f: Hi Sebb, it’s a pleasure to chat with you today. How are you?
Sebb: I’m doing very well, thank you. I’ve just wrapped up one of the craziest summers of my life. I toured in the USA for several weeks, then returned to Spain, got married, and traveled for our honeymoon. Now, I’m back in the studio, working on new music for the past week or two.
f: Please tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, and how you started making music?
Sebb: I’ve been living in the south of Spain for over 12 years now, but I was born and raised in France, in a very small village not far from Dijon. I began making music in the early ’90s, starting with hip-hop. I used to DJ and produced beats for a local group called Maestria. Before that, I used to play music every Wednesday after school at a small local radio station called Radio CBE.
f: You’re originally from France but now living in Spain. What made you decide to move there, and how is the music scene for you as an artist and DJ?
Sebb: Love brought me to Spain; I met my wife in France, but she’s Spanish. One summer, she took me to Malaga for a holiday, and we never returned to France. After ten years of living as a French DJ and producer in Southern Spain, I realized that the music scene here leans more towards Techno, while my classic House sound didn’t have as much of a presence. There are still some good venues and events, but, unfortunately, most promoters and clubs here haven’t shown much interest in my style. That’s why I don’t perform in Spain very often and prefer to travel to other countries for gigs.
f: Who did you listen to growing up, and do they influence your music career today?
Sebb: As a kid and teenager, I listened to Michael Jackson. Later on, I discovered hip-hop and fell in love with the genre for the next 25 years. Hip-hop opened up new musical horizons for me when I realized it was built on samples. I started hunting for the original songs that these samples were taken from, which led me to explore Soul, Jazz, Funk, Reggae, Rock, and more. Eventually, I bought my very first sampler to record, chop, loop, and edit my own samples, which still influences my music-making process today.
f: What specifically got you into making dance music?
Sebb: While I was deeply into hip-hop, I always had a love for House Music. Even though hip-hop was my primary focus, I kept an eye on the House scene. Two significant events pulled me further into House Music. First, there was a radio show around 1992. Every Saturday at midnight, Dimitri From Paris played all the brand new House Music tracks that we couldn’t hear anywhere else; we used to call these records “imports.” This is how I discovered the likes of Masters At Work, David Morales, Steve Silk Hurley, and more. The second turning point was in the early 2000s when Daft Punk released their album “Homework,” which initiated the “French Touch” movement. It blew my mind, and I became an instant addict.
f: What was your first release?
Sebb: My first release under my alias Sebb Junior was a 4-track EP on Salted Music called “The Way” in 2015. I produced it entirely using my trusty MPC.
f: Which of your own tracks was the biggest labour of love to create / personal favourite?
Sebb: It’s a tough question because all my tracks are like my babies, and I can’t choose a favorite. Each one holds a special meaning and feeling for me. However, if I had to pick one, I would say “Just Hold On” with Montreaa, released on Sebas Ramis’ label, Sub Urban Music. I created that track during a very challenging time in my wife’s life. She has a rare disease, and she was suffering a lot at that time. I felt utterly devastated and powerless. So, I dedicated an entire LP, including the track with Montreea, to give her strength.
f: Congratulations on your new single ‘Colors’ on Fool’s Paradise. Please tell us a little about how it sounds.
Sebb: Thank you! I completed “Colors” just before the summer. I had this bassline idea sitting on my hard drive for months. Initially, it was a kind of Lo Fi House track idea, but I decided to take a different direction and infuse it with a touch of Afro vibes while maintaining my signature deep house sound. I played it for the first time on a beach in Algarve, Portugal, at the Soul Fusion festival, and I instantly knew it was ready. To top it off, Mark Knight picked it up for his new label, Fool’s Paradise. I couldn’t be happier!
f: You use a lot of samples in your productions, how do you go about sourcing them, are you a bit of a crate digger?
Sebb: Yes, I spent 30 years digging through crates, and it was even an addiction for a long time! Nowadays, I dig much less because I have a decent record collection at home, and there’s also Discogs. When it comes to production, from time to time, I dust off one or two records from my collection to find new material to sample. However, I also rely on modern tools like Loopcloud, Splice, and Tracklib to discover new samples.
f: What’s your favourite piece of studio kit?
Sebb: Even after all these years, I still love my trusty old Akai MPC. I’ve tried many models, including modern ones, but I always come back to the older ones. My all-time favorite is the MPC 1000 because it’s compact, powerful, straightforward, and easy to store data on the internal hard drive and compact flash card. Additionally, there’s another little sampler I really enjoy due to its originality. It’s more modern but incredibly fun and inspiring to use: the Electron Digitakt.
f: You also run your own label, La Vie D’Artiste Music. How’s that going, and who can we find on the label?
Sebb: Initially, the label was just a platform to release my own music independently. A few years back, I grew a bit tired of sending demos and waiting for weeks for responses, if I got any response at all. I produce a lot of music, and the traditional process was too slow for me. I also prefer not to depend on someone else to move forward.
Over time, I started releasing music from a few other artists, but I didn’t take it very seriously. The label served as a tool for independence, and I’d be happy to let some of my friends use it. Recently, I’ve been thinking about making the label more professional and starting to develop it further. I’ve reorganized everything, changed the artworks, and started signing more artists. Let’s see where it takes us!
f: Which dance track holds the most precious memories for you?
Sebb: There are many, but if I had to choose two that mean a lot to me:
Nightcrawlers “Push The Feeling On” (the MK mix): This track introduced me to the Korg M1 organ sound used as a bassline, and it’s so groovy and catchy that I still listen to it today.
Armand van Helden “You Don’t Know Me”: This track has everything I love. It features a catchy Disco sample filtered, chopped breakbeat, and emotional (and amazing) vocals by Duane Harden. It’s my all-time classic.
f: Who are your top 5 current producers?
Sebb: Miguel Migs, Saison, Low Steppa, Michael Gray and Ross Couch.
f: What else are you working on at the moment that you can tell us about?
Sebb: I’m a busy man indeed! I have a new remix of Filip Grönlund’s latest single coming out on my label, La Vie D’Artiste Music, on September 22nd. Then, on October 5th, I have a new single titled “I Never Knew” releasing on Plastic People Records. Following that, there’s a collaboration EP with Oscar Barila on Large Music set for November 10th. And another single called “4 My Luv” on my label on November 24th. Besides these, I already have dozens of new projects in the pipeline for 2024.
Sebb Junior ‘Colors’ is out now on Fool’s Paradise.