Sam Feldt is not only regarded as a talented DJ that plays at the most incredible festivals across the world, but Sam is also a brillant entrepreneur. After having recently toured in the US and participated to Clean the beat, a music-powered canal cleaning during Amsterdam Dance Event, the Dutch DJ discussed his projects such as The Heartfeldt Foundation and Fangage. Let's get to know more about this superstar and philanthropist.
Sam Feldt
Interview with the Dutch superstar Sam Feldt
When did DJ Sam Feldt start?
I've been DJ-ing since I was 11 years old, but started Sam Feldt around 7 years ago now!
Do you think that your worldwide known track Show Me Love kicked off your international career?
Definitely, it charted all the way up to #2 in the UK charts and had massive success in the United States as well - which set me up for a career of touring worldwide.Sam Feldt - Show Me Love
You recently toured in the US, how was it to be back on stage?
It felt amazing. After 1.5 years of not being on the road, simply making music I could not play live, being able to perform for a real life crowd again is the best feeling in the world.
Maybe some tips for upcoming DJs, how do you build a good your set?
I always like to mix harmonically, so therefore I analyse the keys of the songs I play using a tool called Mixed in Key to make sure that songs I play do not clash. After that, I make sure my Rekordbox collection is analysed on BPM, and I add cue points for important parts of the songs. This gives me complete freedom during my sets to switch things up, read the crowd and improvise on the fly (which is what DJ-ing is all about).
How do you get the crowd going?
I am really energetic on stage, so I think my energy feeds the crowd and vice versa. I always start with one of my biggest hits, so people immediately get into that sing along party mood. The rest is simply reading the crowds and adjusting accordingly.
You founded your own label Heartfeldt Records last year, could you tell us more about this project?
Definitely, it has always been a dream of mine to provide upcoming talent with a platform that puts them in the spotlight. On tour, but also making Heartfeldt Radio and preparing my DJ sets, I come across so much talent that deserves to be heard. Heartfeldt Records gives them a home and a way to get discovered.
1% of the royalties will be used to raise awareness among people from the industry on sustainability, how do you intend to spread the word on this topic?
We do this through the Heartfeldt Foundation and our Give/Do/Inspire/Empower model. Give is all about raising money for a good cause, Do is about leading by example, Inspire is about using your reach for good and Empower means supporting brands and products that are already doing well on the sustainability side. For instance, The Heartfledt Foundation was part of a local sustainable initiative during ADE to take the plastic out from the Dutch canals. But, you can read more about our foundation on heartfeldt.foundation.'
Last EP from Sam Feldt x Georgia Ku - Call on Me
Did you come up with the concept of Fangage during the pandemic?
No, actually Fangage, the platform that helps artists and fans to connect, has been around since 2016 already but the pandemic definitely kickstarted the project. We were able to raise close to $3 million to build the ultimate platform for artists and creators that allows them to set up their own platforms - instead of having their audience live just on third party social media platforms that give you zero control or ownership.
Thanks Sam for taking the time to answer our questions!
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