You read that right – Hyperdub heading up the hip hop section… The label’s first US signing, and first hip hop tempo release, comes from Flying Lotus sidekick, straight out of LA, Samiyam.

With collaborative joints with Flylo under the name FLYamSAM, his recent ‘Rap Beats’ album on Lotus’ new Brainfeeder label, and a stunning remix for Pattie Blingh on Ramp Recordings all under his belt, Samiyam is rising fast. All the tunes on the ‘Return EP’ carry Samiyam’s signature synth sound, melancholy melodies, and that off-centre post-Dilla funk that will make you bump and tingle your brain, while you are simultaneously crying your eyes out. This style is perfected on the title track ‘Return’, which has been featured in many a Flylo mix from the last couple of years, and the ultra-lazy grooves of the 8-bit ‘Trick Platform’ which plugs in nicely to recent Hyperdub excursions by Quarta 330, Ikonika, Zomby and Rustie.

On the flip, ‘Moon Shoes’ and ‘Cheesecake Backslap’, witness the drums get turned up, and the quantize function thrown out the window. Loose, lop-sided but totally funktional, this EP brings a bit of smoggy, toxic West Coast sunshine to the stiff and gloomy UK, while once again confounding any presumptions about which way Kode9 is going to steer his label next.