True House Stories® Youtube & Spotify Video Podcast
TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ SAM DIVINE - DEFECTED RADIO
Sam Divine interviewed by Lenny Fontana for True House Stories® # 104
Sam Divine is a DJ that knows exactly what to play and when to play it. The hours she spent rifling through vinyl in the warehouse of Chemical Records, where Sam once worked as a house buyer, gives her an insurmountable understanding of the genre.
Having played nearly every club in Ibiza (Spain) – including residencies at Ushuaia, Amnesia and Sankeys – and landed at top-end festivals, there are few who can offer a house music education like Sam Divine.
Last year, she racked up over a hundred gigs and is well on track to exceed that in 2017, having already hit up the likes of Europe, North America and Asia. And her reputation for energising a dancefloor has been acknowledged by her inclusion in Pete Tong’s Selector Series for Radio 1.
A late starter, Sam took up DJing at 21 – learning to mix in her mum’s garden shed. Her breakthrough came soon after with a DJ competition and landed her first residency at a club in Weston-super-Mare, where she was also the main booker, while also working in record stores.
In 2005, after swapping Bristol for Ibiza, Sam became a vital component of San Antonio’s west end (where this year she makes a triumphant return as a resident for Defected at Eden) and has spent every season on the White Isle ever since. During this time, Divine also began working with Defected Records, who in 2009 signed her to their artist roster.
A weekly warm-up at Mambo Ibiza ensued, opening for legendary names like Kenny Dope and Frankie Knuckles, as well as hosting the weekly Defected Radio show that currently holds the #2 spot on iTunes in the UK Music Podcasts chart. The real turning point, however, came when she played We Are FSTVL in 2013. “I dropped a mix the night before and everyone went mad for it; the tent went from nothing to one-in-one-out within half an hour,” she explains. “After that, the bookings just went nuts.”
With her tireless work ethic, this summer, Sam will play Tomorrowland, Eastern Electrics, Defected Croatia, SW4, and Creamfields. This year also marks the 10-year anniversary of La Vita, the annual DJ charity night that she helped to launch and has so far raised £35,000 for Breast Cancer Research.
Sam also launched her own label D-Vine Sounds back in 2015, which this year she will showcase with a stage at We Are FSTVL, dates in Ibiza and a boat party at Defected Croatia. Recently, Sam has also begun to flirt with production; her first major release, a remix of garage anthem ‘Flowers’ with production partner Curtis Gabriel, hit #1 on both Traxsource and Beatport.
Last year’s ‘Confessions’ was her first release on Defected, while her ‘Sam Divine In The House’ compilation featured further productions and went #1 on iTunes’ Dance chart. This summer she dropped ‘In Da Nation’ EP with Cassimm on DFTD. Sam Divine’s work ethic has seen her more than earn her stripes on the scene.
A dedicated army of fans now spreads across the globe as her uplifting house sets captivate audiences everywhere she takes to the booth. With an unwavering love of music and tireless dedication to her craft, Sam is living proof you can achieve pretty much anything you set your mind to – and no one can hold her back.
Sam Divine | Defected Radio - YouTube TV Video
Biography Sam Divine (Defected Radio)
A born entertainer with a burning desire to play music to people around the world, Sam Divine’s enigmatic sets are an effortless schooling in pure, unadulterated house. From her early days as the sole member of the Defected street team in Ibiza to fronting their radio show and now headlining some of the world’s biggest clubs and festivals, The First Lady of Defected, has become an intrinsic part of the UK house music scene.
The seeds of Sam’s DJ career can be traced back to a pair of belt drive turntables and a battered Numark mixer set up in her Mum’s shed; a pirate radio show broadcast from her bedroom using ‘borrowed’ equipment from the local college and MSN Messenger, and time spent expanding her musical knowledge working at Spin Central in her hometown of Weston-super-Mare and Chemical Records in Bristol.
A chance encounter with then Defected Radio host, Aaron Ross, in Notting Hill in the early 00s, led Sam to Ibiza where she quickly became an integral figure in the West End. Since then she’s played at some of the island’s biggest clubs year upon year, holding down residencies at Pacha, Mambo, Amnesia, Eden and Ushuaïa, and sharing space with some of the greatest names in dance including Frankie Knuckles, Master’s At Work, MK, DJ Spen, KiNK, Sandy Rivera and The Shapeshifters.
Sam launched her own highly successful imprint, DVINE Sounds, in 2015. To date, the label has seen 58 releases, helping to propel talented up and coming artists into the spotlight. Her own foray into production began with a remix of the classic garage anthem ‘Flowers’ that proved a hit, reaching the top spots on Traxsource and Beatport. A remix of Amira’s 1997 garage hit, ‘My Desire’, followed in 2019. In 2020 DVINE celebrated its fifth birthday with the label evolving as a brand with events, boat parties, a stage at We Are FSTVL and a return to ADE.
2019 was a year of firsts for Sam with her debut appearance at London’s Printworks venue, where she returned on New Year’s Day alongside her Defected crew. In September she was invited by Radio 1 tastemaker Pete Tong to record a coveted Essential Mix – a true marker of how far her career has come. 2019 also marked Divine’s first Mixmag Lab NYC set.
All this on top of touring globally, playing 21 festivals worldwide, an epic gig at the top of London’s iconic Tower Bridge and raising over £40,000 for Breast Cancer Research through her charity D-Vita. December also saw the return of 2019’s sold-out Openers tour with Sam playing all night long across two weekends in December.
Despite spending the majority of 2020 in lockdown, Sam took the bull by the horns and excelled with her livestreams with her infectious energy, reaching her ever-expanding fanbase from all corners of the globe. Sam sold out all the socially distanced parties she played throughout the Summer, one of which sold out in a record time of 7 minutes.
Sam shows no sign of slowing down in 2021 with a number of Defected parties already in the diary, a return to the festival circuit, an Australasian tour and solo tours throughout North America and Canada. 2021 also brings new music in collaboration with Australian DJ and producer, Kormak, as well as a new EP on her own label. With her passion and dedication to her music beyond doubt, Sam Divine is a musician who will continue to evolve and grow.