DC9 at Night Mixtape with Samma Lone

Samma Lone is a bona fide veteran in the DJ scene, with over three decades behind the decks. Primarily operating in house and house-related territory, Malone has had a front row seat as both producer and DJ for the development of club culture in Dance music since its earliest days. In the studio, Malone has had a steady stream of releases over the years, but of late he's teamed up with DJ Redeye to produce as Multipass with releases for the Audiophile Deep label. For this week's Mixtape Q&A, Malone reveals a bit about his journey as a seasoned follower of club culture.





DC9 at Night: How did you get started DJing? How long have you been at it?
Same Lone: I got started DJing by being asked to play for my older sister’s speed skating party at the local skating rink, because the regular DJ was unable to do it. That was on December 14, 1987.

How was this mix made? Is there a particular theme for the track selection?
This mix was recorded live at The Beauty Bar in Dallas. No particular theme; just get people dancing.

Who are some of your favorite DJ’s or producers?
Tedd Patterson from NYC, who's my mentor; Louie Vega; Claudio Cocolutto and Savino Martinez from Italy, aka the Dub Duo; Jon Pearn and Marc Grey of Full Intention; and Brian Tappert and Marc Pomeroy from Jazz N’ Groove.

Do you still buy vinyl?
Yes, all the time. My partner (Josh Kynd) and I own Pop Up! Records, and collect and sell frequently around town — including Beats Swap Meet, at Club Dada, later this spring/summer.

Where do you like to dig for tracks?
I dig for vinyl, any chance I get, and anywhere that sells it. I get most of my digital tracks at Traxsource.com

Which do you prefer, DJing or producing?
DJing is in my blood. Making people dance and have fun is more of an addiction than coffee for me. I produce music to silence the voices in my head.

How long have you been producing?
I have been producing music since 1992. I have owned two vinyl record labels (DeepTribalDubDisco and Klubb Kourtesy) and three digital labels (Skeet Traxx, 3D Traxx and Uptown Boogie). Originally I produced tracks using my nickname, Lil’Steven. I went on to produce under the alias JackBOT and finally as Samma Lone.

How many releases do you have out there?
I have over 300 releases and remixes. I have released on such vinyl labels as King Street Sounds (NYC), Skint Records (UK) and Riviera Records (Spain), and digital labels like Club Star Records (Germany), InStereo Records, Guesthouse, Dufflebag and Aluminum Records (Ibiza). Multipass has completed three projects thus far, with several more on the schedule for 2015.

How did your production relationship with Redeye come about?
Scottie and I are two peas in a pod! He and I are what I call “Lifers.” Music, DJing and club culture are the things that make us tick, make us thrive, and we’ll probably do it until we no longer can. Some common friends brought us together, but we chose to work together. Our musical tastes, heritage, pedigree, stylings and influences run parallel. Scottie approached me a few months ago and asked if I would work on a track with him, for one of those “in common” friends, Derrick Carter. We immediately discovered that we made a great team in the studio, and decided that we should do it more often.

Out of your catalogue of tracks do you have a particular favorite?
That is a tough question to answer. I frequently play my tracks in live sets, and some of the tracks that never fail to cause a floor frenzy are my remake of Hall and Oates called “Say No Go;” a remake of Stevie Wonder, called “La La Lah Lah;” and a revisit to Soulsearcher called “Not Enough.” As for Multipass, I really like how this new one with Robbie Hardkiss is coming.

What other genres or artists do you like to spin or listen to outside of dance music?
I play Yacht Rock at a bi-weekly event I founded, called The Yacht Club. I also love to play classic disco, funk and soul, and have a very large collection of both genres on vinyl.

Did you play music before you started DJing?
Naturally, music has always been a big part of my life. Listening to bands like Kool and the Gang, Brothers Johnson, Sugar Hill Gang and the Gap Band really molded me into the DJ I am today. My first recollection of music was listening to my parents' old 45s. I played Dion’s “Runaround Sue” on repeat for a solid three years as a child and even had the DJ play it at my wedding.

What gigs do you have in the near future?
I'm The Yacht Club at Capitol Pub every Sunday, I play with Multipass at It’ll Do on Saturday, June 6 and Beats Repeat with Josh Kynd at Beauty Bar on Tuesday, June 9.

Tracklist:

1. Used Disco – Return To The Hill
2. Samma Lone – La La Lah Lah
3. Samma Lone – Take You To Love
4. Samma Lone – Not Enough
5. Samma Lone – Comfort Zone
6. John Julius Knight – Free
7. Glenn Dale – Gonna Get Your Love
8. Lou Rawls – You’ll Never Find (Ken@Work Remix)
9. Jill Scott – It’s Love (Swirl People Remix)
10. Hapkido – Can’t Let Go
11. Jose Feliciano – Sunny (Quinten Harris Remix)