Samuel L Session

Samuel L Session is a Swedish techno DJ and producer.

Producing since the mid nineties and with numerous record labels and imprints, such as SLS and Klap Klap, Samuel L Session is a leading figure in techno and one of the godfathers of the influential Swedish techno scene.

Early Years: 1997 to 2005

Samuel L Session bought his first turntables in 1998 and was promoting parties in the Gothenburg area by the early nineties. By 1995 he had formed his first record label Solid Beat and two years later he issued his first solo release on the label the Cycle E.P. His first release had been ‘Fountain Head’ one year earlier as half of Svensson & Session. His breakthrough release though came in 1999 with ‘In Your Box’, released on another of his own labels Cycle.

Some of Samuel L Session’s early productions such as ‘Lé Collection’ E.P. (as Svensson vs. S.L.Session in 1997) had a strong percussive techno feel but he soon hit upon a distinct sound that drew equally heavily on house and techno. Faster than average house tracks, with dense layers of percussion driven by rolling repetitive bass-lines and often leading to discordant techno lead riffs. It was a blueprint he used frequently in many early releases, including the ‘Shakin' Bootsy’ E.P. and ‘Moments Of Clarity’.

By the turn of the noughties Session began to take his sound in a tech-house direction, layering arpeggios and pads onto rhythms that were still percussion heavy but less intense than earlier releases. This new approach resulted in the classic track ‘Velvet’ with a pulsating held bass line and running congas underpinning layers of string arpeggios and chords. The result is somehow both driving techno and blessed-out house at the same time.

Also at this time Session released his first mix compilation (‘Samuel L Session On Monoïd’ in 2000) and one year later his first studio album ‘New Soil’.

Later Years: 2006 to present

In the mid noughties Session’s style followed another new direction.  The melodic tech-house of tracks such as his highly successful ‘Merengue’ had been replaced with a darker, more stripped down driving dance-floor focused sound.

Releases such as the ‘Sinister’ E.P. and ‘Easy Walker’ saw a return of the driving bass line but more minimal, heavily processed percussion with eerie discordant riffs and arpeggios. Session also launched a new label Klap Klap to showcase his new approach.  This new approach resulted in another of Samuel L Session’s landmark releases, ‘Can You Relate’.  ‘Can You Relate’s driving bass line riff, minimal percussion and low pitched spoken vocal coupled with huge riffs guaranteed it long term dance floor success.

Session’s more recent releases continue to fall both sides of the house / techno divide. Though releases such as such as ‘the Leap’ (with Martin H in 2008) and the ‘Blue Ripple’ E.P. (2010) are pure techno, the ‘Another Day’ E.P. and the ‘Preach On’ E.P. (featuring Elbee Bad in 2010) are dance floor friendly house.  It is Samuel L Session’s continuing ability to produce tracks that keep both the house and techno faithful happy that accounts for much of his success and longevity. 

Samuel L Session, along with Adam Beyer and   is one of the godfathers of the influential Swedish techno scene.  Though Session doesn’t have the same high profile of artists further towards the house end of the techno spectrum, he remains an influential figure with masterful production skills and an ability to effortlessly reinvent himself rather than stand still.

Samuel L Sessions real name is Samuel Session and was born in Gothenberg in Sweden in 1973.