Samples From Mars is a Record Label!

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Samples From Mars

Samples From Mars is a record label now! Music is what got me into samples in the first place, and while I was growing the sample label, I never stopped making music - I just stop putting it out.... Until now...

The label will focus on original music that I'm producing, with friends and solo projects. I've always produced a wide range of stuff, and it seems the best way to make sense of it all is through different artists on a label.

I hope to create my own sonic world in the same way I've done with the sample packs. I'm not aimed at commercial success - just fun, and trying to make cool stuff that connects with people. Eventually we'll do vinyl (maybe some drum machine loop records?), play live and DJ.  

If you want to hear new music as it comes out, follow us on Bandcamp and Spotify and subscribe to the email list below. 

The First Release

The first release on the label is Video Burnout - Shame Spirals. Video Burnout is a project with my longtime friend Adam Stegemann, a jazz pianist turned DJ. Shame Spirals is a 5 track EP of lo-fi instrumentals featuring minimal arrangements and quirky sound design that don't quite fit into any one genre. 

How The Project Started

Adam and I used to DJ a lot together in our early 20s, digging for dollar store disco records and throwing fog-filled loft parties in Bushwick. 

But life happened and we both moved on...until the pandemic, when Adam started buying crazy amounts of vintage samplers and synths - Linn9000, Ensoniq EPS, ASR-10, Polysix, etc etc. Having never produced anything before, he'd send me videos of everything hooked up, chugging out chaotic but really interesting beats. But he had no clue how to record any of it!  

So, I'd select the videos I thought could be records, and we'd track everything at my studio. 

The hardest part, as usual, was deciding when each track was done. A lot of my time was spent making philosophical decisions - what is the identity of this project, how can this track be tighter but still feel loose and not overly polished? What kind of pad sound should we use if we want this to work at night? 

After months of editing, arranging and mixing we were able to finish the EP without totally compromising our mental health 😭. You'll be hearing more from us soon! 

Posted in Original Music

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