Portishead drummer Geoff Barrow is not happy with Phantogram.
The beatkeeper is accusing the duo of using a drumbeat from a 2010 song he played on titled "Charlie's Theme" by the Jimi Entley Sound for the pair's tune "When I'm Small" without permission, Rolling Stone reports. Barrow tweeted at Phantogram, which includes Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, recently about the curious similarity. "Just wondering why I'm playing the drums on one of your tracks? Any thoughts?"
After a few days with no response, the drummer concluded that they "must be busy." Carter and Barthel responded on Tuesday. "Sorry for slow reply," the band tweeted. "We're both big fans of your work." In an effort to discuss matters further, the duo tried to get Barrow to send a direct message before they delivered a final explanation."Short version: our drums not taken from Entley record," they wrote.
"So you are saying that they are not my drums and my playing on your 'When I'm Small,'" Barrow shot back. "They are yours? Correct?" No new developments have been made. The drumbeats to both songs (listen below) do sound similar, but it's still up in the air if Barrow has a legitimate gripe.
Earlier this year, Barrow had a problem with The Weeknd, claiming the singer/producer had used a drum part from Portishead's 2008 track "Machine Gun" without permission to use on "Belong To The World." "When someone asks to sample you and you refuse, they should have the respect as a fellow artist to not use it," Barrow wrote during the incident. "I don't wanna get paid...I just want my beat back."
