Samsin
Discusses The Guiding Forces Behind His Production Process and Gives His Authentic Advice to New Talent
By Jackie Procacci
One of the beauties of electronic music is the way instrumental tracks can transport you to a different headspace by experimenting with a diverse range of sounds, samples, and effects. Ohio-based DJ/producer Samsin is doing just that - “Really just the ability to create a whole other world is what I strive to do with music.” The 23-year-old Soundcloud enthusiast is raising the bar for up-and-coming future bass artists as he continues to stay true to himself when it comes to both creating music and his artist brand. The pandemic was influential in many artists’ careers as it relates to their mental health. Samsin, among many other producers, experienced this and had to readjust their process - just like you can’t rush great music, you can’t rush a healthy mind. Samsin is extremely passionate about the community aspect of music and has connected and grown with many artists he’s inspired by. He urges other creators to discover music they love and befriend those authors as sources of motivation, inspiration, and friendship. Samsin’s music creates the perfect vibe for doing work or just simply hanging out and relaxing - check out his discography on Spotify or Soundcloud for even more Samsin tracks.
Hey Samsin, thanks so much for speaking with us! Let’s start from the beginning - how did you get started making music?
Of course! Thanks for the opportunity again. So I started producing when I was 16. I had been a drummer at my church since I was about 12 and was on my school's drumline throughout my time at school. It really all started after I heard trap music for the first time when I was like 14 and I just went down this crazy rabbit hole of Soundcloud stuff like Team Supreme and Sam G. I got super interested in how the stuff was made and just fell in love with it. Been making tunes ever since!
You’ve been posting on Soundcloud for about 6 years now. At what point did you decide to start releasing your songs professionally?
Well, I uploaded the very first song I ever made onto Soundcloud (it was terrible). I started doing the Spotify thing in like 2017 and it's cool but I like the community aspect of SoundCloud and Audius a lot more. A lot of my music isn't really on all of the services and that's on purpose. I like being a Soundcloud kid lol. I've pretty much taken every opportunity to release my music more professionally, doing releases with people and collectives I really liked. I partnered up with ADBC in late 2019 and I would say that's the most established thing I have done to this point. They are backed by Alpha Pup which I had heard of way before me, and Dane (Great Dane) started talking about doing an EP release. Now, I’m ADBC till I die, I’ve always fucked with Great Dane so it’s so crazy I get to be in the same vein as him. I guess I would take other opportunities if they arose but I like the idea of being on a small thing with homies and playing my part in the culture that way. I've never really wanted a record deal or anything like that. I like my own process and wouldn't want music to purposefully be my job in that way.
Where do you find inspiration from when producing new tracks?
Usually just from life and my emotions. Any form of visual media is big for me too. When I start a beat it's just like a cool idea and then at some point, I can kind of imagine a world where the song exists. I usually spend most of the time trying to hone in that feeling and that imaginary world through sound selection and specific melodies. I've always looked at music as a form of escapism. In my opinion, whatever type of music me and my peers make is special because you can't really hold it or be told what to think when listening to it. It's kind of unique in the sense that you can attempt to put the listener on this foreign planet that you're imagining...
Are there artists you look up to most and/or influence your sound/creative process?
Carmack, quickly quickly, Chromonicci and Zotti are my main four. I've been lucky enough to talk to QQ and Chromo and tell them personally haha. Zotti is actually a really close homie of mine so I can just FaceTime when I'm stoned and gas him up whenever I want, which is so sick. Plus I get to hear all of his unreleased and get motivated that way. Carmack is kinda like The Godfather of the whole Soundcloud beat scene. I can't really think of someone more influential to everyone I've met on that website. Also Sam G – I used to get that comparison a lot, he’s on his future pop shit which I also really fuck with but his old beats from 2015-2016 still go absolutely insane.
If you could go B2B with any artist who would it be?
Zotti, I've already done it like two times but he is, in my humble opinion, the best producer on earth right now.
How has the pandemic influenced your creative process and you as an artist overall?
