Denver producer and club DJ has a new album of classic track covers. Download his dub take on LL Cool J’s “Mama Said.”
Dance clubs, like amusement parks, are places of heightened experiences. This is a world where drinks are poured strong and neon, where lighting can be lasers, and where the drugs can make a trip to the bathroom an exciting experience. At the center of all this is the DJ, lording over the dance floor from a pulpit in a cloud of smoke and lights. Without the DJ, all of the other exaggerated elements would seem stupid.
While anymore club DJs perform songs they’ve written and produced, they will still pull out a sample or two, using elements from already established songs to suit their musical needs in the moment. Most of the time the samples are drawn from the hook or the chorus, the highest energy and most memorable moments in the track. But sometimes, a really slick producer will reimagine the entire song, leaving it largely intact while adding their own style and making it danceable. This is what Denver and producer Ben Samples has done on “Sex Drugs & Bass Vol. 2.”
Samples is an accomplished club DJ who produces his own tracks. He doesn’t need to rely on hit from others, slightly modified for the dance floor, to build a following. But damn, this album of remixes is a lot of fun. Some tracks, like Gorillaz “Feel Good Inc,” are obvious choices for a dance remix. But then he surprises you with tracks like Mötley Crüe’s “Dr Feelgood.” What all these tracks have in common is they are high-energy hits in their original state, and Samples has dubbed, glitched and bassed them out to be dance club bangerz, heightening their already amped sound.
Download Ben Samples’ take on LL Cool J’s classic “Mama Said” below. The whole collection of remixes is available on his page. Ben Samples will be performing a late-night set at the co-working space on Friday, Jan. 31.
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 Steal This Track for consideration.
Josh Johnson is a Denver freelance writer and Reverb contributor. He is also a co-host/co-producer of the Denver podcast . He’s also a journeyman butcher. Seriously.
