Coffee Break with Samer Soltan
Samer Soltan is an internationally acclaimed producer and DJ based in Brussels, Belgium. His releases with major labels saw the support of big artists such as Dixon, Âme, Joris Voorn, John Digweed among others, which helped him establish himself as part of the next generation of underground house music artists. We were curious to have a chat with him about his music journey.
Coming from Tunisia, when were you first introduced to electronic music and what do you think of the scene there?
Before I got into electronic music, I was just interested in the sound in general and its complexity. This interest came from my early childhood experiences.
The scene of electronic music in Tunisia is growing really fast, especially after the revolution of 2011 when more clubs were opened. People now understand that being a producer or a DJ can be a job and not just a hobby.
Over the past few years, you started making a name for yourself as a producer, releasing on notable labels and having tracks played by the biggest DJs of the scene. How did you get into production and how long did it take until you were able to release your first tracks?
At the age of 14 I started to listen to electronic music, and very often wanted to change something on my favorite tracks of the time but didn’t have the technical knowledge to do it.
I started producing with FL Studio and watched a lot of tutorials on Youtube on how to make beats, melodies etc.
Like very often at the beginning, my productions didn’t sound professional enough so I took specific online classes to learn about mixing and how to finish a track properly.
It was not an easy process because most of Youtube Videos at that time were in German without translation, so I actually had to learn a bit of German to understand them better.
You then decided to move to Europe, more specifically to Brussels, to attend music school. Not every DJ/producer nowadays had the chance to study music. What did you learn during your studies and how much has that helped you in your career?
As a producer I am constantly learning, but I reached a point where I couldn’t recognize myself in my music anymore, so I had to do something about it. The solution was to change the production process.
At SAE Brussels, there was a nice environment and energy. To be honest I expected to learn more there, but it was an amazing experience nonetheless. Before music school I only heard about sound design, but I am now more confident about the steps to take in order to produce a track. This is what I was looking for, together with having access to a studio full of analog gear, and learning from professionals everyday.
Now based in Belgium, you play there quite often. What do you think of the scene there and what was your most memorable gig to date?
The scene is Belgium is really wonderful.
Where I’m from we are not used to seeing big DJs every week, but here in Belgium you can go listen to a set of Trikk on Friday, then Saturday you have Kevin De Vries all night long and Sunday Denis Horvat. I don’t rave so much as 90% of my time in my studio but it’s great to meet with these artists and discuss music.
The biggest party I attended here was with Kollektiv Turmstrasse in front of one thousand people and the location was a church, it was something.
You also started touring abroad. How do you manage to balance producing, traveling and playing in the weekends and studying during the week?
I have an agent who takes care of my bookings, which really helps. All gigs are planned at least one month in advance. Appart from touring during the weekends, I spend most of the week in my studio, even the music school was 80 % online due the covid restrictions in Belgium.
What is your favorite track or remix of yours so far and why?
I really love ‘Virtual Time’, I produced it 2 years ago and thought it’s not made for the club and will keep it only this for me. Then I showed it to Sandrino and he told me he likes it.
It was finally released on Frankey & Sandrino’s label Sum Over Histories this month.
You have an EP with Thimble coming soon on our label Equanimity. We are really excited about this release by the way :)
Can you tell us more about this collaboration, whether it was an occasional studio meet-up or a virtual co-production, and what inspired you to produce these 3 tracks?
I’ve know Thimble for 3 years now. I like his productions, so we naturally talked about creating something together and ended up doing 5 tracks in a really short time.
One track was released on Isolate, 3 of them will be an EP with Equanimity, and the last one is a surprise :) The funny thing that I met him for the first time when I played in Malaga last Christmas, the 5 tracks were already done by then thanks to the internet.
Your EP ‘Agnes’ was just released, featuring 2 originals and a remix by Innervisions favorite Ivory, which we premiered on the channel. What did the production process look like for this EP, and how long did it take to finish it?
Agnes was the first track that I produced differently. I started with drums whereas I usually put melodies first.
I finished the track in one week and sent it to Secret Fusion and they like the whole EP. I’m very happy Ivory made a killer remix which was supported by Innervisions’s bosses Dixon and Âme, Adriatique and Afterlife guys.
A few days after the release we are 5th in the Melodic house & Techno top 100 on Beatport so I am really happy about it.
As a producer, where/who do you draw inspiration from and how do you manage to create your own signature sound (and not sound like other artists)?
Haha, I’m always struggling to answer this kind of questions.
Actually I am the kind of artist who never plans when to make music, I don’t decide to go to the studio the next day at 10AM. I only do it for remixes when I like the original track or when I need to record a set. For my original productions it’s usually inspiration that brings me to the studio, and I don’t always know how it happens.
Who would be your dream artist to play b2b with?
Of course Dixon or Âme, for me they are legends.
I started following them in 2005 and their story inspire me a lot.
What would be your dream club or festival to play?
All clubs and all festivals. My goal (not my dream) is to spread my energy, my feelings via my music all over the world.
And last but not least: how do you like your coffee?
Cappuccino with two sugars.
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