Bryan Adams, Don Henley and the Mammas and the Pappas don’t conjure up ideas of hard hitting dance music but Spain’s DJ Sammy along with his own original tunes breaks down the wall of American music with a dance party ideal that is sure to shake the shacks. “Heaven” reached phenomenal success in the States and his follow-up “The Rise” is due to hit the streets in mid 2005. I had the pleasure to sit down with the happy producer and DJ. Sammy is one of the most positive folks around and is now finding the international success he so truly deserves.
You have been DJing since about 1984 but just in the past couple years have broke the American doors. What took so long?
You know music it’s not about being good or excellent or shitty. Music is like also like the lottery. Like pop stars you go onto TV and have a big hit the day after. That’s not my case. It’s more hard work of many years trying to put together lot of things. I started as a normal DJ. I was just board of my father’s guitar playing so I am going to stick to something electronic. With a computer in my own little room and tried to do my stuff. It really tooks long. The first time I had a demo done I took it to this record label in Germany and they let me down. It took me quit long. But after that I did a concert a few years after, I made a contract with Universal Music in Germany.
Did you like staying underground to gain that following and staying grounded or were you itching to get that big hit?
You know what? I am a guy that doesn’t believe in underground, coolness, commercial, mainstream. We should look further. I wanted to do more music and move into doing songs and reach more people. I want to do a record to reach the majority. That’s what it is all about in the world…sharing love, happiness and music.
Why do you think Heaven was successful?
That’s what I ask myself. A magic record is a magic record. Heaven is a magic record. The right people worked on it. This is the first record that I had done by myself. From my own label. I was pissed off with the majors and how they handled this dance music. I wanted to power an independent label. I wanted to do a relax deal where people can breath. It is a magic. The day I finished mixing the record in my studio I said “WOW!” what a great song. I am a golden boy, I’m a lucky boy I have to admit and I am proud to say it.
Are you at all worried that “The Rise” will not measure up to the grand success that “Heaven” had and loose a big of that magic?
Can I tell you? I am never worried. I am always optimistic and happy and positive. I am always enjoying life how it is and taking the best out of it. I am happy that I made millions of people happy with an album and a song. I will try to give more happiness. I am not trying to top the hit I done before. I am just trying to do good music and be closer to your fan base.
It is so rare to meet an artist that is so positive and optimistic about their craft. That is opposite than most artists.
I believe it’s a problem to be cocky and arrogant. It is a frustration. I am totally opposite. If I am rich I don’t like to show I am rich. I travel with friends of mine and do normal things. I am part of this global world where no one is different than the other. Those people don’t sleep good. I have no reason to be arrogant. What goes around comes around. I love to feel the ground. To have too much is much more complicated than to have not too much. I just want to be respected. You win respect because the way that you are not how you sell yourself. The attitude of being cool it’s not about music. It’s your attitude. The music is about colors. In the end it’s about being a good human being.
Everything you do in this world is an art. There is no body better than the other. Everyone in this life is a superstar. Every human likes attention. This is all about show time in this global. People on the underground say they don’t like mainstream music…bullshit, fuck off…you know why you don’t like mainstream music? It is because you can’t do it. This is the rules of life. You have a tree with an orange. You try the whole fucking day to get the orange and you don’t get it, you say the orange is shit and that is why I didn’t get it.
That is very true. So how has the response of the new single been?
This record is a little one step higher than Heaven. I am using a lot more acoustic instruments. It is a kind of interesting single. It is a soundtrack to a movie in the United Kingdom about dance music. It is going to be released March 2005. We released it (the single) to warm up the market.
I know you have a great outlook on life but have you ever just had a horrible set?
I think the horrible one is the best one because that is where you learn. I had a gig in Berlin. I was playing in a hall of 27,000 people and I had such a great set with the crowd banging out of the hook. Then the promoter comes with security and tells me to stop playing it was getting kind of ecstatic and dangerous. It was hard cause I felt so inspired and in such a good mood then I had to stop playing. They had to put on a shitty DJ to mellow people down. I was really so connected. Most of the time I am so connected with people. There is a feeling between humans.
You have spun all over the world. What are some of the differences in crowds?
I love to play in the USA because the dance music scene is virgin it’s very unexplored. When you play in Germany it is very hard. The people are really funny with dance music and it takes a lot to satisfy the crowd. In America they are so thankful and in the United Kingdom they are so thankful. In these two countries I have the biggest fan base. Plus I have a big hit behind me which helps. The people really appreciate me.
What about events such as Loveparade in Germany with millions of people vs., smaller clubs?
The bigger the crowd the better. I love to share much more moments with bigger crowd then smaller. It’s like a big family party time.
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