By: Jordan Calvano

New-York hip-hop legends Onyx ask “Who slam harder, Onyx or Vince Carter?” Well after hearing the new Samples EP, folks are going to be asking, “Who slam harder, Onyx or Ben Samples?” with the answer of course being Ben Samples.

DJ/producer Samples is no stranger to clubs across America. The Denver-based musician has been proudly representing his scene for the last few years and providing his fans with nothing but cuts. He’s a prolific producer of potent and energetic remixes from prominent artists like The Weeknd, Def Leppard, The Polish Ambassador, and Justice; flipping them to fit his high-paced glitch-hop and crunk style. Not to mention his long list of original tracks which include powerful cuts like “Boss!,” “Blakka,” and the high flying bass driven song, “Drop Bombs.” Ben is also one half of the live remix project Fresh2Death with fellow Denver producer *Fisk*, who throw down heavy hip-hop infused grooves wherever their cerebral pleasing sounds are released.

On his most recent Mal Label Music EP Life of the Party, we see Samples taking his momentous music to uncharted territories on a release that is designed to please any partygoer trying to get down.

The opening track, “Capture the Flag,” opens up with nostalgic synths that are reminiscent of the Renaissance Era, which soon progress into groovy mid-tempo melodies that will have any listener running quickly throughout middle school recess fields dodging packs of screaming kids like the childhood game of the same name.

“Bred2Party,” is a funky and head banging cut that will have any house party going wild till the wee hours of the morning. Its starts out with a slower pace, which quickly transitions into a rockin’ anthem that drops with the classic Biggie line, “Fuck up the Party.”

“Onyx,” is a crunchy bass driven dubstep banger that will keep the aforementioned house party raging until the cops come, and will continue even after they leave. Infusions of lazer like tones and hip-hop style beat boxing are woven in throughout to create a well-produced track with a mind of its own.

Closing up the EP is the emphatic, “Basscraft,” which brings in striking sounds from Ben Sample’s arsenal to create a robotic and rhythmic cut. Get ready for the ride of your life people because this musical spaceship has no maximum speed, but is simply fueled by energy and the movement of the crowd on board.

Life of the Party is one of those releases that are clearly summed up in the title. The EP deliverers in classic Ben Samples fashion, and goes hard from start to finish.