Contirbutor
Following the release of the captivating ‘Talk Of The Town‘, Music is 4 Lovers had the chance to catch up with producer/dj SimbaSōl to take a deeper look at the release that spans multi-genre in a premium way.
Q: YuYu’s hip-hop vocals really stand out in “Talk Of The Town.” How did this collaboration come about, and what was it like working together on this project?
SimbaSōl: The light bulb moment happened at Burning Man 2023 during the big rainstorm. Roaming on bikes and deep playa sets were replaced by guitar jams at our camp for 48 hours while the chaos subsided. YuYu did an acoustic cover of this song & I immediately had the vision for making this into a full-on production. One year later, here we are!
Yoah is an amazing artist in the Québécois music scene. His talent goes far beyond his voice. From production, to witty word play, to playing many of the live instruments, this is song is a collision of two musical minds.
Q: Your style is known for blurring genres. How do you approach combining different musical influences, and how does this fusion play a role in your latest single?
SimbaSōl: When I sit down to create, I refuse to box myself into a musical category. Deep down, I know a consistent sound would be beneficial for my following and help carve out a space in a specific niche. But still, I say no thank you… I love taking influence from everything and putting all of them into a track. It’s how my brain works, and it’s the only authentic way I know how to live!
Q: With “Talk Of The Town” poised to be the soundtrack of the season, what do you hope listeners take away from it? How do you see it fitting into people’s lives this summer?
SimbaSōl: To me, summer is about high energy, it is about exploration, it is about taking big bites into everything. Talk Of The Town has that colourful & raw energy. It’s a song for hitting the town with no destination except adventure in mind.
Q: You’ve produced many tracks over the years. How does “Talk Of The Town” differ from your previous work, and what new challenges or surprises did you encounter while making it?
SimbaSōl: For starters, the riff on this track is a play on an old school classic. Starting with that melody in mind with a trip through French hip-hop culture & landing on a mature club track was quite the adventure. Birthing this song was much more of a zigzag of inspiration than a simple straight line. It has no real musical category, all I know is it made us feel something deep inside when we were making it and in the end seeing peoples eyes light up on when they hear it is all the confirmation I need!
Q: As a producer and DJ, how do you balance your time between creating music in the studio and performing live? Does one influence the other in your creative process?
SimbaSōl: Love this question. Is see producing & performing as husband & wife (not sure who is who, but you get what I mean). They go hand in hand and one influences the other. The better
The more places I play, the better I understand the intricacies of what dance floors thrive on.
The more I produce, the more technical I am becoming behind the decks.
I see the right side (Abelton-Landia) & the left side (CDJ-Village) of my studio like the left & right side of the brain. Different but deeply connected.
Q: The music industry is constantly evolving, especially with streaming platforms and digital releases. How do you stay adaptable, and what role do these platforms play in the release strategy for “Talk Of The Town”
SimbaSōl: This is my first self-released song, and I am enjoying the process of having complete creative control.
Since there are hip hop influences in the track, we shot a 90s style music video that will hopefully give the song a nice visual identity.
Past that, just the fact that the project is complete and public is enough for me.
Q: Looking ahead, what’s next for SimbaSōl? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that fans should be excited about?
SimbaSōl: The end of 2024 is shaping into quite the adventure. I am leaving tomorrow for a 1-month festival tour that I have been looking forward to for some time. As I grow on my journey, the ability to play for such amazing dance floors is a gift. It will be a space to travel to the depths of my musical taste and take big risks. In other news, for anybody listening, my most exciting songs to date are all getting release dates on labels I love. In short, I am as focused as I have ever been and I am in love with making & sharing music.
Talk Of The Town is out now and available below;