- Samo DJ, real name Samo Forsberg, is a sample maestro. The Swedish producer's rework of Flyer's "Get Back Your Love" was one of 2015's jauntiest edits, and his Tai Po Kau record for L.I.E.S. a few years back used a truly cheeky selection—Rolf Trostel, Jeremih, Paul Johnson—as its source material. But on "Hollabackboi," he and Shanghai-based producer Tzusing have taken a slightly different approach. The tune, which features on Public Possession's latest compilation EP, sees the duo attempting to recreate the drum programming from Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" without actually sampling it. The resulting track is a gem, a flinty breakbeat echoing Stefani's 2005 pop smash playing off against a chirpy synth melody.
Forsberg also contributes a solo track to the EP, "Triad Board Meeting," on which he pairs Asian gangster movie samples with a prowling bassline. The Swede, who had a three-year stint living in Hong Kong, regularly draws on Eastern influences in his productions—in 2013 he released a collaborative album on L.I.E.S. as KWC 92, which was inspired by Kowloon's Walled City. Fellow Stockholm artist Baba Stiltz also contributes two tracks: "Beirut," whose plucked melody gives the track a nice earthy feel, and "Pacific Times," which rides around a carousel of filtered synths and cute percussive touches. But this record is all about "Hollabackboi," one of the most lovably goofy songs to appear on Public Possession, a label that could have a patent on that kind of house music.
TracklistA1 Samo DJ - Triad Board Meeting
A2 Baba Stiltz - Pacific Times
B1 Baba Stiltz - Beirut
B2 Samo DJ & Tzusing - Hollabackboi