For the first year, it really motivated me and like all the time not doing anything else, I think really helped me level up my sound and find myself sonically. On the flip side, I kinda burnt myself out for the first time in 6-7 years. Me and music are in a weird stage right now. I had to think about a lot of shit I was kind of putting off personally. So a lot of personal growth has happened in the past year or so. I think music had to take a back seat in order for me to figure my own mental health out. I've obviously still been making stuff but not to the OD point I was a year ago. But we are all a process!
What do you think makes your music unique?
I think my melodies and sound selection are my strongest suit. I've always tried to put whoever is listening on the same planet as the song. I love comments that are like ‘ancient temple on an alien planet’ because that's literally what I'm thinking about when I'm making some of the shit. It's cool to see that I'm not crazy and other people get that same kind of space adventure vibe. Really just the ability to create a whole other world is what I strive to do with music.
“Mud/Bugs” Album Art – Click to Listen!
Now let’s talk about your first EP “Afterlight” – What was the inspiration for that project?
‘Afterlight’ was my first real attempt at making something cohesive. I kinda had this bad habit of just uploading everything I was working on once it was done and I really just wanted to release a project I was proud of. I had also moved into an apartment and had my own room for the first time in my life so I was just taking advantage of that. Peak weed smoking for me so I was never really thinking about it more than music. I miss that part of my life a lot. I learned a lot in the months leading up to that about myself as well so I think everything just kind of fell in place.
Do you have any advice for other new electronic artists and producers trying to break through with their music?
Make as much music as you can. I think you really gotta fall in love with it and dedicate most of your time to it. Work through periods where you feel stuck rather than taking breaks. I didn't have a life because I was just a rat and stared at a screen and blew my ears out for like 6 years straight. Also, set some realistic goals to work towards. I think like 100 followers on whatever streaming service is a good goal and just kinda keep setting your eye on the next hundred. Numbers aren't everything but good art supersedes that, in my opinion, and the numbers will come. Find people that you fuck with sonically and try to be their friend. When I was first starting out I made a lot of friends that I still talk to and we pushed each other super hard. Whether it was trying to impress each other or just like, ‘oh shit he's making beats rn why aren't I?’ type of thing. I think the community is a super unique part of Soundcloud. To sum it up, work hard and make homies!
If you could choose any other profession, what would it be and why?
I wouldn't consider myself a professional musician currently, I’m still figuring life out and what I really want at the moment. I kinda wish I went to school for philosophy or psychology. I find myself researching and reading about those topics in my free time as it is so I probably should have recognized that earlier. Maybe in another life!
Do you have any favorite sample packs or any go-to plug-ins?
My favorite plug-in is LFO tool or Arcade. You can find some really good one-shots. I've always been more of a sample guy. I have this crazy Jungle DnB pack I found that has a bunch of HQ pads and drums that is kinda my secret thing. Monte Booker's pack is probably the best pack ever. I find myself using that as does everyone in the past year lol shits fire.
Will “evereffort” be released on Spotify as part of your next project?
No, that's its own thing. But the next ep sounds a lot like it. I kinda just threw that out to test the waters for my new sound that I've been making. I probably should put it on streaming but that wasn't really in my head when I posted it. I kinda like to just post shit on Soundcloud cause it reminds me of 2016 before Spotify was the end goal. But I'll probably throw it up there eventually!
Where do you want to be in January 2023?
Somewhere warmer. I live in Ohio and holy shit I can't handle these winters anymore. Musically my new EP will be out for sure and then hopefully I'll be close to done with the next one that I started here in the last couple of months. I've got like a whole ep lead on myself so I have time to really work on full-body stuff.
What’s next for Samsin? And do you have any new music we can expect in the near future?
EP! EP! EP! Then more EP’s. I like the idea of being able to upload whatever bullshit I want on Soundcloud and then focus on projects as a part of my legacy. I've been on a break musically for literally the first time in 7 years so I'm definitely feeling the internal pressure to keep working. More music always, I've said since I was like 18 I'll never stop making music. I really think it's what I'm here to do.
When Samsin makes it to LA, ___________.
Working with homies and playing shows then on the appropriate flight home lol. I've stayed in LA before and it is not for me. I love visiting California but I'm much more of a Midwest/East Coast kid.