Who likes horror movie ? Not me. I always thought it was curious how people enjoyed getting scared. There’s so much movie to watch before.

Take The Exorcist for instance. The horror movie reference. A masterpiece of the genre. How can a crippy puppet on the screen can be fun to watch ? In addition to not be terrifying at all, it’s pointless. But if it became such a worship movie, there might be some explanation. Soundtrack ? Bingo.

You all once heard the rhythm of Mike Oldfield’s major hit, Tubular Bells. Try to dissociate it from the movie, and you’ll find out how brilliant Mr Oldfield was. Tubular Bells is now known as “The Exorcist’s song”. Actually it was not recorded specially for the movie. In 1971, Mike Oldfield is only 18 and he starts to record what would become his main dollar source. Not only the guy was really precocious, but he knew how to play pretty much all the instruments you may have in your mind. And here’s the best part : he did play over twenty instruments to compose – alone – his tubular bells.

Richard Branson, questing for talents for his starting label (Virgin) at that time, crossed Oldfield’s road. He would become the first artist signed on the label. Today, Branson is the 272nd fortune in the world, according to Forbes.

Everything on Tubular Bells was done on the first take – it was lovely, so spontaneous. I had such a long time to prepare it, and I had just one little chance to do it, and now I listen to it and it has a lovely spontaneous energy. It’s got mistakes, and I could easily have cut them out, but I left them on, said Mike Oldfield on his personal website.

Tubular Bells is an instrumental progressive rock album, cut in two parts. So there’s a lot to sample in 48 minutes of such musical intensity. But what Nas and Prodigy chose to sample is this particular intro we all know. And the instrument used is not very common. A tubular bell.

Year two thousand. After half a decade repping NYC, Nas decides to give back to his childhood neighborhood. He reunites on one compilation all the legends from QueensBridge : Nas and Ill Will Records Presents QB’s Finest. The album is a minor success despite the presence of Marley Marl, Roxanne Shanté, Mobb Deep, Tragedy Khadafi, CNN. But what would stays on is this collaboration between Nas and Prodigy on Self Conscience.

What better sample they could have used to express the fluctuations of the inner self than the deep and stormy Tubular Bells ? The duo of producer, The Infinite Arkatechz, who gained some popularity at the end of the 90’s from their work with Big Pun, did a brilliant use of the sample. The beat is low-pitched, the notes takes space, the loud bass gives magnitude to the sample. For the lyrical part, it goes along the producing. Prodigy exchange thoughts with his conscience and leave the last verse to Nas.

Kept me focused on what’s real and nuttin else
I find it healthy, to conversate with myself

If you have the chance to write for yourself, give it a try. It’s kinda healthy indeed.

Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells (sample appears at 0:00)

Prodigy feat Nas – Self Conscience (sample appears at 0:00)