The Lowdown || Sam von Horn

Get the lowdown on house music artist, Sam von Horn, who is set to take 2017 by storm!

Sam von Horn may not be a name that you know yet, but after hearing his music you can’t help but fall in love. A recent signing to Justin Jay’s already impressive Fantastic Voyage label, their history goes far back to the beginning in Los Angeles. Sam and Justin grew up together, and as they grew up developed a love for music. Sam would play house parties high school, dropping some fire sets that got dancefloors moving and grooving.

After a brief stint on the East Coast, Sam returned to Los Angeles recently, and reconnected with Justin at the first Fantastic Voyage House party, setting in motion his return to electronic music. Having just released his debut EP, the stage is set for greatness. Get to know Sam von Horn in our chat with him below!

Stream Sam von Horn’s debut Zone EP on SoundCloud:

Grab the EP on Bandcamp today, HERE!

Your debut EP is also your debut as an electronic music artist, what kind of emotions have you gone through since completing and releasing the Zone EP?

Mostly grateful. Feels really good to be able to share music with people, and even better that some of them like it.

When you moved to the East Coast your sound shifted to be more about live instrumentation and songwriting. Do you feel that shift carried back over into the sound on the Zone EP?

Interestingly enough, after working with bands and trying to write music with intention for years, this music came out when I forgot about all of that pretense. I’ve definitely brought elements of live instrumentation more into my process over time, but these tracks marked a return home – a return to dance music too.

I absolutely love the title track “Zone”, as it brings a chill vibe with it. Are you the vocalist on the track?

Thank you! So glad you dig the tune. That is my voice, in fact, the first time singing on my music.

https://soundcloud.com/therobotlovesyou/zone-fantastic-voyage

Who were some of your influences as an artist while growing up?

I started making dance music after seeing Daft Punk in Los Angeles during their Alive 2007 tour – really a life changing experience. My mom turned me on to Sade, Erykah Badu, and India Arie in the mornings on the way to school as a young kid, love that about her. Jamiroquai too. My dad and I would take long road trips and listen to Pink Floyd and 90s hip hop. My grandma loved jazz, Erroll Garner, Cal Tjader, Louie Armstrong, etc.. I used to spend my weekends going to Ed Banger shows and pushing up to the barricade at the Carl Cox tent. Now I listen to a lot of weird stuff and love digging for obscure funk, soul, and disco records – especially from Africa.

It’s hard to just name just a few influences, but I’ll try to contain myself. In no particular order: Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Dimlite, Forss, Herbie Hancock, Philip Glass, Daft Punk, Flying Lotus, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Lazer Eyes, Four Tet, Bill Evans, MF Doom, Maze, LCD Soundsystem, Bob Dylan, Erykah Badu. Oh and the Bomberman Hero OST. Check it out, seriously.

If you could put a message to fans about the vibe you want to create with your sound, what would it be?

Find your flow state. Whatever you feel best doing, do that thing. For me it’s making dance music late at night lol.

You grew up with Justin Jay in Los Angeles, going to school together for many years. What was a moment from that part of your life that stands out as memorable?

He and I have actually talked about this recently. Among all of the house parties we played in high school, there’s one that stands out. The space was tiny and it seemed like no one wanted to dance. Justin and I made an edit of Earth Wind and Fire’s “September,” played it, and people danced (we basically cheated). We kept them there until it was sweaty and packed – at one point I even hopped out in front of the decks and started polka dancing with everyone. Great night.

What led you to reconnect with Justin at one of the Fantastic Voyage House Parties?

A close friend and collaborator also went to USC and happened to live around the corner from the Pink House. We were jamming out and working on some tunes, it was only natural for us to walk over and say hi to some old friends when we finished.

Do you have any upcoming shows lined up that you can let us know about?

Nothing solidified yet, but we have a recurring party at a dope little venue in Downtown LA, just outside of Little Tokyo. I’ll always post details on my Instagram beforehand, stay tuned!

With the holidays quickly approaching, do you have a favorite part of the season?

Bah humbug. Kidding. I love how quiet it gets in a busy city when snow falls. Too bad I live in LA.

Finally, what are your favorite pizza toppings?

If you’re in Venice, stop by Abbot’s and grab a salad pizza. Bonus points if you ask them to bake goat cheese into the crust. ☆彡

Connect with Sam von Horn on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | SoundCloud