Sam Shure, one of the stand-out artists of the moment
Growing up in central Germany, having already started playing the piano at the age of 4, his acoustic upbringing was under the tutorship of his father, the Egyptian Jazz musician Basem Darwisch, who cultivated his appetite for Egyptian Sufi music, oriental jazz and traditional Nubian folklore.
Sam Shure’s native talent and his ever-evolving skillset dot him one of the stand-out artists.
Pairing electronic sound design and the learned jazzy oriental scapes with a natural flair, Sam’s sound is continuously developing as he constantly adds new textures and layers, pushing his own creative boundaries.
So it’s no surprise Sam started to blend in all of these distinct influences into his sets and then later on in his own productions, with his father even featuring on one of his tracks. His sound ranges from melancholic downtempo/electronica to groovy tech house, but his productions predominantly result in dancefloor-oriented arrangements.
Enter Stil vor Talent
While 2017 has been a prolific year for the artist, 2018 sounds just as exciting as Sam joined the Stil vor Talent booking agency. His upcoming plan included the release of two solo EPs on the German label while staying true to exploring new sounds and territories. Now he is back with an album called “Laconia”.
Enjoy the interview.
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Hey hey,
With the summer that came to an end, we hope you had a great time?
Hello Tanzgemeinschaft, my summer 2019 was pretty fun, thanks for asking!
Any highlights to mention?
One highlight of this Summer for sure was an impromptu B2B with Cioz at the Sisyphos Beach. I was booked to open the beach floor on Sunday morning from 8-11. The weather was pretty dark and rainy and on my way to the club, I thought the floor would be empty as it is the outdoor area of the club. After the first three tracks were played the floor started to fill up quickly and after half an hour it was pretty packed. I was super stoked to see that the people didn’t care about the rain and kept dancing to the music. At some point, my good friend and one of my favourite producers Cioz showed up at the DJ booth and asked if I wanted to play b2b. I agreed and we had a really lovely Sunday morning. The energy on the floor was truly magical because of the rain and I guess this was what made this gig so special to me.
For fans who don’t know much about you, could you tell us a bit about your musical background?
I grew up in a very musical family and started to play the piano at a young age. My mum sings in the choir and plays guitar & piano and was always next to me when I practised for my piano lessons. My dad also plays multiple instruments and is the band leader of the oriental Jazz band Cairo steps. I guess the reason why I do what I do today is that I was confronted with music almost every single day during my childhood. There was always music playing in our home. My mum’s side was rather classical and my dads part more Jazzy and oriental as he is from Egypt.
I guess the reason why I do what I do today is that I was confronted with music almost every single day during my childhood.
How would you describe your style, and the key elements that define it?
I always don’t know what to say if someone asks me about my style of music as I think it’s pretty difficult to label yourself. I guess the majority of my tracks are somewhere between melodic, deep and tech-house. Some tracks are downtempo or electronica though. I love to experiment with different genres as well.
One main key elements which come to my mind directly are organic sounds. Acoustic instruments (Piano, Guitar, Trumpet.. etc), as well as percussions and drums, are essential for me. They add a human side to the production and carry warmness and authenticity.
And how has your music been influenced by other artists, musicians, or life in general?
The people and places I encounter are the biggest influences I guess. Whenever you collaborate with different producers on a track you learn a lot of new techniques and ways to produce. When I hear or find some new, fresh tracks I can get inspired instantly. As well my recent move to Amsterdam will have an impact on my productions for sure. Music is a reflection of your emotions and I believe that every day influences your way as a musician.
Music is a reflection of your emotions and I believe that every day influences your way as a musician.
What were the milestones that brought you closer to achieving your dream to become a DJ/producer?
I would say that the first milestone was my move to Berlin. I discovered sooo many new places and learned so much about urban and music culture. I met many artists, bookers, promoters and people from within the scene which are still having an important role in my life. One milestone in Berlin for sure was my first residency at the legendary Bordel des Arts party at Wilde Renate. I basically learned how to DJ there and had the opportunity to showcase my own productions in front of a crowd for the first time.
The next milestone was my first official release “Dumra”, under my artist name Sam Shure on Mukke in 2016. That was the first step to become a professional producer and gave me a good platform for exposure.
Some months later my first release on my home label Stil vor Talent for sure marked a very important step in my career. They released the majority of my productions until now and feel like a real home to me. That includes the next milestone, becoming part of the booking agency of Stil vor Talent.
I would say releasing my first album “Laconia” is the most recently achieved milestone which I am happy to have accomplished. The next milestone on my schedule is my live set which I trying to finalize at the moment.
What are currently your main challenges as a DJ? What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?
The main challenge of being a touring DJ is the time you spend on your own on top of the common struggles of travelling. Being a solo act can be pretty lonely sometimes but it taught me how to be alone as that was always something I wasn’t a big fan of. As much as I love DJing it will never have the same value to me than being in the studio to create something new.
I think I love the mix of both, being in your little bubble to create for some time and then being on the road, connecting with people, receiving a lot of energy from the crowd which you can use again for making music.
DJing gives you the pleasure of presenting your music to people and showcasing your personal vision of the soundtrack of the night. I really appreciate to have the opportunity to do that and am grateful to travel to wolf through Djing. Sometimes searching and digging for new tracks can be very tiring though. I think I love the mix of both, being in your little bubble to create for some time and then being on the road, connecting with people, receiving a lot of energy from the crowd which you can use again for making music.
What’s your creative process when producing music? Do you have an idea in mind or do you somehow experiment and see what’s coming?
There are different ways on how to start a track. Sometimes I have a melody in my head and I try to keep it until I get to the studio. Sometimes I am just starting from scratch and play around with a beat and some melodies, sometimes I start something and something completely different comes out in the end. There are many ways to be creative. 🙂
You have a release coming up on Still Vor Talent. Tell us all about your album “Laconica”. How did it come to life? Did it take a long time to create and did you road-test the tracks?
The first thought about an album came up last year during the summertime and it grew until I decided to seriously work on it around November 2018. Last year was a real life-changing year for me and I gathered so many experiences, moments and emotions that I felt very inspired to work on a long-player. It gives you freedom to express a greater variety of your musically vision and leaves room to experiment with different genres and techniques. I road-tested the more clubby tracks as soon as I finished a version and changed them until I thought they’d work the best.
Give us an insight into what we can expect from you over the next few months.
Burning Man happened not so long ago. After your great set of last year, did you return this year?
I did return this year and I am again mindblown by the quality of it. It was a truly beautiful week where I could discover a lot of new artists and musicians and meet a lot of nice people. There are recordings of this years Burn following up, as well as some releases on different labels than Stil vor Talent and I am working on my live set at the moment.
Are there any tracks or artists in particular that you are playing constantly these days?
I am a big fan of Cioz‘s productions and would play them even without checking before. He is putting out only the highest quality of music and for sure is an artist to have an eye on. I really like the music of Sebastién Leger, Khen, Chaim and many more.
Thank you!
