Sam Lamar’s impressive Dubstep repertoire is a joy to listen to. The Canadian artist’s skills include producing Bass music that is groundbreaking, entertaining and inspirational. Having seen Lamar on tour and listened to his releases “SIT BAK” with CRaymak, “The Magician“, and his EP “Major Arcana“, it’s pretty clear that Lamar shows no signs of slowing down. His ability to grow, expand his song list and improve the genre with his impactful tunes will make him an even brighter star in 2020. I got a chance to speak to Sam about his music and his inspiration for his latest EP.
Sam, you’ve made quite a splash in 2019. You were on tour with Kai Wachi. I was lucky enough to see one of your performances. How was that experience?
It was amazing!!! I’m super grateful Kai brought me with him it was such an incredible experience. Just being able to play three to four shows per week is insane. I’ve learned a lot.
How did you get started in the music production process?
I started making music in August 2013 and took it more seriously in February 2014! At that time, I had just moved to a new city and I basically had no friends so I had a lot of time to try out different stuff like making music.
You’ve had so many great collaborations. What is your approach when working with other artists both in and out of the studio?
Hahaha, I feel like I’m the worst when it comes to collaboration! But I’d say for me it’s a lot easier if I can sit down with the other producer and really work on the project together.
What is your studio set up like?
MacBook Pro, Yamaha hs7 (the woofer on one is “broken” but still works fine), Korg ms20 mini, and I also have an audio piano but I never use it.
How many hours a week do you spend in your studio?
Around 30 to 40 hours.
How would you describe your music?
I have no idea, to be honest, :o.
Looking at your EP “Major Arcana” one can’t help but be impressed by your mature Bass compositions that are remarkable and for Bass lovers incredibly satisfying. What was the concept behind “Major Arcana”, and how long did it take for you to complete?
The major arcana is actually a deck of tarot cards! The concept with the EP was to make a song that would represent each card, I think there’s a total of 22 cards for the major arcana. The Magician, the High Priestess, the Empress, and the Emperor are the first four cards in the deck so I guess you can expect to get cards five, six, seven, and eight in a future EP ;). However, this EP usually takes a lot of time to make cause I try to really make something that represents the card instead of just making a tune with no theme. One thing I do with that EP is each tune blends into the next one!!!
In your track “The Magician”, you start off with a classical sounding piano then the sound intensifies as you let the Bass break loose. I was hooked on your tunes right after I heard that track. The fact of the matter is that this track draws you in. Please tell me how you composed it?
I found the drop of “Magician” a couple of months after making it and as soon as I heard it I knew I had to make it into a full tune. The drop was so powerful I thought having this as the first drop would be a good idea! Also, the EP was based on tarot cards, so having this kinda scary piano melody gave the whole vibe of the EP. From there it became super easy to complete it.
I also loved your “Divination” EP. “The Time” is incredible! Can you tell me a little bit about how you created “The Time”? Also, are you currently adding more tracks to “Divination”?
“The Time” is one of my favorite tracks you can hear I’ve reused my classic sound but I’m keeping it fresh. “The Divination” was a little release because the Major Arcana Pt.2 wasn’t ready yet. Also, as you can see “The Ghost Machine” and “The Time” are both cards I invented for the release!
How do you maintain your health while touring/working?
My health during Kai’s tour was terrible, haha but it was my first time touring I didn’t know what to expect! Playing shows until 3, sleeping from 4 to 8, a plane at 9-10 then we get to the next city at 4-5. Lil nap then let’s go eat and do the show! I think just eating healthy and trying to sleep as much as you can helps a lot.
What are you looking forward to in 2020?
Every year I don’t really know what to expect, I go with the flow and we’ll see how it goes 🙂 I’m already grateful for everything.
Thank you so much, Sam Lamar!
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*Featured Image of Sam Lamar Via Artist FB*
