Los Angeles-based artist Sam Jaxson is back with a genre-blending summer anthem, “Ride The Wave.” Known for his unique fusion of hip-hop, pop, dance and R&B, Sam brings his musical style and storytelling prowess to this vibrant song, which captures the excitement of a summer adventure on the coast of Los Angeles. Inspired by his own experiences, “Ride The Wave” channels the energy of late-night drives on the west side of Los Angeles, delivering an irresistible blend of pop-style melodies, UK garage-inspired production, and catchy rap beats that They make it both danceable and road trip ready.
This song mainly revolves around a summer fling with a girl who lives by the beach on the west side of Los Angeles. She drew heavily on my experiences living in Los Angeles and driving the 10 and 405 freeways to get to her on the other side of town. He had never driven to the beach so often in all the time he lived here, as the song goes: “I don’t like the sand much, I’m a mountain man, yeah, I’m still with the leaves! But lately I’m tanned, I want to ride the wave…”
There was nothing revolutionary about the way he recorded this song. What was special about the song was how quickly it came together. The entire song was done in about 4-5 hours and he didn’t use any outside engineers to mix or master it. Sam loves making music without being too critical and this song is simply the vibe that was in the room at the time he recorded it.
The song came about during Sam’s time at the Los Angeles Academy of Artists and Music Production (LAAMP), where he honed his craft under the mentorship of industry giants Stargate. With backing vocals from friends and feedback from classmates, Sam produced, recorded, mixed and mastered “Ride The Wave” in less than five hours, capturing the essence of spontaneity and passion in his music. Having recently played to crowds at iconic Los Angeles venues, Sam is gearing up for a series of new releases that promise to push his artistic boundaries even further. “Ride The Wave” is just the beginning of an exciting chapter for this multi-talented artist.
There were no specific influences that Sam drew on for this song, but he was always inspired by other artists as a fan and listener. This is a summer song to warm up the cold and stands out for its vibe and specific blend of genres and moods. Sam loves music that combines electronic, pop, and hip-hop in new and exciting ways (e.g. “Dang!” by Mac Miller and Anderson Paak). However, this song breaks new ground by combining the specific UK garage vibe with 808 in the production, pop-style melody and lyrics in the choruses, and catchy rap flows in the verses. It’s quirky, fun, sexy, danceable, and a little aggressive, and it’s equally great for the dance floor or a road trip.
