Samantha Michelle
Blowout Magazine’s Creative Director Erica Bergsmeds sits down with world-renowned, soul-spinning, wild-at-heart, DJ Samantha Michelle to talk all things music, travel, and misadventure.
EB: So you’ve travelled the world spreading your love of soul and rock and roll, but let’s start at the beginning, how did it all kick off?
SM: It all started one fateful evening at the grand ol' Groucho Club in London. It was their staff Christmas party - which happens in February - where they ask a gang of their favourite members to essentially ‘work’ the party. It’s one big blow out bash of a ‘thank you’ to the staff for their hard work during the Christmas season. They asked me to work, course, I obliged and as it turned out, I was no great cocktail maker, so I happened to take over from the DJ, and…. all of a sudden, it’s like the hydraulics of the room lifted. Everyone was standing on the furniture, holding hands, belting along to ballads like “Hey Jude.” It’s been nearly ten years since that night but I still remember that space full of smiles as everyone clasped hands singing “na na na na, na na na…” - it was an incredibly powerful experience and it sort of all spiralled and swirled on from there.
EB: So you mention The Beatles… the vintage vibe, that’s what you’re all about?
SM: Indeed. For me, the music of the 1960s & 70s holds so much power, suppose you could say it twiddles my soul. So I bounce around spreading the gospel of nostalgia. These days, I’m turned on by the blend of past and present. I love excavating and creating groovy, upbeat remixes of classic bangers - these modern re-edits offer the space to experiment technically, and I love playing with and loops and mashups, layering to create fresh sounds, live in the moment.
EB: I have seen you perform live I don’t even know how many times over these years, you always look so happy! What’s it like to be up there, behind the decks, in front of the audience?
SM: In a word - electrifying. It’s my happy place. I’m a total adrenaline junkie so I love game day. I never preset anything - part of the fun for me is in reading the room, feeling it out, taking the crowd on a journey. Truly, I love getting the boogie going, creating the space for people to dance together, to feel free, be silly, connect with their inner child, sing and shimmy along. It’s so healthy and important to let loose in a sense of togetherness, in a live experience we share in as a collective. I think we’re all craving that right now particularly, I’m grateful to be able to create and share those experiences.
EB: Any audience over the years that proved to be particularly memorable?
SM: Oh of course, plenty! But if I had to single one out… I had the pleasure and privilege of closing out Mempho Fest in TN after the festival headliner, Brandi Carlile. They had me in this ‘Incendia Dome,’ that literally breathed fire, with the DJ booth barricaded in fire. It was epic. And Memphis is such a phenomenal place - the people there are incredibly kind, soulful, spirited. I spent the next day hanging with Boo Mitchell at his studio Royal Records - where “Uptown Funk” was recorded and where Boo’s father produced much of Al Green’s music… there’s magic in the air there. Boo serenaded me outta the city, and let’s just say, Memphis was a weekend I won’t forget.
EB: So speaking of epic nights and “Uptown Funk”, you’ve also opened for some massive artists… Miley Cyrus, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Mark Ronson… what was that like?
SM: Opening for Mark in Cannes for the WSJ was a total dream. It was like living in an extended pinch-me moment on the French Riviera, easily my favourite little corner of the world. The WSJ then brought me to Davos (Switzerland) for the World Economic Forum, where I opened for Mark again, now that… that was a trip. Spinning for all these world leaders, doing the electric slide with the Prince of the Netherlands, seriously unreal. Mark’s a hero of mine. He’s the ultimate funk master man and the way he blends genre is just brilliant.
EB: You mention Cannes… that’s where we met! Gosh, must be 7 or 8 years ago now. It was rather memorable. I came out of the loo in the Grand Hotel on the Croisette, and there you were, totally naked, trying to work out which dress to change into…
SM: That’s right! Generally I like to make my first impressions fully clothed but our meeting was special, now wasn’t it! I always stay up at La Colombe d’Or when I’m in that part of France, it’s my favourite hotel in the world. Picasso, Chagall, Matisse - they all used to trade works for rooms back in the day, so the art collection there is just completely unreal. Anyways, it's about 45 minutes by car from Cannes so I needed a place to change for Paul Allen’s boat party that eve! Remember those? May Paul RIP. There was a man who loved his music, and truly, the host of the very most on board The Octopus. Anyways, you helped me into what I think was a baby blue nightgown, neglige something like that, from the GAP that I’d rocked that night…
EB: Yes it was! You pull off lingerie to a party like nobody’s business… to be fair, your style and sense of dress has always been part of your trademark, what inspires you sartorially?
