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Music is 4 Lovers is extremely excited to announce our new podcast series, Hometown Heroes, celebrating the best regional DJs who are bound to go on and do huge things in this big wide world. Our first stop will be Los Angeles, to visit Sam Allman, aka Techno Sam. An LA native, who then left the nest to spend time in the Bay Area and Berlin, Sam currently runs his own label, Feel So Real, is active as a DJ in the LA underground and assists at Morgan Geist’s imprint, Environ. We chatted with Sam about where he comes from, techno, crate digging and what’s next:
I recorded this mix one the fly in my living room in Koreatown one morning recently. It was recorded using two Technics 1200s and a Vestax PMC 25 rotary. It’s really just a collection of some of my favorite tracks to play at the moment, but still trying to keep a focus on narrative. It’s important to me to feel like I’m being taken on a journey when I’m listening to a mix. In this case, it starts off a bit mellow, then gets more fun and then goes hard for the finish. I only ever play tracks I really love, tracks that I regularly listen to when I’m not DJing. It’s really disheartening to me to see DJ sets where the DJ obviously just downloaded a bunch of stuff off Beatport earlier that day and doesn’t know the tracks well. It makes all the difference to truly know the songs in your crate, you gain a special intimacy with your music that’s reflected in your mixing.
When I was in college I did a semester abroad in Berlin. Being immersed in perhaps the most vibrant and fulfilling club culture in the world was a definitive moment in my life and one that affirmed my passion for electronic music. The energy there is truly magical. It’s probably the only place in the world where you can go out on Friday and not come home till Sunday while seeing world-class underground talent the entire time. A place like this could never exist outside of Berlin and that’s why it is so special. Stateside, some of the more special parties I’ve been to would be the AYLI parties at The Compound (RIP), Sunset Campout, Sarcastic Disco and Music for Dancers.
I started listening to electronic music in high school, mainly things like Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher. It wasn’t until a close friend made me reconsider Discovery by Daft Punk that I really started to become aware of dance music. After I realized I was intrigued, I became addicted to finding more music like this – I remember listening to Teachers by Daft Punk and looking up all the artists they listed off. When I really started getting into it it was around 2007 and the minimal techno sound was the dominant movement at the time. I’m glad we’ve moved past that. What I look for most in an electronic record is dreamy, immersive soundscapes. I’m especially attracted to records/artists that are driven by a strong concept. I love being able to get fully lost in an artist’s alternate universe. I think that’s why Boards of Canada is my favorite group of all time. Of course I like to keep things fun, too, so there is a certain groove I’m always looking for…
Mount Analog in Highland Park is my favorite record shop here, easily. They have an amazing and up to date selection and best of all they have listening stations. They also have tons of cool in-stores, I’ve gotten to see intimate sets from Beautiful Swimmers, Suzanne Kraft, Lovefingers and more.
Follow Sam on Soundcloud here.