own radio show in the late ’90s. The sound is now intrinsic to many music genres and cultural phenomena. Check out Great Big Story’s history of the air horn below. To read a more in-depth account of the weird places the sound keeps appearing, click here.
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Read more: Dive into video game music history with this brilliant documentary
(Via Create Digital Music)
