Written By Marco Bombaci

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When it comes to House music, there is literally no one more divine than DJ, Producer, Radio show presenter, and label owner – Sam Divine!

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Sam is quickly becoming one of dance music’s most influential female artists and got to the top through a lot of hard work and determination, even earning her the name ‘Ice Queen’ from her friends from never taking no for an answer. Sam is a key member of the Defected family, helping the label celebrate 20 years this year. She has just come out of hosting events at Eden Ibiza all summer, and playing at the Defected festivals in Europe and beyond.

We talk about her upcoming show at Harbourlife Sydney, her love for house music, Defected records, and how she started her own independent record label; DVINE SOUNDS. 

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On November 16th you will be performing at Harbourlife, with Sydney’s Harbour Bridge and Opera House as your backdrop. What excites you most about coming back to Sydney?

Sydney just stole a piece of my heart the first time, and I have played in Sydney 3-4 times now, it's just a really special place. It takes nearly a day to get there, the anticipation to get there... I remember the first time thinking “OMG I’m on the opposite side of the world”. It kind of feels like a second home for me now, I’ve got a lot of friends there, I’m working with a producer called Kormak, he’s based in Sydney, and another guy called Alex Preston, my agent is based there too. It's kind of like a real family vibe for me as well. The parties – everybody’s really up for it – this will be my first festival playing in Sydney, so I am super super excited!

 

What is your favourite house record of all time? And why?

Do you know what? I have so many! SOOO MANY! I would probably have to say – DJ Technic – Gabryelle… It’s on defected. I first heard it on a bank holiday party, and I was just like “WOW… WHAT IS THIS?!?” And then I had to wait 6 months for it to come out on vinyl. So it’s probably one of my most treasured. When it comes in it just drops and it’s like - woah, where did that come from?! And you just hear people go nuts and cheer for it.

 

What made you fall in love with house music?

My introduction to house was a Sasha & John Digweed CD – which is like progressive house, but predominantly I was more into hard dance and trance before that. My friend and I sat around his flat in London and put on this CD and we were both like “WOW… what is this?!” It was just a flip of what I was currently listening to for quite a long time. So (after that) I did quite a bit of research and digging, and I kind of got into that sound, it kind of goes hand in hand with the hard dance sound because it's on that side of progressive house. I guess you can kind of say I instantly fell in love with house from that moment.

 

And how long ago was that? Since you first listened to the Sasha & Digweed CD?

Oooo…. So probably 23 years ago! Yeah a long time ago! Well Defected has been around for 20 years, and I have been into them from the start. So this was like an introduction to house music.

 

If you could do a B2B set with anyone (past or present), who would you choose?

It would have to be Biggie! Biggie Smalls all day long! I am a massive massive Biggie fan, anyone who knows me, knows how much of a fan I am. So it would be wicked to get on the decks with some hip hop and him just rap over it that would be EPIC!

 

What does “House music all lifelong” mean to you?

For me, house music is like a family, I get a lot of messages very regularly to say that I have helped them through dark times. The fact that music can do that, when you haven’t personally met someone, that your music can help them get through good times, and bad… Music is very powerful. “House music all lifelong” is something you’re committed to, it's almost like a marriage. If you get married, it should be forever – that’s just my opinion on it – and for me, I am definitely married to the music. So yeah it means married to the music!

 

You have been involved with Defected Records for just 11 years now, what was it like when you landed your first gig with the label?

It was a special one I still remember it. I had actually been Defected events manager in Ibiza that summer, basically running the night at Pacha. And Simon said to me “We are doing a Ministry show, and I would like to back to do the warm up”. I never roll to a club with a few people, I always have a massive entourage… there was at least 40 people that were with me. I played Kings of Tomorrow – "Finally", jumped up on the decks and was singing it – doing the proper showman thing. I looked over to my left and Simon stood at the bar and he was just smiling at me. I didn’t know if that was the right thing to do or not, but that track just overtakes me, and kind of have this out of body experience when I to play it. On the Monday Simon called me and was like “We want to sign you to the Defected roster”, and that was 11 years ago. So I got signed because of the first time Simon saw me play! So always remember that, Ministry of Sound in London.

 

How did your role as the Defected Radio Show presenter come about?

I actually used to do something called Defected Clubland Adventures, so in Ibiza I would have a cameraman follow me around and I would just interview all the djs. It was something just clicked with me, give me a camera and mic and I absolutely love it! I liked to study drama in school, it was the only subject I was really loved. From that… we used to do something called bar grooves, a 30min podcast and I used to just waffle over the tracks – kind of do what I do now on the Defected show HAHA! And it's kind of just progressed from that. At the time Aaron Ross was who was the A&R of Defected he had (and still to the day) the most amazing radio voice, and I used to follow Pete Tong a lot on the essential mixes, and I was like “OMG I would love to do that!”. I kind of put my hand up for a take-over show… did the take-over show… and it was probably a couple of years later the opportunity came up for me. I did a pilot show, they (Defected) loved it and that was about 8 years ago – and I just love it. I love the little radio community I have. Especially in Australia, it’s the most people come up to me and say that they listen to the radio show, and it’s such a good feeling that I can get my voice across, and also insight to the artists and what labels they’re doing, what tracks they have coming out. Even before the radio show, it was my homework, I would listen every week… it was really a no brainer for me to do it. I love absolutely love presenting it!

