DJ Samantha Michelle knows where you need to go out in London

DJ Samantha Michelle started off her career as a DJ back in 2012. 

One night, during a particularly crazy night at the Groucho Club in London, Samantha discovered her love for getting a crown energized and in the mood for dancing.

There in London, Samantha spent 5 more years DJing around Soho and East London, the “it-areas” for music, food, nightclubs, and great pubs.

While Samantha is originally from Canada, London will always hold a special place in her heart as a sort of “birth place” of its own – of her career.

The DJ is also a director and actress, so her days and nights are usually filled with activities and work. Samantha craves creativity, like I crave chocolate after 9pm, and it’s very refreshing to see.

Better yet, Samatha even made a Spotify playlist specifically for our Galore readers. You can listen to it HERE. Be prepared to be listening to this playlist all week.

Check out our interview with Samantha below for more!

Favorite song at the moment?

“Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher,” by Eileen. Recorded in ’66, the same year as Nancy Sinatra’s original, her French version has got all its sass, but a unique spirit to it. If you’re into that feminine, rock and roll, distinctly French 60s sound, I highly recommend you check out the compilation album “Femmes de Paris.” Vol. 1 in particular has got some real groovy tunes.

READ ALSO: Afiya Bennett doesn’t just model clothes now. She designs them, too.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

#tbt feelin toasty 🌹🥂 @dolcegabbana #dgmercerst #dolceandgabbana #finestoffittingrooms #soho #nyc #ny #tistheseason

A post shared by Samantha Michelle 🇨🇦 (@samanthamichelle.x) on

When did you start djing?

About five years ago now. It happened as one happy accident one evening at London’s Groucho Club. I played some music, and the energy in the room, the experience, it was all kind of epic, and so some people got confused and thought I was a DJ, and the next thing I knew, I was behind the decks, learning how to work the equipment, playing back-to-back with DJ mates over in East London. It all kind of took off from there.

Best club in new York?

It’s now a ‘civilized restaurant,’ but I would have to say it’s The Beatrice Inn. I used to kick around in there when I was a college kid back in the day and it was just something unique – intimate and casual, carefully curated but unpretentious, unafraid, daring, and they played wicked music.

I still remember the first time I went, I must have been 18, and the DJ was playing Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop” which is a super silly, but incredibly fun, self-consciousness-absolving, easy-to-dance to, ska tune and I was just like, “Woah, yup, okay, this is what it really should all be about.” I think, though, it wasn’t till years later that I started DJing, my inspiration stems from that precise moment.

READ ALSO: Daisy Gray wants you to learn from her experiences through her music

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Samantha Michelle 🇨🇦 (@samanthamichelle.x) on

Best club in London?

It’s not exactly a nightclub, though they do have DJs and wild dance parties, and I have spun there a few times, and swung from the chandeliers there (not literally, well, maybe tho?). It’s the grand old Groucho Club on Dean Street. I’m absolutely certain of the fact that there will never be another venue in my life that will hold a place as close to my heart as that little townhouse, a haven for the mad ones, in the heart of Soho.

What song got you inspired to do music?

I suppose I’d have to go with Millie Small’s, “My Boy Lollipop,” as per the little story above.

Where can we find you playing in NYC?

At the moment, I’m working a fair bit in private and cultural events, which I really enjoy. It’s so rewarding to be part of an evening that so many have worked towards and are gearing up for – to understand clearly the mission and intent of the gathering, and to know how to soundscore it specifically to make it all the magic it can be. It’s a real special thing.

I just played for the launch of my old college roommate’s – the brilliant Elizabeth Sutton – art collaboration project with Joe and The Juice at their location over on Spring Street (which, speaking of folks swinging from the chandeliers, was an epically good time). In a couple weeks, I’m playing for Christie’s again; they open their Rockefeller Center collection for a little evening soiree, “Christie’s Lates.” It’s a great time that fuses art, history, culture, cocktails, and of course music.

I tend to work quite a bit with art galleries and collectives like The Morrison Hotel Gallery and Good Luck Dry Cleaners and it’s amazing, because I love collaborating with fellow artists and developing a unique sound for an evening’s experience, and I’ve made the mighty finest of inspiring mates along the way.

READ ALSO: The ultimate holiday gift exchange guide that your friend won’t regift

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Samantha Michelle 🇨🇦 (@samanthamichelle.x) on

What other projects are you currently working on?

I’m in the depths of production on my second short as writer-director, In The Campfire Light. Inspired by Springsteen’s album, “Ghost of Tom Joad,” it follows along similar thematic lines to my first short. Shot in London, “The Dark Side of The Sun,” but it’s set here in NYC and has got a vividly American spirit to it and perhaps an even darker, more sombre, undercurrent.

It tells the story of a psycho-spiritual acting coach, with a sexually exploitative streak, and the young, impressionable rejected ballerina who lands in the communal lap of his class. It’s quite an ambitious project, socially relevant, and complicated in terms of its subject matter. It’s a daunting and thrilling challenge, but that’s kinda what I’m all about.

Gimme More

Do You Like?

Some things are only found on Facebook. Don't miss out.