By: Jamie Reysen

Ben Samples, one half of the live remix project, Fresh2Death, released his first full-length album Dec. 6. "Choose Your Own Adventure" offers nearly an hour-long medley of bass-heavy, glitch-infused tracks, diverse enough for every electronic music fan.

Through heavy manipulation, Samples transforms familiar pop vocal sound bytes into something entirely new. Whitney Houston’s ‘80s dance classic, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” sounds almost sinister against the distorted beats and bass-laden sounds of “Blood on the Handle.”

An Aaliyah sample from “Are You That Somebody” fuels “Naughty Naughty (VIP).” The Aaliyah original and “Naughty Naughty (VIP)” are worlds apart. The track—one of the catchiest on the LP—shows how dramatically a song’s meaning can shift through changes in tempo, instrumentals, and electronic manipulation.

“Get Hotter” is a fun song that features a quick Jennifer Lopez vocal sample from Santana’s “This Boy’s Fire.” The track begins with a simple piano melody; then J. Lo instructs, “Get Hotter,” and the beat drops, taking her voice hostage and sending it into a whirlwind of glitchy beats.

High frequency sounds contrasted against heavy drum and bass really characterize Samples’ sound. In “Phantom Murder,” high pitches border on squeaky. In “Hyperspace,” he plays with the tempo of these high-pitched beats up against a strong steady drum rhythm. “Georgia House of Mirrors,” one of his best tracks, features fun electro chord progressions, with wobbly, spacey breaks that bring suspense to the song.

As a whole, Choose Your Own Adventure is heavy, yet catchy. Samples succeeds in creating a full-length album that is both serious and oftentimes mischievous. Choose Your Own Adventure can be purchased online at additech.com Preview two of my favorite songs below.

Naughty Naughty (VIP)

Georgia House of Mirrors