Sam Wolfe shares stories from the past, the inspiration behind “Yes B!tch,” and his message to Atlanta fans [INTERVIEW]
Sam Wolfe performing at Kurzschluss Club in Slovenia
BY ANASTASIIa RIDDLE
Sam Wolfe, a techno producer based in Atlanta, has recently topped Beatport Top10 at No. 1 with his new track “YES B!TCH.” He’s been working relentlessly towards putting the city on the map as one of the techno giants. His tracks are full of dark industrial vibes that make you think you stepped into an underground rave in Berlin. He puts it all into his music and it clearly resonates not with just his Atlanta fanbase, but the fans around the world.
We sat down with Sam and chatted about his upbringing, his newest collab with Rome Fortune, and his appreciation for the ATL techno scene.
Atlanta EDM: Tell us a little bit about your background. What drew you to techno?
Sam Wolfe: That's a great question. Well, where does it all even start? So I'm from Baltimore originally and I've been going to shows out there since 2009, getting acquainted with that scene. You get bit by the bug and then you just kind of can't escape it. You're sucked in, just keep going, just keep going. And for me, very similar feelings as a lot of people when you're in the crowd and you're just like, "Man, that must be a really, really cool feeling, being up there, getting to play. How do you get into that?" And then just like anybody else, you kind of get virtual DJ or something like that. Start messing around, start making some mixes, start doing fun stuff like that. Then next thing you know, you're out there, you're DJing, you're getting your first gigs, getting a slot where there's two people in front of you, maybe zero, and then you just kind of keep going. But after college, I kind of completely gave up on DJing because I was just looking at it like a hobby. I wasn't taking it that seriously and that's what brought me to Atlanta, I was moving here for my career. So I think 2015, we're talking nine years ago at this point. And then after working at my job, which I still do work at, I built my business, there was just something in the pit of my stomach that was just telling me, "Man, there's got to be something more. I feel like I'm running away from what I really, really want to be doing, which is getting up there and DJing and whatnot." And then in Atlanta in 2019, 2020, right before Covid hit, I partnered with my buddy Josh, who is a longtime Detroit techno party thrower, going back into the early 2000s, and we were throwing some very, very forward thinking shows for our market. And just getting to experience that I had this aha moment where I'm like, "All right, I totally understand techno, but I feel like there's a little bit of something missing. And what is missing is what I felt like I could bring to the table."
Sam Wolfe performing at Kurzschluss Club in Slovenia
Atlanta EDM: Yeah, I do remember the whole Covid-era time when everything started blowing up. And then those shows that you were doing, people were just going crazy about it. We all had to stay home and do the protocols, and suddenly there was this whole new underground vibe happening in Atlanta, which wasn't really a thing.
Sam Wolfe: It's funny you say that because when Covid happened, for me, it was a really nice time period because I didn't have to go into the office. So all of that spare time, I was already on this path, but I just doubled, tripled down into production. So when shows finally were starting to come back, I had this whole catalog of music and everything ready to go. I was the first show back at District in Atlanta, they hit me up and they were like, "You want to play?" And I remember thinking, "Oh man, are people going to be upset if I'm playing?" I said, "You know what? Fuck it. People want to dance. People want to have a good time. I'm going to do it." And that kind of kicked it off. And then from there, it was just a whole bunch of cool local shows alongside Twisted Lines as well. And that's another cool story within itself.
Sam Wolfe performing at Tiësto at Underground Atlanta October 10, 2024 - Photo by @haptix.atl
Atlanta EDM: What’s the story behind “Yes B!tch?” How was it to work with Rome Fortune?