SM: As I am with music, I’m intuitive, impulsive and inventive. I like to play with the unexpected and take risks. As is the case with music as well, my fashion sense is totally nostalgic and inspired by the past, the 60s & 70s in particular. Style icons include Penny Lane, Jane Birkin, Brigitte Bardot. I’m also real into being cozy and feeling comfy so texture plays a large part in what I wear. I like pieces I can bundle beneath and cuddle up to. I also love accessories - hats, belts, jewellery… lots of metallics. I’ve got rings permanently on just about all my fingers, I’m usually wearing 3 or 4 necklaces, I’ve got 7 ear piercings and then there’s my signature collection of somewhat permanent anklets. Pooka shells, pearls, beads and ribbons from all over the world… needless to say, there’s a story behind each one. I don’t have any tattoos, so I feel like these mementoes are my way of carrying my experiences and (mis)adventures along with me. And then of course, there are shoes. I’m completely shoe-obsessed and I’ve gotta pretty strict platform-only policy.
EB: So speaking of adventures and globetrotting, you’ve lived everywhere! When we met you were living in London and now you’re between NYC and LA, but seem to be bouncing around the world!
SM: I am admittedly a gypsy at heart. I spent much of my 20s in London and man oh man, was it a wild, wonderful ride - night after night, a magical mystery tour. But the US is now where I’ve made my home. I’m lucky enough to be able to split time between the two coasts.
EB: Which do you prefer… New York or Los Angeles?
SM: Ooosh tough call. But in my soul, I’m a New York City girl. It’s where life as I now know it first began. I moved to NYC when I was 17, fresh off the boat from Toronto, and found myself immediately intoxicated by…. absolutely everything. It’s when I first started hopping round Manhattan nightlife, it’s where my love of music, the arts, performance, all of it was really cultivated. Still, when I come home to Greenwich Village, my heart is filled with such incredible warmth, this special feeling like… right, this is home. But ya know, I’m a sucker for the sunshine, and LA has got that going for it in spades. Truly, I’m blessed to be able to soak up the best of both worlds. That’s it really - they are two totally different worlds.
EB: Right now, we're catching you in California, what are you up to?
SM: I’m here spinning at the various Soho House’s out west - a little tour of sorts… Malibu, Downtown, West Hollywood. It’s been great fun. I was here as well in December, DJ’ing for Dolce & Gabbana. I really do love spending time here, riding around, blasting music in the car… taking Bear (my massive fluffy dog) on sunset hikes.
EB: Oh Bear! Has he got any favourite tunes?
SM: Totally, he’s a funk and soul man himself. Loves the sax. King Curtis all the way baby.
EB: This must be a tough question for you being the music lover you are, but top ten desert island records, hit us with them!
SM: Alright, alright, always such a tricky question, but off the top of my head, here goes…
Van Morrison, “Astral Weeks”
Bob Dylan “Highway ’61 Revisited”
Elton John “Madman Across the Water”
T. Rex, “Electric Warrior”
The Beatles, “The White Album”
The Band, “Music From Big Pink”
Fleetwood Mac, “Rumours”
The Rolling Stones, “Exile on Main Street”
Bob Seger, “Stranger in Town”
King Curtis, “Live at the Fillmore West”
EB: Where can readers get a little more from where this all comes from?
SM: I present a bi-weekly radio show on Soho Radio excavating deep cuts and hidden gems from the 1960s & 70s. Each edition of the Samantha Michelle Show is its own unique journey through the past, a feel good auditory odyssey of sorts, packed to the brim with classics, covers and bangers! It’s always eclectic, I like to toss in everything from psych rock, folk ballads, French pop, and a little sleazy rhythm and blues.
EB: Love us and leave us with a tune you’ve got on repeat at this moment and a little hint as to how and why it’s wrapped you…
SM: Lou Reed’s 1997 cover of “This Magic Moment,” originally recorded by the legend that is Ben E King & The Drifters. It’s a fantastic song but his version is just so brilliantly Lou, so wildly and wonderfully his own. There’s a grit to it, and a darkness, but in his own way, he exquisitely captures what for me, is the essence of the song, that feeling of “Holy F***, this is just Flipping it… this is it baby… it's all happening…” and it is beautiful.
Keep an eye on her wild ride… follow Samantha on instagram @samanthamichelle.
