If you’ve been paying any attention to Steal This Track over the past two years, you already know that Colorado is churning out world-class pop, rock, metal, punk, experimental, indie, singer-songwriter, hip-hop and even country. What you might not know is that there’s also a vital, inventive and growing community of artists making electronic dance music as well. Today, we bring you tracks from one of that community’s most prolific and promising producers, .
We first introduced Steal This Track lovers to Ben Samples’s brand of bass-heavy dancefloor mayhem , with the release of his “Snowstorm” EP. On Nov 8 (that’s tomorrow!), he’ll be releasing a full-length album — “Malbec” — with ‘s .
While Samples has produced some fantastic mash-ups and remixes in recent years, it’s a pleasure to hear him stretch out across 10 original electronic compositions. Drawing on bassline house, dubstep, glitch hop and many other sub-genres, the artist creates instrumental tracks that run the gamut from esoteric sci-fi soundtrack fodder to hippie-tronica grooves to testosterone-fueled gut punches, while mostly adhering to conventional pop song structures. Occasionally, the simplicity of Samples’s tunes causes them to fall a little flat, but the majority of “Malbec” showcases a young musician bursting with creativity and with an uncanny sense of what it takes to fill dancefloors and headphones.
In anticipation of the release of “Malbec,” Samples is offering a free download of “Shadow of Love,” a track that won’t be on the album. Showcasing his talents as a remixer and audio hijacker, the tune shoplifts the hook from the Four Tops “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” and places it in the crunchy, gurgling belly of a horny robot. You can also stream “Dry Creek,” a track from the album that shows off Samples’s talent for crafting chewy, aggressive and multidimensional beats that lodge themselves firmly and tenaciously between the ears and the pelvis.
If you like what you hear, don’t miss Samples opening for at the Gothic Theatre on Nov 18. are just $15 in advance.
Please note that downloads offered via Steal This Track are intended to whet your appetite, and are NOT CD-quality recordings. If you want those, please support the artists by buying their music and/or seeing them live.
If you’re a band or musician ready to expose your fresh sounds to the readers of Reverb, email your tracks — along with any interesting facts about them, as well as a photo or album art — to Eryc Eyl for consideration.
Eryc Eyl is a veteran music journalist, critic and Colorado native who has been neck-deep in local music for many years. Check out for local music you can HEAR, and the for stories about Denver musicians doing extraordinary things. Against his mother’s advice, Eryc has also been known to . You can also follow Sorry, Mom.
