Music Discovery
THE 1970S
The 1970s is the producer's decade. James Brown's JBs, the Philadelphia International sound, Jamaican roots reggae, Fela Kuti's afrobeat, German krautrock, Brazilian MPB — the breadth of what was recorded in this decade is unmatched. Independent labels pressed music that major distribution never reached, meaning thousands of 1970s records remain unheard, unsampled, and available for practically nothing on Discogs.
What's in the Crate
Ready to dig?
Random 1970s records from the Discogs database — played instantly on YouTube.
Discover the 1970sFrequently Asked
Why is the 1970s considered the golden era for sampling?▾
Three converging factors: the recording technology (analogue tape, tube microphones, large live rooms) reached its peak quality before going digital; independent label distribution meant hundreds of records were pressed in small quantities and never heard outside their region; and the musical culture prioritised live performance — every 1970s studio recording features real musicians tracked live, giving the recordings a dynamic punch that cannot be replicated with software.
What 1970s records are most undersampled?▾
Nigerian and West African highlife and afrobeat records (Decca West Africa, EMI Nigeria labels) are significantly undersampled relative to their quality. Brazilian MPB from labels like Som Livre and RCA Brasil is also underrepresented. Turkish psychedelic rock (Anatolian rock) pressed on 45 for domestic audiences is almost entirely unsampled. All are available cheaply on Discogs and have extraordinary YouTube playback rates.
How do I find 1970s records I haven't heard before?▾
The standard Discogs search shows results sorted by popularity, meaning the most-sampled records appear first. CrateDrop does the opposite — random from the full catalog, no popularity weighting. Filter to 1970–1979 and any genre and press DIG repeatedly. The rarest 1970s material has the same probability of appearing as the most collected.