IN CONVERSATION WITH SAM BESTE
Interview by Samo Šajn
Sam Beste, is a London-born musician behind The Vernon Spring. In his new album Under a Familiar Sun, he blends jazz, soul, and electronic sounds. Released through Ólafur Arnalds’ OPIA Community, the record features collaborators like Max Porter and aden, and marks a personal and creative step forward.
Your new album Under a Familiar Sun feels very personal. What inspired you to create it?
At its root this record is a love letter to my nuclear family but also meditates on how that love relates to broader social responsibility and universal truth at a time when moral uncertainty is being challenged.
You’ve called the album a “love letter” to your family. How did your home life influence the music?
In so many ways! I can't explain what a gift it is to come home after a day of making music to open the door and see one my sons radiating a smile back at me. Any parent will tell you that this is a journey that challenges you to your core and encourages you to deepen your connection to your natural capacities for all the best things in life: love, generosity, care, gentleness, joy, compassion and patience! My kids also feature directly on the record through field recordings I made whilst cooking breakfast etc!
You worked with producer Iko Niche to bring in more electronic and hip-hop elements. What was that collaboration like?
WILD!
The album features guests like Aden and writer Max Porter. How did those collaborations come about?
Aden aka Eden Girma approached me after one of my shows and sweetly asked if I'd consider giving them piano lessons. It was a lovely way to begin to get to know them, a truly remarkable and unique person who brings so much positive energy and a spirit of deep curiosity and compassion to music making and friendship. Max Porter I was lucky enough to meet through the incredible Sound From A Safe Harbour festival which also has an 'artist in residence' element. We made some music there at the festival and really connected. He's an absolute inspiration for me, a genuinely three-dimensional human.
You’ve worked with huge names like Amy Winehouse and MF DOOM. How
does this solo work feel different?
I'm so grateful for all the musical experiences I have had over the years. I miss Amy, she was a force of nature and incredibly funny! And there was so much crossover with the music that was dear to our hearts. MF DOOM I idolise, so that was a trip working with him. What a positive example he sets in just sidelining the noise and centring the work.
What is particular about the solo music making is that it challenges me deeply from multiple angles: as a composer, as a producer, as a mixer, as a musician, as a performer, and as a human. I'm very grateful to be on this path.
The artwork by Eric Timothy Carlson is beautiful and detailed, what does it
represent for you?
Still pinching myself that I was able to work with such an artistic giant! The artwork he has created for this record is spellbinding and phenomenally generous and expansive. It's a map which can really serve to deepen the experience of the music, and I'm still finding new things in it myself every time I spend time with it. The artwork evolved over multiple conversations, and I'm very moved by how sensitively Eric digested our chats and filtered it into his process for making the art. For me the artwork speaks so powerfully to all that I explored on this record, which all stems from a deep longing in me to fully realise my connectedness not only to my family but to others, to the earth and to the universe.
You’ll be performing this album live soon. How are you planning to bring its
sound to the stage?
I'm so excited for this opportunity to play the music live and am overjoyed to be joined by two close collaborators on the record: Aden and Calum Duncan. We call Calum ‘The Chef’ for his wizard-like use of FX pedals and other esoteric outboard to create sound worlds from any ingredients. He'll be creating sound world from the piano and the vocals live as well as playing some choice guitar!
Now that Under a Familiar Sun is out, what’s next for you, any future projects or ideas you can share with us?
I've got lots of music in the works already, but I'll also be heading back to Sounds From A Safe Harbour in September with Max Porter, Calum and around 70 other artists! That promises to be a space where new music can be discovered, and new collaborations can begin.
