Hey Sam! Good to have you on board for the next Pure Trance release! Are you excited?
Sam:”Very excited! This is my first ever Uplifting Trance track and my first release since 2014, so I’m glad I have the opportunity to show it to the world through the Pure Trance label!”
For those of us who don’t know who Sam Laxton is, where should we know you from?
Sam:”I am a 20 year old producer from the UK (Newcastle-Upon-Tyne) and I have been releasing music since 2013. I have been a massive follower of Trance music and Dance music in general for as long as I can remember but at the age of 12 the leap was made to buy my own production software. I didn’t really know what I was doing at first but things finally fell into place alongside my school studies and I had my first release out in time for my 18th birthday! At first my productions were ‘relevant’ with the rise of the Dubstep scene in the US but I always found myself wanting to produce something that represented me.”
We’ve listened to some of your previous releases and you’ve got a very wide taste in music! Do you like to keep things open-minded in the studio?
Sam:”Haha! Yes definitely, it would be a shame to not be open-minded. I think when it comes to Dance music there are so many options and it is a shame for producers to become pigeon-holed by being ‘one sound’. You can hear Trance influences in any of my older Dubstep and Electro tracks but I’m currently in the process of experimenting with even Deeper Progressive and Techno sounds so fingers crossed we could be seeing some groove-driven releases. Other than that I would love to work on film-score at some point in my life and obviously work with other Trance producers!”
So, Rich signed ‘The Rise’ only 5 minutes after you dropped it in his demo-box! That must have been mind-blowing!?
Sam:”Absolutely, he wanted to test drive it at ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) but then I got another email saying he really, really liked it and couldn’t wait any longer.”
How did this uplifting trance beauty come into being? What inspired you to make it?
Sam:”I wanted to capture what I consider the colder sound of 90’s Trance, the ‘Push’ sound and even the harder German sound. I tried to emulate the detune of analog leads, and the bass has a ‘womp’ feel to it which I don’t think is too common these days. The melody haunted me for days too, so when I finally got to the piano and started the process it was such a liberating experience.”
It’s already supported by Paul van Dyk, Aly & Fila, Jorn van Deynhoven, Jordan Suckley and Solarstone of course. Do you think that ‘The Rise’ could be your breakthrough in trance land?
Sam:”Seeing all the support has been amazing and I still can’t believe how many of the big guys have played it in their shows. I want to keep working hard, I want to produce as much as I can, so I hope this is the start of a great journey!”
We bet it is, Sam! ‘The Rise’ is now available on Beatport!