Artists will never come unprepared to a party. They always bring a toolbox packed with tracks that are truly dance floor destroyers. “What’s in Your Toolbox” features artists’ secret weapons, aka, the tracks they don’t leave out of their USB. This installment of WIYTB features the “First Lady of Defected”, Sam Divine.
Sam has become intrinsic to the UK House Scene. The seeds of Sam’s DJ career can be traced back to a pair of belt drive turntables and abattered 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.
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, astage at We Are FSTVL and a return to ADE. With that being said, here are Sam Divine’s top 6 tracks that she always keeps in her toolbox.
Read Next: Love at First Sound, Sam Divine on How Defected Records Captured Her Heart
Listen Now: Love Remain – “With You, I Can Be Anything”
I recently discovered the elusive Love Remain and have been in love with his album from the jump. It’s a perfect fusion of the current lo-fi UK electronic sound currently characterized by the likes of Overmono, Ross From Friends etc and mixed with some more chilled UK garage production. “With You, I Can Be Anything” samples Tamia “So Into You” and as one of my favorite RnB voices, this has been stuck in my head ever since. Don’t sleep on Love Remain. The whole album is incredible.
Listen Now: Harry Romero ft Leo Wood / Chris Lake – “Fool For Love (Chris Lake Edit)”
This track epitomizes a peak time vocal record for me. Harry Romero is a legend and I’ve followed him since his days on Subliminal Records. Add another bonafide legend that is Chris Lake and his amazing Black Book label into the mix and the recipe completes itself. Everything about this record resonates with me. The soul, the piano chops and the overall production is what you’d expect from this type of collaboration.
Listen Now: Dennis Ferrer – “Hey Hey”
Where to start with this one? Approaching it’s 15th birthday and it sounds as fresh today as it did the first time I played it around 2009. It also now has the recognition among myself and many other house DJs and heads as being an ‘Ibiza Classic’ which is a huge accolade when you consider some of the electronic records that have been broken there. Dennis is not only a dear friend but still a producer and DJ I look up to constantly. 15 years on and the reaction when I play this has not diminished at all. If you lost it in your record box, I urge you to fish it out again.
Listen Now: Junior Boys / Carl Craig – “Like A Child (Carl Craig Remix)”
Another huge record that stands the test of time. Carl Craig was nominated for a Grammy for his remix work on this one and it truly is a masterpiece. Junior Boys have so many great tracks in their own right but Carl lifts this one to another level with that slow build before the bass finally kicks in around the 6 minute mark. I’ve opened extended sets with it, I’ve reset the crowd in the middle of a set with it and i’ve closed with it as an encore or “one more tune” in the right venues and settings. It just never gets old and that speaks to the enduring quality of both Junior Boys and Carls’ productions.
Listen Now: Sam Divine ft Josh Barry – “Take My Hand”
Call it self indulgent and I guess it is. But, as obvious as this sounds, this record means so much to me outside of the fact it’s one of my own. Although it might seem strange to say, this is the first time I’ve played one of my own tracks so heavily and as it just came out 3 weeks ago there’s nothing wrong with some shameless self promotion haha. I wrote this with Josh almost a year ago to the week and started road testing it at the tail end of Ibiza season last year. It got such amazing reactions from the start but when I dropped it on the main stage at Warehouse Project it truly went off and it brought a little tear to my eye. I’ve been playing it in almost every set since and this Summer has really shown me that a year on from the first play, it still sounds fresh and the crowd reaction is even stronger and Josh’s voice is one I yearn to work with more and more. That’s not something that I can say about all of my own productions so I’m excited to drop it in the Sunshine at Splash House this weekend.
You can be sure to be dancing to great tunes like these at Splash House. Splash House has evolved from a renegade poolside weekender into one of the most in-demand dance music festivals in North America, all the while retaining a distinct sense of style rooted in the culture and allure of Palm Springs. Vast desert landscapes and unique accommodations at the Renaissance, Margaritaville, and Saguaro Hotels converge with fashion-forward audiences and forward-thinking musical bookings to create a new way to experience the travel hotspot.
It remains the ease and comfort of the Splash House experience that makes it a favorite amongst its dedicated followers. All packages come with festival passes, a three-night stay at any of the three host resorts, and shuttle transportation between venues. Guests can relax in the comfort of a poolside room or catch their favorite artists from the balcony before making their way down to the dance floor.
New for this year, Splash House attendees will have the option to stay at offsite hotel options Palm Mountain Resort & Spa or L3 Oasis Hotel. Located right across the street from Margaritaville, L3 Oasis is just steps from the action and festival shuttles to take you between all host locations. There will be hourly shuttle service between Palm Mountain Resort & Spa and Renaissance Palm Springs only from 12-7PM (once per hour). Free for those with a festival wristband. Passes to Splash House will be included in these hotel packages.
One week remains for Splash House! For more info go to: HERE
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