Sam Baaziz throws down a selection of extremely nice sounds for AMF episode 89. A ravey mix of bouncy house, acid-tipped numbers, and breaks. Perfect house party tackle. Catch our interview with him below.
Hey Sam, I really appreciate you coming on the All My Friends blog and putting a mix together for us. I always like to start these interviews by asking my guests to tell us a bit about themselves, their DJ journeys, and how and why they started DJ’ing. Could you tell us a bit about that?
Hello, no worries, and thanks for having me! Hmm, a bit about me…. I work in HR and I buzz off tunes.
As to my DJ journey, it’s always been more of a hobby for me. I started teaching myself how to DJ by watching YouTube tutorials (mainly a channel called ellaskins) in 2011, I didn’t have any decks back then, just an old laptop and a shnide copy of Traktor which I used to play 2 songs together on, and move one forwards and backward to listen to what mixes sounded like when they were out of sync in hope that when I actually used decks it would all translate.
It was very much just something I liked doing to pass the time through the week after work. I’d then burn CDs and take them to a mate’s house where we’d often go to after a night out and have a play on his decks and one night someone asked me if I’d like to play at Sankeys in the bar one night. From there I started playing a little bit here and there in Manchester, and then around Northwich and Warrington, for the most part, I’ve always just played for friends or friends of friends who have asked me to do a set for them.
Your mix is a nice mix of squelchy, springy bouncy house, some peak-time pianos, and breaks to finish of the mix? How did you arrive at this sound as a DJ and is eclecticism important to you in a mix?
Haha, squelchy…not sure if that’s a good or bad thing for a mix!
Errrm, for the mix, I think at the time of recording, it was me releasing energy I would have released at Glastonbury if I’d got a ticket! For this mix I chucked a few songs into a playlist, had a mix, decided I only wanted to put a few of those songs in, then when I recorded it, I just floated around some playlists I had on my USB, then also tried and struggled to remember which songs I’d wanted to put in from the playlist I’d made for the mix.
As to how I arrived at the sound I’m unsure in all honesty, I wouldn’t define this as my sound really, my sound changes every day depending on my mood. I like to think I’ve got quite a broad palate when it comes to music so I play a little bit of anything I like generally, although I do lean more towards house and its ‘millions’ of subgenres when I play.
In terms of eclecticism, yes and no, it completely depends on the who, what, when, where, and why doesn’t it? I do like to switch it up when mixing at home, I like to push the boundaries as it keeps me engaged and entertained. I’m pretty sure this all translates to when I play out too. I play for 5 hours every week a venue called Hideout where I feel have the freedom to play whatever I want from my collection of songs so I try to make sure every week is somewhat different from the last. I do like bouncing around genres a lot as I find it interesting trying to mix different sounds together, it keeps me constantly learning I suppose. But then, I do also really enjoy playing sets that are more tailored toward a specific sound or direction too.
Most importantly though I think, it’s best to do whatever you fancy at the time and not overthink things, do what you want, if people like it, great. If they don’t, no worries!
Are there any artists, club nights, or collectives out there you really look to for inspiration? Any artist that you really respect and have influenced your DJ journey?
In my head I reckon my favourite 3 DJs (more in terms of good times I’ve had on the dancefloor) are, Antal, Omar S & Shanti Celeste, I’ve seen these 3 play a fair few times and they always seem to hit the spot and make me want to hop on the decks when I get home.
I pull inspiration from here there and everywhere, so it would be hard to say but a couple of standout events to me from the days when used to be out all the time are… Gottwood & High Hoops.
Gottwood was one of the first festivals I went to where the music was always good no matter which stage you were at, so I went again several times! High Hoops I think was the first event I went to where I felt I was surrounded by people who just wanted to properly enjoy the tunes and have a good time.
Can you tell us a little bit more about some of the tracks in the mix? Are their any dancefloor weapons in there you always keep in your bag? Any tracks that have a story attached to them or just things you’re really digging at the moment?
Dominica – Gotta Let You Go (DJ Tonka Mix)
This is one I’d only recently come across; I’d heard the Bicep edit which got battered in 2015 but had never thought to look for the original and hadn’t heard the full vocal. So, when I stumbled across this edit of it, I hit play straight away, as Tonka has got some gems in his discography!
TSHA – Demba (feat. Trio Da Kali)
Again, this was another one that I’d recently came across that I very much enjoyed & wanted to throw in. I like the way it breaks the mix-up a little bit, kind of like a calming point…I dunno though, I’m probably just chatting codswallop.
Ratpack – Searching For My Rizla 2017 (RatPack & Freestylers Remastered)
This song randomly popped into my head at some point this year (I reckon I was making rolly). Takes me back to being 14 years old a time where I was predominantly listening to Rap & RnB but a few of my friend’s parents were into partying, so I’d often get to hear and enjoy songs like this.
Lastly, can you tell us a bit about what you’ve got coming up on the horizon? Are any events, club nights, radio shows etc in the works? And where can listeners find you on socials etc?
Unless you’ve got any employee relation problems, you can catch me at Hideout in Warrington most Fridays from 8pm to 1am. I’ll probably put some new mixes up at some point too:
https://www.mixcloud.com/sam-baaziz/
