Part of living in Montreal means getting to hear some of the world’s electronic music giants command the decks weekend after weekend. From Dixon, to Hernan, Nick Warren, and Nicole Moudaber, our minds are continuously blown away, and our Mondays rendered impossible to get through. However, we’re also presented the opportunity to hear a few of electronic music’s talented, upcoming underground artists at some of Montreal’s most intimate and spirited venues. Thanks to NoiseFloor Records and Floral Nights, Sam Shure lit up the dance floor at Maison2109, blending a diverse range of musical styles into a soundscape which had us all up on our feet.

Montreal’s own Riico gradually warmed up the audience with some intimate, desert-inspired tracks; certainly alluding to some of the musical styles and instrumentation to come later in the evening. Riico’s sound and mixing was the perfect prelude to Sam’s set. We even heard content released under German agency Stil Vor Talent (Sam’s recently signed agency) played during his set. Some of his memorable plays included

As Riico’s stellar opening came to a close, things were only beginning to wind up; the energy in Maison2109 was buzzing as listeners filled the venue and prepared to hear Sam’s Canadian debut.

Within the first half hour of the set, the crowd was locked in and mesmerized. This is the innovative, unique, and multi-dimensional underground sound we all came to hear and groove to. As he was spinning tracks like Sultan (below), Sam remained cool and collected at the decks, really digging the high, positive energy the crowd was emitting. Within his soundscape, we heard a wide array of non-western and western traditional instruments woven together, surfing atop deep, dark synths and bass lines.

For all of you music nerds out there, only occasionally did we hear instrumental leads venture outside of a phrygian dominant scale, and I certainly wasn’t mad about it! Sam kept things upbeat, interesting, and engaging for everyone in the audience throughout the set. His track choices were superb, the crowd was on their feet, and the blend of Egyptian traditional music, jazz, and tech house was out of this world.

Sam’s implementation of middle eastern sounds into his music didn’t occur without reason. As the son of an Egyptian Jazz musician, he oversees the blend of jazz, nubian folklore, and traditional egyptian music into his sets and productions, such as this one. 

Just shy of two years since the release of his first EP’s, Sam’s unique sounds have flown through the decks of internationally acclaimed venues such as Watergate and Katerblau, and throughout countries within North America and Europe. We can’t wait to see what 2018 holds for this upcoming underground artist. If you missed the show on April 14th and want to get a taste of his production skills and an idea of his sound, check out Sam’s recent release of his track “Chandra”. 

Thanks again to Noise Floor and Floral Nights for bringing this rising talent for night of smiles and groovy sounds at Maison2109 – this experience was truly everything we hoped it would me and more! This Thursday, they will be producing another fabulous evening at Salon Daome’s new location, featuring Norwegian DJ/Producer Djuma Sound System. Info about this event including tickets and other featured artists is available HERE!

Article by Hunter

Feature photo: Klassified Agency