Baltimore producer Alex Deranian is clearly not afraid to cut, chop, and drastically manipulate audio, whether it’s the gritty, abstract beats he crafts as Semya, or the retro-sampling joints he puts together under the moniker Ferrari Jackson. Here, we have a fine piece of glammed-out sample work from a new Ferrari Jackson cassette (artwork above) that was recently released on the Culture Dealer label, an imprint run by like-minded sonic manipulator Run DMT. On “Miami Beach,” Deranian takes a few seconds of an almost-forgotten disco tune and works them into a memorable excursion of friendly boom-bap, complete with a healthy touch of cheese. And just in case you were wondering how much cheese constitutes a healthy amount, allow us to point out the deliciously indulgent synth (or maybe that’s a guitar) solo riff which adorns the second and third chorus’ turn-arounds. It appears that Deranian isn’t one to shy away from the occasional guilt-ridden riff, and, in the same token, neither are we.

Miami Breeze