Sam Tiba
- A New Breed of French Club Producer has Arrived
French dj and producer Sam Tiba has garnered quite a reputation for himself since taking to the turntables four odd years ago. Borrowing from obscure musical influences of all kinds (Japanese rap, Korean pop, Baile Funk…) Tiba has shown a tendency to push niche styles to the forefront, and has managed to do so to great acclaim. This is no easy feat, especially in his home country of France, where any experienced club DJ will tell you, introducing any kind of new sound is notoriously difficult.
How does a country so rooted in tradition and nostalgia breed such a culture-curious character? Better yet, how did a kid who grew up in one of the poorest towns in France go from studying political science and art history to introducing Europe to the Jersey Club scene, and tearing up venues around the world?
“I always wanted to be big, let’s just be honest,” Tiba explains during our interview in Paris, his newly adopted home base. His words are surprising considering how shy he is when we first meet. Turns out he was just playing coy.
At first glance, he might seem like somewhat of a paradox, but dig just below the surface and it becomes immediately clear that he was meant for music.
Growing up in Roubaix in Northern France, Tiba saw creativity everywhere. As a kid, he was put into a special music program at school, dabbling in classical and jazz music, and playing the trombone at the city’s conservatory, but by the age of 16 Sam was bored, and gave up his instrument. With no real local music scene to speak of, Sam did what any proper angst-ridden teen of that era would do: he took to the web.
“I became this huge nerd looking up unknown music genres on the internet. I entered the crazy world of forum users where I would have these huge debates with people about like, a RZA sample or something like that.”
At 19, Tiba bought his first turntables, and, rather than waste countless days battling rap nerds in chat forums, started defending his musical tastes with vinyl. He would spend hours alone in his bedroom honing his skills. With a friend, he also briefly played under the moniker Popozuda, (which means “fridge” but also “big booty” in Brazilian slang), mainly mixing tropical sub-genres like Baile Funk.
Reared on Classical music, French Rap, RnB, and his father’s Soul and Reggae vinyls, Tiba has a pretty unique musical foundation in comparison to his peers. In fact, until quite recently, admitting you liked Rap or RnB in France was sure to get you blacklisted in most circles. These days, both genres are experiencing new popularity, but some fans including Tiba, remain sceptical.
“To be totally honest, I still think most of the so-called new ‘RnB and Hip Hop lovers’ here in Paris, [they’re everywhere in 2013, wearing caps and backpacks IN THE CLUBS!] don’t even like what they hear being played. It’s just the newest trend for them to latch on to. I really don’t get it, but i’m cool with it. I can’t really complain… I mean, it’s my scene.”
Add to that his affinity for Japanese culture, which led him to start a number of websites dedicated to the Japanese hip hop scene back in 2003, and it becomes clear that cultural barriers have never dictated the music he listens to. He’s also proven himself to be quite the human encyclopedia of unknown genres, and let’s not forget that he’s taking it upon himself to introduce us all to the once little known Jersey Club scene.
Canblaster Mix for What’s Really Good™
“About four years ago, Canblaster received a Jersey Club folder from a friend of ours, Dirty South Joe. I listened to everything and it just completely changed my life and the way I view ghetto music. I mean, I was already a Baltimore Club head, and people are gonna say Jersey Club is just an evolution of Baltimore Club. But it’s more than that.”
Tiba will often cite Canblaster over the course of our interview, as he will his two other best friends and Club Cheval crewmates, Myd and Panteros666. Together, they formed the French DJ collective back in 2010 and ever since the boys have been steadily climbing the musical ranks and touring the globe. In fact it’s in part due to Tiba’s growing fame and clout as a DJ that he has been able to properly promote the Jersey Club sound.
“Music isn’t just something you play on your computer over there. They actually need that music to avoid boredom, and thus avoid violence. It’s a way to keep kids entertained, so they stay away from the bad stuff.”
Interestingly, when Tiba explains the scene in Jersey and some of the reasons why this music is so important, one can’t help but see a parallel to his own experiences growing up in Roubaix.
“It’s just so full of ideas. When I realized no one knew about it, I felt like I had to show this to the world, and I have to say, I’m pretty glad I did. Honestly, I feel a bit responsible for the crazy things happening to DJ Sliink and some of the others. I have so much respect for their talent.”
Since discovering that folder full of music from Dirty South Joe, Tiba has released not one, but three Jersey Club mixtapes. Nowadays you’d be hard-pressed to hear one of his sets played without at least one of the staple Jersey Club bed squeaks. Listen carefully to Tiba’s mix, and you’ll also likely find a few Japanese and Korean Pop samples in there.
Of course, four times out of five, if Tiba is mixing, Canblaster, Myd and Panteros666 are as well. But even if he’s booked for a solo gig, chances are the other three won’t be far. In fact, the four rarely go anywhere without one another other, which considering the hours they already spend together in their Paris studio, is surprising to say the least. It should come as no surprise then that they’re all signed to a label called Bromance Records.
Available this month
All in all it would seem that Tiba’s obscure musical influences, niche genres and love of France’s most blacklisted musical categories have made him something of a force to be reckoned with. Of the four, Tiba may be the least technically trained but if anything he’s just proved that creativity takes precedence over skill.
“My experience has been a bit different than the other guys. I met the Club Cheval boys, and they taught me how to produce. Because I started producing music way after the others, I probably have a more naive or innocent approach to my stuff”
Now poised to release a new EP, dropping June 17th, Tiba is set to challenge his fans expectations in a new way. While not much is allowed to be said about the EP just yet, you can be sure that it won’t be like anything he’s put out to date.
