Album Review: Ras G & The Afrikan Space Program / Samiyam – Los Angeles 3/10

All City Records Presents - Ras G & The Afrikan Space Program/Samiyam : LA Series #3

Label : All City Records
Release Date : 19th April 2010
Genre : Glitch, Wonky, Beats

Tracklist
01. Ras G and The Afrikan Space Program – Flight Delay
02. Ras G and The Afrikan Space Program – Ourtrill
03. Ras G and The Afrikan Space Program – Breakfast Blunts
04. Samiyam – Fishsticks
05. Samiyam – Brad
06. Samiyam – Space

Dublin's All City returns with its 3 out of 10 LA series feature talents of the burgeoning yet championed Los Angeles beatheads. On this 3rd installment, another two Brainfeeder cohorts (the 1st one being Matthewdavid on the 2nd series) Samiyam & Ras G submit 3 tracks each.

Firstly, I pinched the wax on the front side, which is Ras G's. Ras, a proud South Central LA resident definitely needs no introduction as he is a fixture on the LA underground hip-hop scene since early 90s. 'Flight Delay' opens the 12" with smashing woozy synth bass and cut-up psychedelic samples, pretty much the beatmaking habit of this South Central O.G. The 3rd track, 'Breakfast Blunts' carries the same psychedelic vibe as 'Flight Delay' but the surprise came from then 2nd track 'Outrilliantend', which sounds surprisingly jazzy while keeping his psychedelic vibe intact, something that he hadn't came up with since his split 12" with another LA transplant, Black Dusty Rhodes. with three heavy bass speaker smashers, Ras G came correct with three definitive jawns that we can bump all day.

Moving on to the other side of wax, Samiyam (aka Sam Baker) is known for his melancholic sounding beats and off-kilter dilla vibes which built around his signature synths. This Angeleno by-the-way-of Ann Arbor beatsmith's opening track, 'Fishsticks' could possibly be the highlight of the series. South park reference aside, this tune combines overcompressed, crunching nintendo bassline and 808 with his signature 'sinister' synths, running slightly off-timing with the drums, his slow flow style crushes everything in its path like a bulldozer stuck in muddy surfaces. The equally weird skit at the end of track makes a perfect accompaniment to the whole tune. Sadly, the expectation crumbles on 'Brad', which lazily chucked in and looped for almost 5 minutes but 'Space' provides the much expected climax and also serves as the closer of this 12" which sounded like some Motown rendition of an Italian horror movie sound score and once again, the track also closes with some banger outro that (hopefully) will be his next release.

Overall, this makes another solid release for All City records, thus solidifying their status as a hotbed indie label for talented beatheads all across the continents. In the meantime, enjoy all 6 tunes while blazing a joint for a refreshing change.

Words by Skware-1