Gorillaz released their new album Cracker Island today, and they're currently on the cover of Exclaim!'s print edition. Now, band leader Damon Albarn has illustrated how the band's breakthrough single, 2001's "Clint Eastwood," was lifted directly from the preset for a Suzuki Omnichord.
In an interview with Apple Music, Albarn showed interviewer Zane Lowe how the "Clint Eastwood" beat is simply the "Rock 1" preset from the Suzuki Omnichord. Even the song's stuttering drum fill comes directly from the Omnichord.
In the video, Albarn raps the first two bars of "Clint Eastwood" with the backing track playing. The studio-produced version has a beefed-up beat, but the rhythm is identical.
Watch the clip below. The entire interview lasts for 50 minutes and includes a tour of Albarn's studio and a discussion about Cracker Island; the bit about "Clint Eastwood" is at the very beginning, lasting for the first 25 seconds of the video.
This isn't the first time Albarn has revealed that "Clint Eastwood" came from the Suzuki Omnichord. He talked about it with Vulture in 2021, although it's particularly funny to watch him demonstrate the beat on video.
Read Exclaim!'s cover story interview with Albarn, as well as our review of Cracker Island.
In an interview with Apple Music, Albarn showed interviewer Zane Lowe how the "Clint Eastwood" beat is simply the "Rock 1" preset from the Suzuki Omnichord. Even the song's stuttering drum fill comes directly from the Omnichord.
In the video, Albarn raps the first two bars of "Clint Eastwood" with the backing track playing. The studio-produced version has a beefed-up beat, but the rhythm is identical.
Watch the clip below. The entire interview lasts for 50 minutes and includes a tour of Albarn's studio and a discussion about Cracker Island; the bit about "Clint Eastwood" is at the very beginning, lasting for the first 25 seconds of the video.
This isn't the first time Albarn has revealed that "Clint Eastwood" came from the Suzuki Omnichord. He talked about it with Vulture in 2021, although it's particularly funny to watch him demonstrate the beat on video.
Read Exclaim!'s cover story interview with Albarn, as well as our review of Cracker Island.