 

I guess it would also assist you in preparing for your upcoming sets?

For sure! What I love about the radio show is that I can actually break records and artists. I can play a track on the radio show and hammer it, but it might not even be released yet, and I would play it at a club and everyone would be singing the words back and I would be like “WHAAAT! How do you know this track?! It’s not even out yet!” and that’s when I knew how powerful the radio show can be.    

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You have just come out of a huge summer season in Ibiza, Croatia, and London;  Celebrating 20 years of Defected. What was it like to play in front of thousands of House-heads during these label parties?

Defected parties always bring the heat… they’re so special. Especially in Croatia you’ve got 6 days of energy across 4 stages. And everyone was still going for it in the very last hour at 5am the heavens opened, and everyone was still charged. That to me says how important and how powerful Defected really is. We had people from all over the world and it’s the best when you have people from Europe, Australia, from America, from Japan even… all corners of the world, and you have people that resonate to a tiny place in Croatia called Tisno, and to stack it out I think we sold out, I think a few months before. I loved Djing, I have been doing it for 17 years, and to still have the focus and passion for it, and to do those kinds of parties is pretty incredible.

 

In 2014 you started your own record label; DVINE Sounds. What did you hope to accomplish as an independent label?

It actually just started as a hobby. DVINE Sounds came about was when I was having lunch with my manager one day, and I was kind of telling him that I was finding incredible artists that had not even a thousand to a few hundred followers. I was playing their staple tracks in my sets at peak times… the artists were approaching big labels, and they were banging on the doors but the doors weren’t opening for them. And so, my manager just turned to me and said “why don’t you start your own label and sign them?” – Then BOOM! The next day literally, we put loads of names into a hat and my dad picked it out and it was DVINE Sounds, we came up with the logo, the concept, Soundcloud, Facebook, Instagram, and we kind of just let it roll organically. Our ethos in the beginning and still resonates through until now, is to give a platform for up and coming artists. Most of tracks that we sign go top 20, top 10 – we had this one track that went #1 on Traxsource for 5 weeks, which is really good! That’s not really heard of now. All these artists go on and do great things… it’s just been building organically – we are coming up to 5 years, it has been one hell of a journey. We do our boat parties in Croatia; we have set up a lot of festivals next year and getting into more events. We are also an all-female crew, we bring that female element and touch to it.

 

You are quickly becoming one of dance music’s most influential female artists. Do you have any advice for female artists who hope to succeed in dance music?

I literally just read a DM from a female artist, who I have seen several times at various festivals in London and Croatia actually, and she just messaged me and was like “can you be my mentor, I’m finding it really hard to get myself out there”… and you know it is really tough, but it was really tough for me and I got through it. I think you have to have confidence, you might see people who started at the same time as you, and ask yourself why you’re not on that line up. It really is a survival of the fittest – and I am so tough now, my friends call me the Ice Queen because I don’t like taking no for an answer. But you also have to take every single opportunity no matter how rubbish it is you have got to take it! I started by playing to 3 people for drinks vouchers. You have to started from the bottom and be willing to do that, and put your pride to one side… because great things will come if you stay focused and HUMBLE. Never get above your stations and think you’re better than anyone, because every single person in this industry started at the bottom.

 

We ask this to all our guests. What is the craziest thing you have seen from behind the decks?

I can’t think that I have seen anything crazy from behind the decks. Hmmm… I can tell you the craziest thing that I have seen from a DJ! This is probably 2009 in Ibiza, I was looking after the Martinez Brothers, and we all went back for an afterparty. I look over and I'm like “Where have the boys gone?!” and Simon Dunmore has the Defected villa, I was staying at a house next door – and again I’m like “where have the boys gone?!”, so everyone runs down to the Defected villa, and the Martinez Brothers are chucking all of Simon’s garden furniture into the pool and I am like “OH MY GOD! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!?!” HAHA! And I was just thinking that Simon was absolutely going to kill me HAHA! And so that’s kind of like the craziest thing, because it was so random. Which then I had to fish all of the furniture out – and to this day Simon doesn’t know – well he will NOW! HAHA! 

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Harbourlife has sold out for this weekend, however, you can still catch Sam playing at Chinese Laundry, along with Kormak after the event. For tickets, click here! Be sure to let us know if you're heading down to Chinese Laundry!