The Dutch DJ Sidney Samson is a worldwide phenomenon. After milestones like scoring global hits (“Riverside”), musical collaborations with huge names and his residencies in Las Vegas, he started his own label: BASSELEKTRO this year. Samson has also recently joined VIRPP as one of the new partners.
What’s the story behind BASSELEKTRO?
“I wanted to launch a label specially meant for pure house music, only cool music like Tech, Basse and House. The music I make and love. Following “Riverside” global success in 2009, I toured all over the globe and worked with people like Steve Aoki, Afrojack, will.i.am, Martin Garrix, Tujamo and Olivier Heldens. Through the years, my musical taste has evolved. I’ve started BASSELEKTRO as I didn’t want to do only ‘the one, two, three jump thing’. The original plan was to release only my own music on it. Music from other artists would just be too time consuming given, the number of demos you have to go through. The plan has changed when I talked to the people at VIRPP as the platform provides solutions to that problem. Even though, we only started this year, BASSELEKTRO has already released two tracks one with the English singer Tara McDonald (“Get Over Here”) and one with the new Dutch talent Jules Brand and rapper Sjaak (“House Music Forever”). The reaction to both has been fantastic and there’s still so much more to come.”
What do you think about the quality of the music that is uploaded to VIRPP?
“The quality of the things I have heard is amazing. When I use the platform for an hour, there are very high chances that I will hear 10 to 20 tracks that are awesome. In many cases, we’re talking about music that is ready to be released. I can tell you one thing for sure, when I started, my music was not on the level of tracks I have heard on VIRPP. There is a logical explanation for this. Nowadays, every enthusiastic DJ or producer can learn a craft from sources like YouTube. Another great thing is that you only need a laptop to get started. In my days, you had to rent a studio to make music. Advancement in technology plays a big role.”
Are you looking for the next big thing or artists that you can coach and mold?
“To be honest, I really don’t have a preference. I’m involved with VIRPP because I want to find good tracks that are a perfect fit for BASSELEKTRO. That being said, it is very important to know a little bit more about the DJ or producer of the track I have fallen in love. So please, provide relevant information on socials and/or on personal VIRPP-page.”
Do you have tips and tricks to share with new talent in order to get noticed?
“It is a given that you should make fantastic music that is distinctive. But it’s also essential to have a strong social media game. If you want to get noticed, don’t only share your own stuff out there. Share insides, ideas, stories, tips and your thoughts about music and the music business with other people. That or be freaking funny, genuine and or original.”
What can users expect from BASSELEKTRO on the VIRPP-platform?
“We have already done one contest that was a smash. After Afrojack had invited me to play at Bootshaus in Köln, Germany, I asked VIRPP users to submit a track that would be perfect for that show. The winner was BAWS by SNDBNT and when I played the track, the audience at Bootshaus erupted. I filmed me playing it and posted it on the socials. This was like the best promo for the track and the artist. In the future, we will organize other competitions in search of artists and tracks to be released on BASSELEKTRO.”