French dj and producer Sam Tiba has garnered quite a reputation for himself since taking to the turntables four odd years ago. Borrowing from obscure musical influences of all kinds (Japanese rap, Korean pop, Baile Funk...) Tiba has shown a tendency to push niche styles to the forefront, and has managed to do so to great acclaim. This is no easy feat, especially in his home country of France, where any experienced club DJ will tell you, introducing any kind of new sound is notoriously difficult.
How does a country so rooted in tradition and nostalgia breed such a culture-curious character? Better yet, how did a kid who grew up in one of the poorest towns in France go from studying political science and art history to introducing Europe to the Jersey Club scene, and tearing up venues around the world?
"I always wanted to be big, let's just be honest," Tiba explains during our interview in Paris, his newly adopted home base. His words are surprising considering how shy he is when we first meet. Turns out he was just playing coy.
For a minute I also thought I might become some kind of French intellectual that just says smart shit on TV all the time.At first glance, he might seem like somewhat of a paradox, but dig just below the surface and it becomes immediately clear that he was meant for music.
Growing up in Roubaix in Northern France, Tiba saw creativity everywhere. As a kid, he was put into a special music program at school, dabbling in classical and jazz music, and playing the trombone at the city's conservatory, but by the age of 16 Sam was bored, and gave up his instrument. With no real local music scene to speak of, Sam did what any proper angst-ridden teen of that era would do: he took to the web.
"I became this huge nerd looking up unknown music genres on the internet. I entered the crazy world of forum users where I would have these huge debates with people about like, a RZA sample or something like that."
At 19, Tiba bought his first turntables, and, rather than waste countless days battling rap nerds in chat forums, started defending his musical tastes with vinyl. He would spend hours alone in his bedroom honing his skills. With a friend, he also briefly played under the moniker Popozuda, (which means "fridge" but also "big booty" in Brazilian slang), mainly mixing tropical sub-genres like Baile Funk.
Reared on Classical music, French Rap, RnB, and his father's Soul and Reggae vinyls, Tiba has a pretty unique musical foundation in comparison to his peers. In fact, until quite recently, admitting you liked Rap or RnB in France was sure to get you blacklisted in most circles. These days, both genres are experiencing new popularity, but some fans including Tiba, remain sceptical.
"I was going to end up either a big musician or a big historian.”
"To be totally honest, I still think most of the so-called new 'RnB and Hip Hop lovers' here in Paris, [they're everywhere in 2013, wearing caps and backpacks IN THE CLUBS!] don't even like what they hear being played. It's just the newest trend for them to latch on to. I really don't get it, but i'm cool with it. I can’t really complain... I mean, it's my scene."
Add to that his affinity for Japanese culture, which led him to start a number of websites dedicated to the Japanese hip hop scene back in 2003, and it becomes clear that cultural barriers have never dictated the music he listens to. He’s also proven himself to be quite the human encyclopedia of unknown genres, and let’s not forget that he’s taking it upon himself to introduce us all to the once little known Jersey Club scene.
Related:Canblaster Mix for What's Really Good™
"About four years ago, Canblaster received a Jersey Club folder from a friend of ours, Dirty South Joe. I listened to everything and it just completely changed my life and the way I view ghetto music. I mean, I was already a Baltimore Club head, and people are gonna say Jersey Club is just an evolution of Baltimore Club. But it's more than that.”
Tiba will often cite Canblaster over the course of our interview, as he will his two other best friends and Club Cheval crewmates, Myd and Panteros666. Together, they formed the French DJ collective back in 2010 and ever since the boys have been steadily climbing the musical ranks and touring the globe. In fact it’s in part due to Tiba’s growing fame and clout as a DJ that he has been able to properly promote the Jersey Club sound.
“Music isn't just something you play on your computer over there. They actually need that music to avoid boredom, and thus avoid violence. It's a way to keep kids entertained, so they stay away from the bad stuff.”
Interestingly, when Tiba explains the scene in Jersey and some of the reasons why this music is so important, one can’t help but see a parallel to his own experiences growing up in Roubaix.
“It's just so full of ideas. When I realized no one knew about it, I felt like I had to show this to the world, and I have to say, I’m pretty glad I did. Honestly, I feel a bit responsible for the crazy things happening to DJ Sliink and some of the others. I have so much respect for their talent."
Since discovering that folder full of music from Dirty South Joe, Tiba has released not one, but three Jersey Club mixtapes. Nowadays you'd be hard-pressed to hear one of his sets played without at least one of the staple Jersey Club bed squeaks. Listen carefully to Tiba’s mix, and you'll also likely find a few Japanese and Korean Pop samples in there.
Of course, four times out of five, if Tiba is mixing, Canblaster, Myd and Panteros666 are as well. But even if he’s booked for a solo gig, chances are the other three won’t be far. In fact, the four rarely go anywhere without one another other, which considering the hours they already spend together in their Paris studio, is surprising to say the least. It should come as no surprise then that they’re all signed to a label called Bromance Records.
Sam's EP - The Saddest Show In TownAvailable this month
All in all it would seem that Tiba’s obscure musical influences, niche genres and love of France’s most blacklisted musical categories have made him something of a force to be reckoned with. Of the four, Tiba may be the least technically trained but if anything he's just proved that creativity takes precedence over skill.
"My experience has been a bit different than the other guys. I met the Club Cheval boys, and they taught me how to produce. Because I started producing music way after the others, I probably have a more naive or innocent approach to my stuff"
Now poised to release a new EP, dropping June 17th, Tiba is set to challenge his fans expectations in a new way. While not much is allowed to be said about the EP just yet, you can be sure that it won’t be like anything he’s put out to date.