Combining organic sounds and warmth-driven energy in the genres of tropical house and deep house, Samuriium's use of organic instruments, catchy plucks, and vibrant melodies create an intimate and relaxing vibe that you can either party or lie on the beach to. With Samuriium being comparable to Kygo and Mauve, he is no wonder that he is garnering the attention he is.
Taking the sizzling waves of his intoxicating vibrations, Samuriium has us feeling a deep sense of tropical bliss in his latest single, "Stay." Enlisting the talents of Daniel Lev and Lydia Grigg to fulfill this song's desired sound, the collaboration between the three is utterly dynamic as it conveys a soaring relief that dusts away any stresses you may have looming over you.
Fashioning an environment that thrives with a feathery rhythmic essence seeping into every angle, you find yourself drifting in the illuminating elements that allow the echoed vocals to stew in the sublime electronic production. The slow-burning verses ensure the pulsating hook resonates with listeners in a way that they won't forget. The anthemic appeal that is brought to life in "Stay" has us relating to the motions that the lyrical content buoyantly inches towards.
With the glistening elements that emanate from the poignant melodies, the entire quintessence of "Stay" touches on the poignant tenors that bubble in a veering pallet. Samuriium knows what his audience wants and delivers each time. As he takes his time to ensure no detail is overlooked, we fixate ourselves upon each vibration that flourishes in this electric environment.
We love this new single, “Stay.” The collaboration between yourself, Daniel Lev, and Lydia Grigg is outstanding! How did this collaboration come to be? What was it like working with one another to bring this concept to life?
Hi BuzzMusic! Thanks very much for taking the time to do this interview with me, really glad you like the track. I had an idea for Stay around December 2019, it was a really rough demo and during the Christmas break, I developed the song. The collaboration came to be after Daniel visited the UK to visit a mutual friend during January 2020. We got to know each other – he’s a really cool producer and his work is outstanding – I had to get him on the song. When he went back to the US we worked endlessly on this track, going backward and forwards with the project, working on the mix. With Lydia, we knew each other from university. One day I mentioned that I have this new track that I needed vocals for and thought her voice really suited the style. I sent her the demo and lyrics and a few weeks later we got into the studio to record. I’ve always been inspired and influenced by tropical house, and so I wanted to take the deep, percussive, chilled aesthetic into a new direction by incorporating an electric guitar into the song. We later recorded the guitar with my mate Max, who featured on my previous single Counting Days.
What does the thesis of “Stay” mean to you on a personal level?
Stay is an eloquent poem, in a sense, telling a meaningful monologue about an enigmatic relationship. I think it’s resonating, really. Whenever I write songs I tend to put my mindset into someone else’s persona – I feel I have more creative freedom and scope when it comes to lyric writing that way.
Compared to other pieces of work in your music catalog, how do you feel that “Stay” stands apart from the other songs?
I wanted Stay to be different than my previous songs, taking my style in a new direction and combining popular genres. The song breaks the typical pop conventions by incorporating elements from tropical and deep house. I mean, it’s almost four-and-a-half minutes long with a 40-second intro. I wanted to set the mise-en-scène for the listener by having a long intro – imagine yourselves during the peak of summer, lying on a lilo in the Mediterranean, Piña Colada in one hand, and your favorite book in the other. I feel that the minimality from the intro really does set the vibe, and when you’re just about relaxing yourself into the chilled-out groove, the song strips away leaving you with the warm electric guitar and calming, airy vocal. The song gradually builds you back up again to the ‘drop’, giving a sense of juxtaposition between the energetic, lively drops to the minimal, soothing verses. With this in mind, the song has similar aspects to a wave washing against the shore, further developing the aesthetic of the song.
Are there any memorable moments that you take with you from the overall creation process to the release of “Stay?"
Definitely the recording sessions. Being in the studio with everyone involved (pre-COVID, of course) were amazing moments. Stay was one of the first songs that I actually live recorded anything for (mainly being an in-the-box producer and prior to uni not having the facilities to record) so it was an amazing time for me to go out of my comfort zone and to do something new.
What's next for you?
Since Lockdown 1.0 in the UK, I’ve been collaborating with some amazing people. These tracks are almost finished and will hopefully be released soon, in the next month or so.