I was turned on to this guy after noticing his collaboration with Flying Lotus, and immediately went hunting for some product. I clicked on the paypal link on his myspace, and waited. Two weeks later I was starting to think maybe I’d wasted my $15US. But, sure enough, I received my package from Sam Baker, of Northridge CA. Mine’s got a closup of a guy’s hand holding a pistol with the outline traced (he does a different little magazine cut out for every disc). The DIY cleverness of the packaging perfectly complements the raw but engaging beats on this self released debut.
This is a beat tape in the best possible sense. No track longer than 1:40, new ideas jumping off the record every 30 seconds or so, and scarcely a dull moment amongst the 24 sketches. As the Flying Lotus reference might suggest, it’s that low slung, neck cracking type stuff which is going round at the moment. But it’s not a ‘flavour of the month’ type thing – it’s more classic than that. Big kick, crunchy snare, lots of swing, 8 bit gurgles, grainy key stabs, synth basslines that saw right through the mix. Maybe you’ve heard it before, but it’s killer nonetheless. There’s no real need to pick out highlights because it’s so consistent.
Samiyam has gained support from plenty of DJs, done a bunch of international shows, remixes for a few small labels, and popped up on Steve Ellison’s (Flying Lotus’) new Brainfeeder imprint. His beats have been appearing on blogs, playlists, and the airwaves around the world for a while now, so hopefully in the near future we’ll get another full length from this excellent Californian beat-smith. Samiyam’s success shows how far an internet connection, and a bunch of inventive tunes can take you.
Tom Smith
