Will Samson - Sings Again

Description

Unfazed by genre boundaries, Will Samson has been exploring the interfaces between electronic, folk, and ambient sounds for over a decade, focusing on an intense listening experience and analog recording techniques. Will Samson is shaped by various countries: his grandparents are from Chile and India and met later in Kenya. Born in Oxford, he emigrated with his parents to Australia, where he lived for ten years before returning to the UK. Later, he began commuting between Oxford and Berlin, then Brighton, Lisbon, Brussels, and back to England. It quickly becomes clear why much of Samson's captivating songs often deal with identity and belonging. Will Samson has released albums on Wichita Recordings / PIAS (Bloc Party, American Football, Ride), 12k (Taylor Deupree, Ryuichi Sakamoto), Dauw, and even the British dance label Aus Music. He has performed with artists like Ólafur Arnalds, S. Carey, Kurt Vile, Efterklang, and Do Make Say Think, as well as at European festivals such as Rewire, Explore The North, Fusion, and Le Guess Who?. Numerous headline tours across the UK and Europe have followed. Remixes and collaborations include work with Gold Panda, Masayoshi Fujita, and The Album Leaf. https://www.willsamson.co.uk/ Photo: Joseph Ball English: “Will Samson is dead”. These were the direct words heard during a six-hour ayahuasca ceremony in April 2024. After many years of contemplation, research, and careful thought, Will Samson participated in the plant medicine tradition, practiced by indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin for hundreds of years. One of the most powerful psychedelic plants on earth, the ceremony profoundly alters perception, offering what some say is equivalent to years of psychotherapy. Not to romanticize, this largely dark and terrifying experience provided invaluable insights – with recovery and processing gradually unfolding over the following one and a half years, during the creation of Sings Again. Among many powerful visions, including conversations with his late father and memories of early childhood, Samson was taken to his own funeral. “In the months afterward, I truly felt as though something significant in me had died... and then through psychotherapy, I was able to process the experience and also learn how to move forward with an emphasis on creating from a new internal space.” Where lyrics were often shrouded in cryptic language, Samson now sings us a raw and direct insight into the most vulnerable parts of himself. Written over two years, the album was mainly recorded in isolation during a long residency in the Portuguese region of Alentejo, at a small rural village between Lisbon and the Spanish border. Musically inspired by the early works of Bjork, Four Tet & Efterklang, much of the album was built upon recording and sampling organic sounds such as twigs, rocks, and paintbrushes to create percussion. An empty glass bottle was transformed into the otherworldly organ on the raw opener 0333AM, and Samson’s own voice became the moody synth sound on the sparse electronica of Darabuka. The familiar collection of old tape machines that have characterized much of his sound remains (with a 1971 Seinnheiser microphone for vocals), firmly rooting Sings Again in an organic sonic landscape of electronic and acoustic influences. Releasing records since 2012, Samson's practice has always been that of an instrumental artist, treating voice as another melodic element like any other instrument. However, as the name suggests, Sings Again marks a return to vocal-focused music, after a reflective period that saw him release two instrumental works on Belgian label Dauw and the esteemed ambient label 12k (Ryuichi Sakamoto, Taylor Deupree). On his return to singing, Samson offers a raw and direct insight into a long-established artist beginning again. https://www.willsamson.co.uk/ Photo: Joseph Ball Additional information:
Doors open at 6:00 PM

Highlights

• Live concert by Will Samson
• Genre-crossing sounds from folk, ambient, and electronic
• Performances at renowned festivals across Europe

General Information

Will Samson performs at the ufaFabrik in Berlin, presenting his unique sounds inspired by his diverse cultural backgrounds. The singer-songwriter has collaborated with renowned artists and is known for his captivating lyrics.

Location

Viktoriastraße 10-18, 12105 Berlin, Germany

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