Melbourne/Naarm based DJ Sam Alfred has been around the scene for a few years now, but has recently exploded. He has quickly become an icon for anyone into the electronic music scene in Australia.
After moving to Melbourne to bolster his DJ career, Sam bided his time, mostly playing as a supporting act for the bigger names.
After getting the opportunity to play his music at venues around the country, such as Xe54 in Melbourne and Oxford Art Factory in Sydney, fans quickly fell in love with Sam, his music, and his charismatic character.
More recently he put together unforgettable sets at events such as Boiler Room and Pitch and Arts Music Festival. Sam really put his name on the map for global opportunities, such as RinseFM’s Shampain segment.
RinseFM is a UK based radio station that plays a wide variety of music from grime to garage and everything in between. Having notable names such as Skin on Skin and Fred Again.. play under the Rinse name, the company has amassed a huge worldwide audience of dedicated listeners. Expanding their company to France in 2014 opened up new segments like the Shampain one, allowing for more DJs to share their talents.
Being given the creative freedom to play whatever music he saw fit, Sam compiled a collection of tracks from both himself and artists worldwide. Together, they combine to create an hour of brilliance.
Sam Alfred’s Shampain Set
With Sam being a genre-less artist these days, when he announced he would be performing this mix on his Instagram I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Hearing the first track build up and then play the distinct UK garage wobble bass, I knew the route Sam was going with this set.
As a huge fan of ATW, I realised how much I was going to enjoy this set when he played ‘100%’ within the first five songs. With the infatuating plucking of the Sitar, ‘100%’ builds up hugely before fading out. I find an uncontrollable urge to dance every time I hear it.
I did start to notice a clear transition away from garage which I found disappointing. That went away in seconds though when I realised that he was playing, ‘Move Dat’ by his good friend and Melbourne based DJ, Ned Bennett.
Ned creates music that I believe encapsulates the Australian electronic scene as a whole. Catering to those techno heads with a kick that has a good punch but still making house fans fall in his love with his music makes Ned so magic. Plus, his music always has a catchy melody. Although I’ve listened to a lot of his music, this is one that I hadn’t heard before. I am so grateful that Sam included it.
Sam followed up ‘Move Dat’ with an unreleased song of his own. He managed to find a way to transition back into his love of garage with ‘THC’ (The Hardest Crew’) by Ruff Crew. With this being one of my favourite songs, to me it felt like Sam had just made a full mix catered to me.
Something about this song makes me happy and feel like I’m listening to it for the first time, every time. I’m not sure if it’s the continuous build ups and drops, the catchy lyrics, or the drums that I have stuck in my head for hours after I listen to it. The love I have for this song is almost indescribable.
Using his expertise once again, Sam found a way to transition back into his Melbourne bounce. Swapping between what seemed like unreleased music from himself and songs from other artists, Sam found a way to tease his audience into wondering when he will publicly release his music. He then draws them back in with a song they may have already heard. The talent in which he does this is something I can only admire.
Sam finished his mix with ‘Da Lost Piano’ by Clubheroes, another song I’d never heard before this mix. It provided a catchy hook to keep the audience invested while giving off the feeling that everything is coming to an end. It was the perfect way to cap off a set that was close to perfection throughout.
I genuinely don’t understand how he does it. Every time I see Sam release a new set it is better than the last. Sharing his talents with the world is something I can only be grateful for and admire.
The full mix (starts at 1:00:56) and track list that Sam posted can be found below.
Producing a set of hidden gems, unreleased music and well known bangers, Sam Alfred’s Shampain set is one of the best mixes that I have heard in a while. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone. It’s an easy introduction to electronic music for some and way to fall more in love with the genre for others.