Blurring the boundaries between melody, groove and sound design, Sam Hopgood’s music weaves through genres creating spellbinding and intricate worlds for the listener.
For the last four years, Sam’s profile in the underground electronic music scene has been steadily on the rise. With a string of releases on some of the of the world’s most sought after labels like The Soundgarden, Perspectives Digital, and Particles, Sam’s music is supported by A-list DJs around the globe. And, as a DJ himself, Sam has been a regular in Melbourne’s dance scene supporting international and local acts.
2022 has seen Sam release music on labels such as Selador, Balance Music, Sprout, Laika Sounds, AH Digital, along with new productions on the horizon, the future is looking bright for this talented Australian artist…
Balance Selections 221: Sam Hopgood
Tracklisting:
1. Sam Hopgood – History
2. Nick Stoynoff – 35
3. Green Lake Project – The Breach feat. Andy’s Echo (D-Nox Remix)
4. Fauxplay – Smoke Rings
5. Orticaan – Innter Space
6. Cream – Kamala
7. Jamie Stevens – Storm Front
8. Nopi – Mistake Forest
9. Frankie Vertigo – A Voice from the Sea (Aman Anand Intro Mix)
10. Cuprite – Running
11. Katoff – Solise (L E N K E Remix)
12. Ezequiel Arias & Sebastian Sellares – Sky Above
13. Rafa’El – Light the Shades (Imran Khan Remix)
14. Sam Hopgood – Oceans
15. Dee Montero & Loew – Origins
16. Sam Hopgood – Lumous
Balance Selections Q+A
Name: Sam Hopgood
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Alias/Producer name: Sam Hopgood
Labels affiliated with: Selador, Balance, The Soundgarden, Sprout, Laika Sounds, Perspectives Digital
My last 3 releases:
Sam Hopgood – Flow/Undulation
Nathan Clement & Sam Hopgood – Panoramas
Sam Hopgood – Epiphany
What music did you listen to as a child?
I grew up listening to a lot of classical music. I played piano, violin and viola in my younger years but was always drawn to rock music, in particular the drums. I always loved big guitar solos and the theatrics of bands like Queen and Kiss.
When was the first time that you realised that you liked electronic music?
Some of the first artists that drew me into electronic music were The Prodigy and Daft Punk. I loved ‘Music for the Jilted Generation’ and ‘Homework’. One of the first dance parties I went to was a small Uni thing that my sister took me to and I remember a DJ playing ‘Rollin’ & Scratchin’‘. That was the first time I really experienced that sort of music the way it was meant to be experienced. After that I was hooked.
When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?
My first proper DJ experience was when a friend took me to one of Melbourne’s infamous Dockland raves. It was a ‘Two Tribes’ party, for those who might remember them. That was my first genuine rave experience and it cemented my opinion of the culture and genre of music. At the time I wasn’t really thinking about DJ’ing or producing myself as I was heavily involved in a rock band, but I was always looking for the next chance to go and see a DJ play.
Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?
The artist that really inspired me to start producing electronic music was Jon Hopkins. I remember driving home from work one afternoon listening to RRR (an independent radio station in Melbourne) and ‘Open Eye Signal’ was playing. I was completely entranced by the sounds and the song structure and the beauty but also heaviness of the music. I was immediately inspired to start learning how to make music like that.
After that I got in touch with Jamie Stevens who spent many hours listening to my music in its infancy helping me shape my own unique sound. He has been a great guide and a massive inspiration in my music creation over the years.
These days I draw inspiration from a range of artists – James Harcourt, Jeremy Orlander, Bebetta, Rival Consoles, Framewerk… Ahh… there are just too many to name!
What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?
I’m a big fan of the heavier styles of music and I’m massive fan of Meshuggah. So the last album I downloaded was their latest, ‘Immutable’.
What is your current production and DJ set up like?
My current set up is very simple. My production schedule is very sporadic, and I try to grab any moment possible to work on my music. I don’t have time to set up hardware or external instruments. Therefore, I mostly use VST instruments and samples and just run a midi keyboard and Ableton Push 2 with my laptop. For DJ sets/podcasts I mostly mix out of Traktor.
What releases do you have on the horizon?
Apart from my current EP ‘Oceans’ on Balance Music, I have a remix EP on Laika Sounds featuring some fantastic remixes. Then I have a collaboration track with Nila called ‘Icarus’, which will be featured on D-Nox’s ADE compilation, coming out on Sprout on October 14th.
Where can we hear you perform?
I’m not currently doing any live DJ gigs but I have some podcasts coming up in the coming months. I’m doing a mix for Melbourne’s Wildwood Podcast which will be out soon.
Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?
Naturally I wanted this podcast to feature tracks from my ‘Oceans’ EP, so I started there and built my mix around that. I really wanted to take the listener on a bit of a roam around some different styles that are really appealing to me at the moment so you will hear a range of progressive styles in this mix.
My Recommendations
The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:
My current top track is this crazy little mashup that Anthony Pappa pulled together using my most recent Selador track ‘Flow’ and Sasha’s all time epic track ‘Xpander’. It’s been going off like crazy and you can get it for free from Selador’s Bandcamp page :
If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:
I’d have to say it would be ‘Oceans’ of my latest EP.
If I could recommend only one track for you to listen to it would be:
Gotta be ‘Open Eye Signal’ by Jon Hopkins. Gets me every time. I could listen to it every day and not get sick of it.
The last movie I watched that I really liked:
The last movie I watched that really floored me was Hereditary. It’s been around for a while now and I caught it a while after it was released but I can still remember how I felt after it finished. Amazing stuff.
My favourite TV show:
The West Wing – I think I’ve watched the whole thing about 6 or 7 times now!
