- Unlike many electronic artists taking inspiration from American hip-hop, Sami Baha actually sounds like American hip-hop. The young Turkish producer has roots in the music back home, but after moving to London last year, he's become involved in the ever-shifting UK bass scenes orbiting Rinse FM and, more loosely, NTS. He doesn't have much of a discography yet—just a couple tracks on compilations from Istanbul-based label Tektosag and now a record on Planet Mu. Mavericks, Baha's debut EP, is promising, a collection of modern, dance floor-ready rap beats with subtle eccentricities.
Most of Mavericks is an exercise in restraint. Its sparsest track, "Still," is made of equal parts negative space and solid matter. That extra leg room lets the ice-cold melodies ring out. "Dough" is so simple and slick that it could almost be a Drake or Future instrumental, but there's enough whimsical flourish for it to stand out from typical trap beats. Still, barely a note is wasted, and the melodies exude a confidence and intentionality that belie Baha's young age.
The title track, "Tozko Paran" and closer "Chunk" are busier than the rest but no less bewitching, with bells and plucked MIDI preset strings arranged in exotic intervals. Rounding out the EP is a collaboration with Kuedo, a seasoned producer who's long had a penchant for modern rap. Their track, "Cataphract," is Mavericks's most dramatic, with big, cinematic synths that reflect Kuedo's ear for paranoid sci-fi. Clever as the pairing is, Mavericks is more striking with understatement.
TracklistA1 Mavericks One
A2 Still
A3 Dough
B1 Tozko Paran
B2 Cataphract feat. Kuedo
B3 Chunk