Vanilla Ace and Carnao Beats Pull Out a Smattering of Samples on “Tribe Step”

Hip-house is the perfect example of how sampling connected hip-hop and house music in the late 1980s. Fast-forward to 2017 and “Tribe Step”—a collaboration between Vanilla Ace (who broke through in 2012 and quickly garnered support from the likes of Pete Tong and Tiësto) and Carnao Beats (a London favorite who has previously teamed up with Roger Sanchez)—takes its inspiration from that epic nexus.

“Me and Carnao got chatting about our love of old ‘90s hip-hop,” Vanilla Ace told Insomniac recently. “So, I dug out some samples for us to mess around with, and these two were born! We wanted to mix heavy tech-house beats with that hip-hop vibe to do something unique.”

Out May 1 on Low Steppa’s touchstone bass house label Simma Black, “Tribe Step” blends the shuffle of UK garage, the rolling bass of deep house, and the sleekness of tech house with a funky boombox beat and a smattering of samples reminiscent of underground parties where hip-hop and house still brushed up against each other on the dancefloor.

Carnao Beats adds, “I have always loved the old-skool sounds and instruments, so when Vanilla Ace [and I] spoke about the collab, this was the first thing we both wanted to create. On top of our own styles, this is a unique and different sound altogether.”

Available May 1 via Simma Black.