An Interview with Samplehound

• Describe your sound in 3 words

Warm, uplifting, friendly

• You are such a versatile composer. How difficult is it to promote different genres with the same moniker?

Thanks! I’m just starting out on the journey of promoting my music, so I have a lot still to learn. It can be a problem writing in different genres, but I think I have two main kinds of album, gentle ones and more up tempo ones. I’m hoping there is a common thread to all my music so the two kinds fit together, pretty well. I hope my listeners will agree! To make it easier, I label the gentle ones ‘Samplehound Relax’.

• You release instrumental music only. Was it an artistic decision to not include any vocal music, or it just happened?

It just happened really. I do have some vocal music that I plan to work on separately from Samplehound, but that will come later, in 2021 or 2022. 

• Some of your pieces, “Together, Pt. 5” for example, could work perfectly as a soundtrack. If you were asked to rescore a film, which one would you choose?

I would rescore the Shawshank Redemption, which inspired Together Pt. 5. It has a wonderful score already, by Thomas Newman, but I’d love to get involved with that. 

• Which is your favourite venue in the UK? What is the best concert you have ever been to?

 Ronnie Scott’s. Although it’s a very commercial outfit now, it’s still possible to get close to some great musicians and because it’s a small venue the sound quality is excellent. My favourite was seeing Mike Stern, at Ronnie’s a few years ago now. In fact I have seen him there a few times. 

• What is your favorite album of the past year?

Jacob Collier’s Djesse volume 2 (actually its 13 months old, but I hope that’s ok). So inventive, diverse and touching.

• If you could change anything about the music industry, what would it be?

Finding a way to make recording pay again. It seems unlikely this will happen now that music is almost free to consume. 

• What’s next for you?

I’m just about to start studying string orchestration, with the aim of recording some pieces I’ve written for chamber string ensemble next year. It will be a challenge.

Thanks Samplehound!

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