‘Uplifting’ is without a doubt the word that best describes Dutch DJ, producer, platinum-selling artist and sustainability pioneer, Sam Feldt.
Having built a career upon his distinctly feel-good sound, Sam already has a double album and a multitude of top-selling releases under his belt. Besides his musical activities, he has developed a platform – Fangage – for artists to connect with their fans better. His next project is to spearhead a movement that will help influencers adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, giving back to the planet to reduce and compensate for their own environmental impact and encouraging others to do the same.
Both in music and life, Sam has his sights set firmly on the future, starting with his most ambitious project to date – Magnets.
We speak to Sam Feldt about “Magnets” and why it’s important to stream the entire EP together and not isolation.
T.H.E – Hey Sam! Welcome to T.H.E – Music Essentials. What have you been up to?
Sam Feldt – Hey, thank you for having me! I have been working a lot on new music lately and I’m preparing my shows for the summer season. Besides music, I’m also spending a lot of time on my Heartfeldt Foundation and my company Fangage.
T.H.E – You recently announced a new EP – Magnets. It’s being termed as your most ambitious project to date. Could you tell us a bit about how it’s come about?
Sam Feldt – ‘Magnets’ is a love story. It got the name ‘Magnets’ because all of the songs are about love or attraction. If you listen to the lyrics, you can hear the story of a person who thinks that love is mutual but the person starts to realise that he or she will end alone. This person will eventually end with the biggest love in life: the love for yourself and to do what you love.
T.H.E – What can fans expect from it? And what’s the story behind the name – Magnets?
Sam Feldt – Well, the EP tells a story of love that’s dying through the lyrical contributions within it. The song ‘Magnets’ tells a love story of two people that come back together with no matter what happens. Let me refer to the lyrics: “Pull us apart and we’re coming back again” – as magnets do.
T.H.E – How was it working with Sophie Simmons on the title song?
Sam Feldt – Sophie and I have been talking about collaborating on a track for almost two years before ‘Magnets’ came out. She sent me the rough vocal idea for ‘Magnets’ and I immediately fell in love with it. Later, I recorded the melody with the band and she fell in love with my part. We wanted this track to be playable both in your living room and on the big stages and I think we’ve managed to create that.
T.H.E – On the song ‘Magnets’, your live band recorded the trademark Sam Feldt vibe horn. What inspired this?
Sam Feldt – I wanted to create something that would fit Sophie’s vocals. The band and I chose for a feel-good horn melody because this gives you a feeling of joy and love all around you. I used the story from the EP as an inspiration for this song. I knew what kind of song I wanted to make, we just needed to create it. My personal opinion is that you can really feel the joy all around you when you’re listening, and the horn plays a major part in that.
T.H.E – Which track from the EP was the toughest to create, and which track is your favourite?
Sam Feldt – The hardest one was probably ‘Lose My Colours’ because this has been a very live-oriented song from the very start. We produced the whole song from scratch in the studio with the live band, including sax and trumpets. I really like this song because it is an essential part of the story we’re trying to tell in the EP.
It is very hard to pick one favourite and I think I am not going to do that haha. You have to see it as a whole, the EP tells a story and you will miss the story if you only listen to parts of it. When you are looking at a painting, you are also looking at the full composition and not only checking one corner of it haha.
T.H.E – Lastly, what can you tell us about your plans for 2019?
Sam Feldt – I’m always working on my Heartfeldt Foundation and trying to contribute as much as I can to create awareness for climate change. This is a very important and ongoing topic. Besides my foundation, I’m also working on my company Fangage. We recently started a crowdfunding campaign so fans and friends can become a shareholder of the company.
In terms of music, I really enjoyed telling a story in my last EP so that’s something I would like to do again and explore even further. I don’t have a concept in mind yet, and if I did I would probably not share it at this moment. Just wait and see!
