Aquakultre Puts On A Masterclass In Neo-Soul With “Don’t Trip”
Nova Scotia’s Lance Sampson a.k.a Aquakultre has provided the world with a syrupy sweet single that seamlessly blends elements of funk and neo-soul. Carrying the title of his upcoming July full-length release, “Don’t Trip” hits the bloodstream immediately. The instrumentation mainly powered by a bold keyboard and melting bass line reveal so much of this song’s healing effects without giving it all away at once.
It comes as no particular surprise that Sampson’s pandemic assembly of Don’t Trip was influenced by a healthy dose of Lauryn Hill records. The stacked layers of the infectious chorus hold you with the same warmth of any cut of your choosing from Miseducation. Much like tracks from this undeniable ‘90s classic, “Don’t Trip” is about personal breakthroughs and the appreciation for unadulterated joy (“something is changing in me/making me feel free”).
Despite its massive guest list, Don’t Trip is a deeply personal project. Sampson began working on the full-length follow-up to his breakout album, Legacy, in March 2020 while the pandemic lockdown forced him to remain inside with his family. The album was originally conceptualized as a five-song EP based on the first three weeks of a budding relationship with his partner, Julia when they barely left her bedroom. Eating ice cream and pizza, drinking wine, and listening to Lauryn Hill records was the start of a passionate love affair.
“I called the album Don’t Trip because when Julia and I first met we were both in a place of being tired of looking for someone,” Sampson explains. “Both of us were getting out of exhausting relationships where we had done everything in our power to make them work. Once we met each other, it was like closing that chapter of looking for the right person.”
Aquakultre will unleash Don’t Trip on July 22nd, but give the title track a listen (or ten) below:
