WhoSampled.com, a website that explores the DNA of music by discovering direct connections among thousands of songs across multiple genres, will host the first ever 'Samplethon' at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton on Saturday May 10, 2014. The event will give up-and-coming producers access to rare sample material, with the challenge to produce a brand new track against the clock.

Samplethon

Though winners of the Samplethon could see their tracks included on a forthcoming album release, all those entering will get the rare opportunity to call on a team of esteemed mentors for help and assistance from, as well creating new music without the legal shackles often associated with sampling.

Among the mentors for the first ever Samplethon include Mark Rae, one half of production duo Rae & Christian and former label boss at Grand Central. He also operated the famous Manchester record store Fat City and has produced and remixed the like of Bobby Womack and The Damaja. 

Lee Bright is Head of A&R at BBE Records, which has compilations and mixes from Kenny Dope, DJ Premier and Dimitri among its back catalogue. 

Jackson Almond is a relative newcomer to the production game, though he's already garnered a strong following for his house, disco and garage production. As for remixing, he's worked on material by Debian Blak and Py & Kadabrah. 

WhoSampled

It's safe to assume that the vast majority of those attending The Great Escape festival will be familiar with Suren Seneviratne, who's been recording under the alias My Panda Shall Fly. He's commanded notable praise from the music press, including Pitchfork and The Independent and recently scored success for a short film screened at SXSX 2014.

Contestants will also be looking to impress Chris Read, Content Manager and Producer at WhoSampled. He's an accomplished producer in his own right, signed to Breaking Bread and Bright's BBE Records. He's also produced and remixed Bolal, Ty, The Pharcyde and Maylight. 

The Great Escape Festival begins in Brighton today (May 8, 2014) and runs till Saturday. The line-up includes Kelis, Ella Eyre, festival-favourites Wild Beasts, These New Puritans, Augustines and Clean Bandit.