INTRODUCING: SAM GELLAITRY

PHOTOGRAPHY ALEX RORISON - GROOMING ROSIE MCGINN - STYLING + FOREWORD MATILDA OLIVER - INTERVIEW RACHEL EDWARDS

Singer-songwriter, Sam Gellaitry's unique sound is instantly recognisable and over the last two years he’s graced us with tracks alongside Pink Panthress and METTE. His commitment to authenticity and experimentation serves as a beacon for the ever evolving electronic music scene. Already acquiring over 1.3 Million Monthly Listeners on Spotify, it’s safe to say that Sam’s future is looking bright. On a chilly day in March we had the privilege of getting to know a slice of this visionary mind. In this interview Sam shares generously about his influences and process, it ended with a pint along the Thames and a Bahn Mi in Bermondsey, naturally.

LISTEN TO DARLING DRIVE

Rachel Edwards: You have a lot going on at the moment! What are you most excited about?

Sam Gellaitry: Hi! i'm headed to America next week for Coachella to DJ at the do lab tent, first time being back since i played in 2017, Lots of fun shows scattered around this year as I finish off my album which is where i'm getting most of my excitement from at the minute.

RE: How has your sound evolved since the IV days?

SG: I guess i'm in the stage of refining what I started with that EP, it was such a drastic jump from my previous projects but I'm always aiming for people to actually be able to hear my progression as an artist in real time, it makes it more of a shared experience and i'm thankful to be in a position where I can experiment so freely!

Sam wears knitwear OUR LEGACY; trousers SCRT; shoes TIMBERLAND

RE: In what way did your hometown of Stirling inspire your new track “Darling Drive”,

written with METTE?

SG: It was METTE's idea to dedicate a song to where she grew up but I guess it resonates with me as we wrote and produced the track in my hometown of 20+ years. When I lived there I was always delighted to show people around there as its a small town in Scotland where very few people would have a reason to pass through other that sightseeing tourists. I guess the track is very french house inspired too, which is musical home for me and where my love of music all started.

RE: You have Synesthesia and it sounds like a creative superpower. What was it like when you first discovered that you had it?

SG: It's mental. I realised I had It aged 4, when move your feet by Junior Senior came on the radio and I told my mum it sounded orange and she gave me a bewildered response - that was the moment that I realised everyone else wasn't experiencing music in colour. It's an innate feeling that is attached to my earliest memories with music, so it was discovering that other people didn't know what i was on about that led me look into it more.

RE: How does Synesthesia affect your creative process?

SG: It affects it massively, it comes in very handy in regards to DJing because I almost have a colour preview of a track which will help me know if a tracks key blends before I choose to play it. As far as creating music goes, the colours are based on what key the track is in so I use that to depict whether the track is day time or night time. I write most tracks in minor and weirdly enough, the order of the key from C to G is the same as the rainbow inverted starting at purple and ending at deep red until G which is the perfect fifth of C comes in as purple again. Day time tracks are two shades of blue and green (nature) and night time tracks are orange and two shades of red (synthetic light sources). Purple is perfectly in between both and depicts early morning or dawn. I also don't see yellow but more so notice its change to the primary colours themselves which I have only just realised now writing this is like RGB which has led me down a new rabbit hole completely.

RE: Are there any downsides to having it?

SG: The only downside is that it's pretty jarring hearing what I consider to be night time songs during the day. I try to not be too militant over it when my friends are on the aux on a summer's day and what i hear is transcending me to some dimly lit red environment at 2am. It's always so fun to hear their opinions on what colour it might be though! It's all subjective.

RE: Growing up, did you always think you’d be a musician?

SG: Yes! I have drawings of myself when i was aged 7 or 8 as a frontman in a band singing and playing the Bass. I was obsessed with the Bass after hearing Feel Good Inc by the Gorillaz and seeing the music video.

Sam wears trousers CP COMPANY; jacket UNIFORM BRIDGE; shoes NIK

RE: When did you have your first ‘pinch me’ moment?

SG: It's been a permanent pinch me moment since i was 17 really. I’ll never forget how it felt watching the plays and reposts come in as soon as summer 2014 hit and then DJing in London a month later. I'm extremely thankful for every moment and it's so wild that it's been happening for 10 years now this summer, I'm getting old!

RE: You supported Fred Again in LA! What did you think of Hollywood?

SG: When I first went I wasn't sure about LA as it's potentially the exact opposite place of where I grew up back home but after a few visits and being able to stay at my close friends place in a quieter area I'm really fond of it. I wish we could import that weather to the UK but then I’d never leave I guess.

RE: You made a name for yourself with the Escapism trilogy - what is your favourite form of escapism?

SG: There's so many, I’m really getting into watching films now and a great film is usually very transcendent and moving to me, It also helps inspire my music. One of my absolute favourites is getting lost in nature and that's something I'm longing for more since moving to London from Scotland.

RE: Is there anyone you want to work with but haven’t yet?

SG: Most people really! Collaboration is still a very new thing for me after having lived up north for so long making music pretty much in solitude for 7+ years. Since I've started singing its helped open up the opportunity because my music before was so busy that there wasn't very much space for a top line.

RE: What would you say to someone who wants to enter into the music industry?

SG: It's so important to establish a strong support system inside and outside of the industry as it can be very difficult to navigate. It's ever evolving and even after 10 years I often feel like I have no idea what's going on. Outside of the serious element, follow your heart and don't let anyone get in the way of your vision.

RE: What’s your favourite F Word?

SG: Frenzy!

LEFT Sam wears jacket + vest BRAINDEAD