Sam Wolfe: Yes. It's a long story. I will try and tell the quickest version of it. The track originally started off as just an ID between myself and my buddy Hunter up in Toronto. Hunter's always done a little bit slower, groovier stuff. And I was doing the harder stuff. So we always kind of knew we wanted to do a track, but because he was kind of doing stuff over here and I was doing stuff over here, it just didn't really make sense. And then one time we were like, "Let's just fucking do it." And it was after I made my track "Grey Metal" with super talented vocalist Driftwood. I basically opened that project, changed the kickout, kept a whole bunch of elements that weren't used, and then I started this ID that was a cool beat and then sent him the stems and he added this really cool acid line thing. And for literally all of 2023, it was one of my favorite IDs I got to play, and it just wasn't really getting any traction. And then after working with Shane, the Australian vocalist, me and my tour manager, Nick, we were talking and I was like, "Man, we got to find some other wavy people." And Nick was like, "Dude, what about Rome Fortune?"
So we got introduced, and the most housey kind of beat that I had was this ID that was with me and Hunter. So I sent him that just to see what can you do? And I'll never forget, because we were in LA at a festival, my girlfriend and I, we woke up in the hotel on New Year's Day of this past year, 2024, and he sent over just this vocal idea, and it was pretty similar to how it was now. Obviously had some more range, but basically it was, "Yes, bitch, yes, bitch, yes, bitch, yes, bitch." And then it was just funny because Hunter and I, we had the exact same moment of, "I'm like this hard techno guy. You're this techno guy. We're supposed to be techno or whatever.” And we weren't sure.
And then both of our girlfriends independently heard it that same day and they both were like, "I love it." That was an ID almost two years in the making. You see a song come out, but I think it's important for everyone to know how much stuff can go into just this one thing to finally have its moment.
Atlanta EDM: How did it feel to see artists like John Summit and Dom Dolla dropping “Yes B!tch” on the main stages and it becoming #1 DJ record in the world?
Sam Wolfe: Crazy. Yeah, that's why we do it. I was just talking to somebody recently and they made the point from when you first start in your room trying to make beats and you have this image in your head of, "Man, I want to be playing this on a big stage, or I want somebody to be playing it." Nothing's changed from that initial moment. So then fast forward for me four years later and seeing that happen with this record, not just once, twice, three times, four times, but literally more times than I can count with some of the biggest names, from Swedish House Mafia to cool cats like Solomun, who's one of my favorites, obviously Dom Dolla, John Summit, Fisher, the list goes on and on and on. But it is wild how that really helped build the hype and yeah, it's a crazy moment and it really helps fuel you to go out and get the next one.
Sam Wolfe performing at Kurzschluss Club in Slovenia
Atlanta EDM: What’s it been like to be a part of the growth of techno and tech house in the States and here in Atlanta?
Sam Wolfe: Yeah, I love that question because I've said this from day one, and I really do feel this way, I personally would not be where I am, I would be nothing if it wasn't for all of the support from my friends here in Atlanta, the Atlanta scene, literally from all those parties that we were just talking about during Covid, because having all of that support and people being hype around, I only had a couple records out, but people were giving me the same amount of love and energy that they're giving today. And having that just reflected on social media with the crowd going wild with those images when using that to show the world, "Hey, we're doing something here." This is cool. So being a part of that growth in the United States is one thing, but just for Atlanta, for me, I think it's dope because we have so much talent here, but we also have such a cool vibey community where we should be a tier-1 city.
Atlanta EDM: Hell yeah. Love that. Do you have any messages you'd like to send to your Atlanta fan base?
Sam Wolfe: Well, yeah, absolutely. I have a lot. First off, thank you guys. Thank you very much. I think that one of the coolest things is when people hit me up and they say, "Hey, what you are doing has given me the confidence and the realization that I can do it too." That for me is super fulfilling because when I see friends and homies that are like, "Hey, I'm watching what you're doing," and then they're making their own moves, that's an extremely proud moment because there is so much space in the scene for anybody who wants to do it, to go out on their own path, make music, build a fan base, play shows. Hopefully that energy radiates and people will pick up on it and do whatever it is that they want to do, even if it's not even in music and just go out and get it because there's no reason that anybody can't. And I think that there's nothing worse than a life unfulfilled. So go out and get it.
Sam Wolfe performing at Kurzschluss Club in Slovenia