Sara Simms - Bronx
Tired of sitting around at home, putting on that covid weight? Need to get up off the couch and move around a bit so your muscles don’t atrophy? Well, I’ve got just the cure for what ails you. Get up off your ass and blast Sara Simms’ latest release, ‘Bronx’! If you’re a fan of hard bass kick, spacey pads and a driving track from a DJ that just won’t quit, then this is for you.
Sara Simms is an incredibly talented and well-established DJ, turntablist, Electro music producer, guitarist, and she even has put her hand to creating a graphic novel series. She has been a marketing master for a number of high-end brands and her flash at the table with skill and fashion is evident and abundant, wherever in the world she may tour (and she’s been all over)!
I’ll be honest here; cards on the table (as they so often are)…I know very little about DJ music and playing for raves or at the club. I know that this track will keep you moving, though, and since I plead such great ignorance in the department of electronic music like this, I decided to dig a little and talk to someone who really has a sense of this sort of thing; especially with this track. I interviewed Sara Simms, herself! So, check out what she had to say about it all as I ask her a bit about the track and a bunch about how she found her way to it; then we’ll cap things off with my uneducated opinion!
SWEPT: What got you into the wide world of DJing and turntabling?
SIMMS: I was a jazz guitarist until I went to a rave! I was immediately mesmerized with the DJ up on stage and knew what I wanted to do with my life when I saw them. Shortly after that, I was introduced to the world of turntablism when a friend showed my sister and I some DMC battle videos. DJing started off as a hobby for me, but evolved into a career.
SWEPT: Where do you pull your influences from?
SIMMS: Richie Hawtin, Charlotte de Witte, Maarten Vorwerk, John La Magna, Afrojack, Filterheadz and Calvin Harris.
SWEPT: It might seem like a silly question given the title but what is 'Bronx' about? Is it indeed about one of the boroughs of New York?
SIMMS: ‘Bronx’ was inspired by the subways in New York. My friend John La Magna and I wrote the track together and started off by finding samples of subway trains. There are a few of those original samples in the track if you listen closely. It's a darker track, and the vocal sample “I’m out of control’ may reflect how a lot of people feel in 2020.
I can certainly say that much of the world seems rather “out of control” this year, for sure. And it is interesting that not only does Simms use this line but she also bases the track in New York, inspired by the subways. The thought of being underground in New York right now (especially when taking into consideration the outset of covid and the havoc it caused then to now) might give people a different sense. Maybe one of foreboding but perhaps a sense of freedom can be found in the ability to once again travel the system without fear.
SWEPT: How long did it take you to be properly set up with the tech needed to really make a go of a career in creating, sampling and scratching music with mixers, synths and turntables?
SIMMS: It didn’t take long to buy the equipment that I needed to become a DJ/producer. It has taken many years to learn the skills I’ve needed to become successful as an electronic artist. I’m still learning new things everyday from my mentors and using the equipment I have to the best of my ability. First I learned to scratch and DJ, use FX and become proficient using TRAKTOR. Now I’m investing more time in music production and creating my own sound.
SWEPT: Are you and your sister still working on a graphic novel series? Where can someone get issues of this? Your site mentioned that the first issue was to release in 2012 and I didn't see any more about it there for those who may go looking.
SIMMS: My sister and I created ‘The Future Prophecy’, a graphic novel series that features DJs as superheroes and villains. The story takes place in Toronto, where the villains of Bogtown Records have taken over the city of Toronto. We have three issues of the series available, the first two are digital and the third issue is still available in print. All of the issues are available for a limited time in our STORE.
SWEPT: What do you want people to take away from your music, in general, and from 'Bronx' specifically?
SIMMS: A vibe. I make dance music, I want people to get lost in the music and dance. Music is a good escape from reality and I want people to lose themselves in that world when they hear my tracks. Music and art is always to interpretation, listeners can derive their own meaning from ‘Bronx’ but on some level I think everyone can relate to feeling ‘out of control’.
I must interject to give my sense of the track. As I did say above, there might be a sense of freedom found in this piece, giving way to thoughts of taking the train to anywhere so long as there is a solid beat to take you there but I get a sense of dread and I find it washes over me most when the modulation in the low-end pad comes to pull me under…perhaps underground into the subway! Regardless, there is an anxiety I feel in this track that I do enjoy but that does also make me wary of the world around me.
SWEPT: Do you create around a trend for the crowd or do you create from a personal vibe and connection to your tracks and the way you manipulate them?
SIMMS: When I’m DJing, I focus on mixing together tracks that suit that particular moment in time. I’m always creating something that’s based on what I’m experiencing, and the energy I want to send to my audience.
SWEPT: What is it about the music you create that really draws you in to need to keep creating?
SIMMS: I’m a music lover, I can’t live without music in my life. I love big kick drums, good sound design and memorable melodies. I’m focused on creating records inspired by the artists I love. I live to make new music and create new sets; it's exciting to hear the elements coming together and create something new that didn’t exist before.
SWEPT: Is there anything that you would like to say to current and prospective fans of your music?
SIMMS: Thank you for listening, and stay strong! I’m looking forward to seeing all of you on the dance floor when we can party together again.
SWEPT: If you were stuck on a deserted island for the rest of your life and could have only 5 albums to listen to until the end of time, what 5 albums do you have with you on the island?
SIMMS: Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Massive Attack - Protection
Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust
Calvin Harris - Motion
Afrojack - Forget the World
I love that, in spite of all, Simms’ first album on her deserted island list is Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. That’s fantastic…and, not shocking since she did start out as a jazz guitarist. But it does go to show just how eclectic one’s taste and influence can be and it makes for a far more flavourful meal when picking at the buffet that is the foundation for a track like this.
Though I get a sense of dread from this piece with its modulating pull and its frenetic nature and even though it’s “out of control”, ‘Bronx’ is a very put-together and polished track with a sense of hope behind it in the punctuated moments of melody that creep in to elevate the composition in just the right way.
Make sure to keep up to date with Sara Simms to see when next and where you can get up on the dance floor and party the night away with her but, until then, make sure to dance the night away in your own space and let the music wash over you.
