Sem Thomasson

The Belgium producer has got the balance just right

Welcome to DMCWORLD towers Sem. Busy Summer for you with ‘Balance’ with Siege out last week on Michael Woods Diffused label and also your new release ‘Aorta’ coming out on Wooha – tell us about the new tune…

“Hey guys, thanks for having me! Actually ‘Aorta’ is a piano driven hands in the air track with a catchy vocal sample in the break. I made it a while ago, but both the label and myself thought the summer would be perfect to get it out. The track has a heartbeat-like drum loop in the break which explains the title ‘Aorta’. The release contains a great Dannic remix and a dubstep mix of Point.Blank!”

Your career was inspired by your father’s musical vibes – you started to experiment with sounds at a VERY early age. What’s the story there?

“My dad used to play in a blues band as a pianist, I remember him hitting the piano like a real magician. He literally invented melody after melody, amazing! When I was twelve years old, Santa Claus got me a digital sampler. That Christmas is when it all started for me…”

It must have been obvious your father saw raw talent in you – the musical world is vast – what was it about the producer / DJ world that attracted you?

“In that period the Euro-Dance scene was rising and several acts and bands came out of Belgium. I always had this idea that I wanted to be a producer and get on stage with a live act or something. The idea of becoming a deejay came at a later stage, but when you look back, it is quite obvious why I ended up where I am now.”

You hail from Hasselt in Belgium. Did you have any friends into EDM growing up and where was the nearest cool club?

“When I started making tracks with the idea of releasing them, I barely knew anyone. Actually there’s a very dispersed and also very small scene in Belgium. Siege is in fact a good friend of mine, but I have also know Hermanez for quite some time now, even though he is more into tech-house. Back in the days, I founded a small label together with my best friend Xavez and that is how we got to meet a lot of people in the industry and club owners in and around our city.”

Early DJ heroes?

“When I started deejaying I was a huge fan of Axwell. Nobody could beat him in my opinion, he always had that energetic charisma and a great interaction with his crowd. I’ve been a fan of Roger Sanchez as well, when I saw him deejaying I was always really impressed. That guy has some mad skills!”

What is the current top 10 you are spinning?

1) Siege & Sem Thomasson – Balance (Original Mix)  (Diffused Music)
2) Deadmau5 ft. Chris James – The Veldt (Tommy Trash Remix) (Mau5trap)
3) Alter Ego – Rocker (Prok & Fitch vs. My Digital Enemy Remix) (Skint)
4) Fedde Le Grand & Nicky Romero – Sparks (Original Mix) (Flamingo Recordings)
5) Alex Kenji – Blue Strobe Light (Original Mix) (Toolroom Records)
6) Deniz Koyu – Bong (Original Mix) (Refune Records)
7) Mario Larrea, Jennifer Levy  – Belief (Chris Lake Edit) (Rising Music)
8) Sem Thomasson – Aorta (Original Mix) (Wooha!)
9) Chris Lake & John Dahlback – I Saw This Before (Original Mix) (Rising Music)
10) Calvin Harris – Feel So Close (Original Mix) (Ultra)

You released your debut track on Fedde Le Grand’s Flamingo Records ‘Like This’ – looking back, were you surprised at the massive DJ support it received?

“I was really surprised. It is always nice to see people are enjoying your music, but getting positive feedback from so many big EDM professionals is simply amazing. I think that track was a perfect blend of accessible club music and a rather commercial sounding voice.”  

Can you remember where you first ‘roadtested’ the record? What was the reaction like?

“It was on Tomorrowland last year. I remember driving to the festival, playing the track in the car to my friends asking for their opinion. It wasn’t finished yet. The deejay that played after me was 5 minutes late and that’s when I decided to give the demo a play. Hands went up and amazingly people even started to sing along. I was very surprised how well a new track can work even when it’s not finished.”

Your press people tell us “his music penetrates right through your body to the very core of your dancing nerve centre.” How would you describe your style in 2012?

“It’s hard to describe my style really. I like diversity. A lot of tracks nowadays all sound the same and sometimes you’re forced to swim along with the stream. I just like good moving energetic tracks with a solid base and I’m not scared of commercial influences at all!”

Aside from ‘Aorta’, you have three or four exciting releases in the bank for this year, what can you tell us…

“I’ve been in the studio for a few months in a row now, so I’ve got a lot of new stuff on the way. Next to that I also did a few productions and I wrote some music for other artists. I’m now in the process of trying to pick the right label for the right track. When I did my remix of Steve Aoki’s single Steve Jobs, I got a few other nice remix jobs. There’s a new remix coming up really soon for TV Rock and I did some remixes for some American pop stars as well…”

Where have been the clubs that have struck gold for you around the world this year?

“I played Nikki Beach Miami a few months ago and the atmosphere was just amazing! Also there’s this small cosy club in Belgium called NuNu Club and it’s always a pleasure to play there – it’s like playing for your family. I would love to play in club Liv Miami, visited that place a few times already and it’s just insane!”

Who are the big producers you are giving high fives to at the moment?

“At the moment I’m a huge fan of Calvin Harris. The way he combines great club tracks with commercial pop music is groundbreaking. I love Fedde Le Grand’s style as well, the drive in his tracks is always perfect.”

What has been your anthem of the summer?

“One of the best tracks of the moment for me is the Tommy Trash remix of Deadmau5 – The Veldt. It’s an ecstatic feel good track and the melody really works for me. Little shameless self-promotion: my latest track Balance with Siege drops big time every time I play it as well!”

What are the big bookings you are looking forward to over the next couple of months?

“Of course I’m looking forward to Tomorrowland Belgium again this year. It’s crazy how much buzz there is now they got crowned as best festival in the world. Also have a few exciting gigs abroad in Spain, The Netherlands, Albania, Russia etc…”

Tell us about your studio set up…

“At the beginning of this year I made my studio completely mobile. That means I invested in getting everything I need on my MacBook Pro. Now I am able to work on the road and make the bigger part of my tracks there. I still finalize, mix and master tracks in my studio at home. I have some hardware synths there and it is always nice to hear your track on a big sound system instead of on your headphones.”

What would be your dream studio collaboration, who would you love to make some music with?

“That’s a tough one…I would say Calvin Harris or Moby when it comes to an other EDM artist. And maybe Damon Albarn to feature on one of my songs or Chris Martin from Coldplay. There are just so many talented people I would love to work with…”

And finally, what is the strangest request you have ever had whilst DJing from a clubber?

“I was deejaying once and a guy walked up to me requesting a song. After his request, he said: ‘Hey man, here’s my phone number. Text me when you play it because I’ve got to go to the restroom now’. I was kind of shocked and I never played the song he asked for. Funny anecdote: he wrote on my Facebook page the day after saying ‘thank you for playing that song yesterday!’

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