Coffee Break with Sahar
Sahar, also known as Levi Stubbs, originates from Middlesbrough and stands out as a distinguished talent in the electronic music realm with his evocative fusion of indie rock/pop and electronic dance music. With the fresh released ‘It’s Not Over’ under the banner of Exit Strategy, he has painted his journey with deep, melodic strokes rooted in indie rock/pop and electronic rhythms. As a long serving *Riffraff resident and Isolate mainstay, Sahar has found a nurturing ground for his musical craft, building a repertoire that resonates with the heart of the electronic community.
Hi Levi, thanks for joining us here at Melodic Diggers. First of all, how are you doing and has your year got off to a good start?
Hello, and thanks for having me. Yeah it’s been great. The first few months of the year are always the best for me creatively, I’ve had almost a full month of working on new music and finalising my releases for the year. So I’m happy.
When were you first introduced to electronic music? Was there a specific moment / event / experience when something clicked?
Well I actually grew up around electronic music, my dad was a DJ and had an extensive record collection and turntables in the house. Then I started going to parties when I was 18 and started DJing pretty much straight away. My taste really started taking shape the first time I saw Damian Lazarus at a Crosstown rebels label party in Leeds, the whole vibe I wanted to convey as a DJ was totally different from that point. Then as a producer, it was the first time seeing Dixon and Soup Kitchen in Manchester, the seminal moment of his set was the, then unreleased Ame remix of “Turn Around” - that was the first time I was really overwhelmed by my love for a track in a club and it probably set me on course to make the kind of stuff I do today.
When did you decide to start producing yourself?
I think it was 2013, it was only about 6 months after I started playing in clubs. I quickly realised I would get to play many parties outside of Middlesbrough without releasing my own music. So that was the catalyst and then my passion for it grew.
How would you describe your style in 3 words?
Sci-fi Shoegaze House
Growing up in Middlesbrough, what influence would you say your city had on your relationship with music?
To be honest, I don’t think it had a great deal of influence on the sound of my productions. The town in general leans towards tech house and then is occasionally swallowed up by spells of whatever is insanely popular at any given time. I was always pretty headstrong about the style of music I wanted to make and play, call it ‘Melodic House’ if you like. As a DJ it taught me a lot. I held a residency for 6-7 years with a promoter called *riffraff, the brand has a really strong sonic identity I’d describe as: dark, dubby, functional tech house. It took me years to figure out how to play on those line-ups and i struggled a lot initially. It’s easy to slip into the illusion that you have full artistic control when DJing until you’re humbled by the full dancefloor going for smoke at the same time, this type of thing happens a lot more in small towns than cities.
If you’re playing somewhere with a smaller dance music community, less people are likely to care about who you are and what you want from the night and you need to be aware of that. In these situations it’s the job of a DJ primarily to entertain the room you’re given, trying to move people gradually to a destination without losing them along the way. This is an almost impossible thing to learn without a long term regular residency somewhere IMO.
How would you describe the dance music scene in the UK right now?
I think the increasing pool of talented producers is really great. I get so many of my best promos from UK and UK based artists now, way more than I used to.
In regard to the club scene. I think in London it’s great, it’s always great, there’s just so many people and a crazy amount of options in terms of venues. The rest of the UK is very different to London so it’s difficult to speak about it as a whole. From the perspective of promoters I think it’s just like any business right now, the big guys with cash flow are doing well and really small brands built around community that keep their overheads low seem to be doing well to. Mid-sized promoters, especially outside of London seem to struggle and inevitably either have to downsize or find big investment to upscale operations, there’s several reasons, which I know of, for this. But I think you’d be best discussing it with a promoter for the best perspective on this as it’s not really my area.
You’re gearing up to release your Stereo Love EP on ISOLATE. Could you tell us a bit about this release and the story behind it?
Funnily enough this song is about the first and only argument I’ve had with my girlfriend. I don’t remember what it was even about but we were on holiday and she had what I’d describe as a sangria induced persona mutation.
We quickly made up but then when we got home she had the audacity to tell me I hadn’t wrote a song in a while… well now I had an idea.
The track was already finished and it just needed a hook, I’m really glad it turned into such a positive piece of music in the end and is receiving a lot of love already.
What can I say other than turbulence breeds good art.
You have a long-standing relationship with the label. How did you connect with them in the first instance?
When I released my ‘Madi’ EP on Paradiso Alican was one of the people who gave positive feedback. We followed each other on Instagram and he responded a Studio Session video I posted. I was happy about this as I had been playing music from Isolate ever since the label began and was a missive fan of what they did. So I messaged and asked if they were taking demos. I sent them 8 tracks and the asked for more so in sent another 8. The last 4 tracks became my first Isolate EP - this is a running theme for me actually, it’s always the tracks I least expect that labels decide to sign.
Which track on the Stereo Love EP is your favourite and why?
I would say the title track is my favourite, I’ve closed so many sets of my sets with it and get such a strong feeling of people connecting deeply to it, which is important to me in the final throws of a DJ set. I also love Midnight as a peak time banger.
What gear/VSTs did you use to produce it?
I started stereo love with the 2 guitar loops, which is an unusual choice for me. Then the main synth is just the Vital softsynth (which is a free download) and the pads are from the Arturia CS80. Most of the percussion is hand recorded with shakers and other things I had lying around. I record my voice using an SM58, a really nice recording chain and loads of in the box FX.
If you could curate a festival anywhere in the world, where would you host it, and who would join you on the lineup?
It’s a difficult one, it would have to be somewhere warm with lots of options for cool beach clubs. Maybe Croatia. 24hr license with impromptu all night B2B’s from whichever artists want to stay through. Artists in the party spirit with the dancefloor like that is always the best atmosphere. In terms of DJ’s there’s too many to name. I’d have Chemical Brothers and LCD Soundsystem headline though.
What’s next for you in 2024?
After the Isolate EP I have a track coming out as part of the Equanimity VA compilation alongside some great artists. Then my release schedule is actually full until the summer which is a nice position to be in. Some pretty big projects with labels I’ve not yet worked with so it will be nice to have my music reach their audiences.
Last but not least: how do you like your coffee?
Black - no sugar.
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