iEDM Exclusive Interview with Sam Feldt

IEDM On Blast had the chance to sit down with Dutch DJ Sam Feldt after his killer set at Riverside Stage at New York’s Electric Zoo festival this past August. Known for his hits ‘Show Me Love’, ‘Midnight Hearts’ and his most recent single ‘Drive You Home’ ft. The Donnies The Amys. Sam shared his thoughts on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs, his newest single, and his musical childhood inspiration that paved the way for Sam’s career as a DJ.

As a successful international DJ and producer hailing from Amsterdam, the Mecca of Electronic Dance Music, Sam Feldt discusses why he enjoys playing in the United States versus his hometown.

In America, I think Americans go all out for festivals, they get dressed up and it’s great for a DJ because you know people are there to have fun and they really want to party. I can play a lot of new stuff and old tracks. In Holland they are a bit spoiled and we are used to having good DJs there, so you have to play a bit more commercial and play more hits. It’s freer in the States.

One of the newer tracks Sam Feldt played at Electric Zoo was his newest single, ‘Drive You Home’ with the Him ft. the Donnies the Amys. As an artist who likes to incorporate unique elements to his tracks, Sam talked about creative process behind his hit track.

This is the second track I did with The Him , the first was ‘Midnight Hearts’ and they are two talented guys from Amsterdam that I found them through Soundcloud. We also got a live trumpet player to play the brass section of the song…and we got a vocal indie band from the States, The Donnies The Amys. So it’s a mix of all of these unique elements that makes it not a typical EDM track, which is great. I always try to put a special element into my tracks.

With just over a month on SoundCloud and reaching #3 on Beatport, ‘Drive You Home’ has received amazing feedback and Sam Feldt couldn’t thank the fans enough for the support.

It’s #3 on Beatport and it feels great to see people liking your music! We worked on it really hard and getting the recognition for that is great.

As far as inspiration goes, Sam says he finds inspiration in almost anything and credits his upbringing for his career in the music industry.

Inspiration is a funny thing…it comes and goes. It can come from watching TV, listening to other genres of music, progression elements or even a great vocal. My dad has always been in a band…he’s a great guitar player. We always had the radio on and I always listened to other genres of music. I think that also inspired me to take piano lessons and music theory. I have a very broad interest in music and I think my parents really helped.

He also shared a cute fact on his early career inspirations:

I wanted to be a drummer when I was smaller and my dad said ‘you can be a drummer but if someone asks you to play a song you won’t be able to’...so I chose to learn to play the piano.

As we chatted about the DJ Mag Top 100, Sam discussed his thoughts on the topic

I think you can be successful without ever appearing on DJ Mag. I think the DJ Mag should be seen as more of a marketing instrument for bookings and promoters… but its not needed to be successful. I know a lot of great DJs touring worldwide and they have never been on DJ Mag. I think it’s just a big popularity contest with all sold out votes…it’s just weird and I don’t really want to be a part of that.

Sam also let us in as to what we can expect in the coming month:

Right now, I’m doing 20 shows in 20 days in the U.S. and Canada and then I’ll be going to heading to India, Asia and South Africa. I’ll also be at ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event), which is always a good time.

It’s great to speak with a DJ who thoroughly enjoys making great music for his fans. Check out Sam's 'Drive You Home' on Soundcloud below: