#MusicInTheAir Podcast hosts this week :
SAMANTHA LOVERIDGE

For this week’s new MusicInTheAir, Villahangar welcomes Samantha Loveridge, artist of many talents: DJ, producer and label manager at “Inward Records”, hers is a deep passion for all things that are music.

She was born and raised in Oxford, United Kingdom. She moved for University to Manchester, where she lived for seven years, and decided to take her passion for music more seriously. Now she lives in Sydney, Australia.

Samantha Loveridge is known for her superfine taste in selecting music, participating to the musical envelope in the electronic music scene with a sound heavily influenced from countries such as Tel Aviv, India, Egypt and Africa – World music. Her productions are a blend of Afro and Organic with a sprinkle of melodic, and have seen her sit high up in the Beatport charts receiving international support.

She explains in this regard: “When I first started DJing, I was playing ‘shuffle house’ which was all the craze at the time. I then transitioned to tech-house but soon moved away from that because I didn’t feel an emotional connection to it. If I were to define the music I produce and play today, it would be a mix of Afro and Organic House with a sprinkle of Melodic”. She adds: “My productions are influenced by tracks that are being released on labels I am aiming for. So, for example, I will listen to what the label is releasing at that time and take inspiration from that. I enjoy listening to beautiful synths within melodic and incorporating those, combined with the drums of Afro”.

Samantha Loveridge has been evolving within the music scene playing at iconic venues such as Space Ibiza and Sankeys Manchester. Fast forward to her residence in Sydney, her understanding behind the art of a warm up set has been recognized at the highest level earning her a place on the line-ups supporting artists from all over the world.

For the present and the immediate future, she says: “My plan is to make as much music as possible and release it with labels (keeping those to myself 😉 I have my sights set on. I have two exciting projects I’m looking forward to sharing with the world – One with Rafiki Simone and one with Lizwi. They are really special and some of my proudest so far <3”.

This week, for her Podcast for Villahangar, she created a mix of all the sounds she loves: Melodic synths, driving basses, groovy organic / afro drums and catchy vocals. She explains: “Some tracks are unreleased and some aren’t, but overall, they are all tracks I enjoy and hope those listening do too”.

What music do you listen to when you take off your DJ headset?

I listen to 70’s and 80’s music. I love it and would have loved to have partied in that era.

When and how was your first meeting with music?

I have always had a passion for music for as long as I can remember. I think this was instilled in me from my mum who also shared the same passion, I remember dancing around the living room together as a young child. As a teenager my friends would always ask me to make them CD’s or update their iPod. At that time, I didn’t know what I could do with music apart from playing an instrument or being a singer. When I moved to Manchester to study my eyes were opened to the world of student house parties and DJs selecting tracks for other people to enjoy and dance to. It was then that I realized I wanted to be a DJ, so I bought a controller as a present to myself one Christmas and taught myself how to mix.

What artists / DJs / producers do you follow?

The artists I follow are Dixon, Trikk, Eagles & Butterflies and the Keinemusik gang – Adam Port, Rampa, &ME. I’m always looking to see what they’re playing and where they’re playing it.

You are Label Manager for Inward Records, owned by Pippi Ciez and Sparrow & Barbossa. What can you tell us about Inward Records and your role in the label?

Inward Records is a label that releases music which speaks from within, oscillates the soul and pulsates a consistent rhythm out into the world. Inward’s imprint is predominantly Afro & Organic House, but we are always open to fresh sounds. Byran (Sparrow) receives and decides on the demos, Pippi is our audio engineer and a magician when it comes to mixing / mastering, and together they own Inward Records. After the demo is accepted it’s my role to manage every element release and the artist to ensure everything goes smoothly and on time. We also have Rachael D’Alessandro who is our extremely talented artist and a vital member of our team.

What do you think about the Australian music scene? What do you think the differences are with Europe?

When it comes to the Australian music scene I can only comment on Sydney, because that’s the only place I’ve experienced out here so far and not much of it because of COVID. Sydney is a tricky one because of the lock out laws that have been in place so parties finish around 3/4am compared to Europe where they can go on for days. There aren’t many big clubs in Sydney, mostly bars with basements or dancefloors so it’s very different coming from Europe which has lots of super clubs. I also feel Europe has a much bigger appetite for Electronic / Melodic music. I enjoy living in Sydney and the lifestyle that comes with it, but I really do miss having access to the European music scene on my doorstep!

How is your winter? Do you have dj sets planned at the moment for the present and the future?

It’s Winter here in Sydney and a chilly one! I’ve definitely climatised so anything below 20 degrees and I’m cold haha. I was recently given the opportunity to open for Eli Nissan by Bootz ‘N’ Catz & Return To Rio (two huge and very well respected parties i’ve had my eyes on since arriving) and they have asked me to join them again for Volen Sentir and Monkey Safari which I am super excited for! The Sydney music scene is finally starting to get back on track after being hit really hard by COVID and it feels amazing! I’m very grateful to be involved.