We caught up with TCTS recently to chat about his local tips for going out in London, what he gets up to in his spare time, his favourite artists right now and what’s up next for him.
He shot to fame in 2017 with his hit ?Do It Like Me (Icy Feet) which racked up 10 million streams on Spotify, and continued to dominate the charts with tracks such as ?Games? featuring K.Stewart, reaching #29 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.
Where are you from/where do you live?
Hi! I was born in Cambridge, grew in near North Staffordshire, close to Manchester, and I?ve lived in London for the past 6 years or so.
What are your favourite local spots?
I?ve always lived in East London so that?s the area I know best. There?s a bar called Brilliant Corners in Dalston which is great, they have an incredible sound system and low key get amazing DJs to play under the radar. You can be in there and anyone from Four Tet to Palms trax might be DJing. It?s not a club, it’s much more a bar that also does good Japanese food too.
Just down the road from there is Pamela’s which is a vegan restaurant and cocktail bar which has a rotating kitchen so the menu changes quite frequently, another decce spot. Further south is Silk Road in Camberwell, a Chinese restaurant that my brother showed me. It serves Xinjiang cuisine so there aren?t many familiar dishes on the menu but just go wild and pick stuff – dumplings, hand pulled noodles etc, it’s honestly incredible.
If I?m not in the studio I tend to take my laptop and headphones to work spaces in Shoreditch. Usually I go to the Hoxton Hotel and work from there, its super relaxed and they have a big co-working area. A lot of my music starts life there.
What do you do in your spare time away from music?
I?m into swimming, it keeps me calm. I?m lucky that a lot of my pals, as well as my brother and sister, live close to me, so I?ll usually be seeing them, probably in a pub.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Old Deep house channels from youtube.
How do you feel your sound has developed since your early releases like Coupe de Ville and Games?
I?ve got quite a pop brain and I feel like you can tell that in my records, including the early stuff like Games and Coupe, and I like a vocal on a house tune. I?m always trying to push myself and I get a bit bored if I don?t try new sounds and ideas. For example, Icy Feet was me trying something more wonky, the sound was me going more club focused. With my originals and my remixes I?m always trying to find that middle ground between a club record and a pop record.
Tell us about your new release, Lazerbeams and how it came about?
I wanted to write something really club focused and a record I?d look forward to playing in my sets. I tried to keep it simple and just make something solid and for the DJs. I remember road testing an early version of it in a set at Ministry of Sound, and the reaction was sick, I knew I wanted to get it out.
Lazerbeams is the first record of my new deal with Astralwerks, and I wanted to start with something clubby before we released something more vocal lead. It feels like the start of a new phase for me and it felt right for the first record to be bold and DJ friendly.
What 5 artists do you suggest our readers check out?
I’m currently really liking what these guys are doing:
Channel Tres | Prospa | Cassian | Bob Moses | Martin Ikin.
From your Kiss Fresh shows you must have plenty of huge tunes constantly sent to you. What are your top 5 tracks right now?
Storken – Lille Vals | Raito – Summer of Love | Dan Shake – Freak | Cloonee – On Ya Marks | DJ Michael Flume – Agolele (Chus & Ceballos Remix) | Cioz & Super Flu – Jodi Bush | Dusky – Imagine | What Stray Beast – Need You.
Sorry couldn?t just pick 5. Head to my Spotify Playlist for more of my current faves 😉
Beach club or sweaty rave?
Whilst its super vibes playing beach club type sets, I?ll have to go with sweaty rave. Can?t beat the energy.
Is there a specific festival or event you’d love to play at?
Coachella, for the content. Seriously though I?ve always thought the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado looks so sick, really just more stuff in America would be dope.
What’s coming up next for you?
My next single ?Not Ready for Love? is incoming later this month on Astralwerks!
Thanks Sam!
Keep up to date with TCTS on his social channels below.
