We caught up with Samuel Klett-Navarro, or Acid Safari, as many know him by, to talk about his passion for music and vinyl. Laughs were had, but at the core, we came across a man with complete humility for his craft, respect for other DJs, and an incredible knowledge of electronic music.
Acid Safari will be playing 2 – 4AM at our first huge club event, Tessellate, being held at GROUNDFLOOR.
You can still purchase tickets through this link: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/tessellate-tickets-48552984283?aff=efbeventtix
And follow the Facebook event here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/tessellate-tickets-48552984283?aff=efbeventtix
Alongside Acid Safari, Tessellate boasts an eclectic line-up; with a rare live set from Sweet Keys (Wax Nomads), and DJ sets from Jessica Zammit, Oodnadatta Track (Hopkins Creek / JEEP Sessions); and sets from the full roster of Crate Mates resident DJs: KREJUS, Stevie H, DJ LX and Eddy Gordo.
It will also play host to some pretty funky Crate Art and visual projections from Crate Mate resident DJ LX.
And lastly, there may be a cheeky free keg for those survivors who last until 5am ;)
Here is the interview.
What kind of music will you be playing on the night?
Groundfloor has this amazing industrial raw vibe to it, and I think techno is what I will primarily play to match the feeling of that venue.
What are your musical inspirations?
I caught onto the techno wave very early on in the game. Whilst most people where listening to Nirvana in the early 90s, I was the odd one out going to see Derrick May and Oscar Mulero. I believe Mulero particularly had a big impact on me, even though I don’t really play like him, he just opens your mind to options. Most of the Detroit big guns provided me with a lot of inspiration also. Laurent Garnier is probably another constant, just the way he has fun playing records and the volume of music he goes through is truly something to behold. In the last 15 years Radio Slave, DJ Koze, Michael Mayer, Mike Callander, Boog$, Optimo, Villalobos and DJ Hell all have had something to do with how I direct my sets. More current probably Vril, Mike Dehnert and Ben UFO are really exciting me and taking me down different paths of music.
What is your most interesting gig?
[Samuel laughs] There have been a few! Closing set at Honkytonks is one for the memories and memoirs. Also, I will never forget the three way set we did with three mixers and 6 decks at revolver. A couple of sets played while going through some personal issues always come to mind too, but let’s not get into them today.
"It is also about putting your money where your mouth is, you can make mistakes buying digital copies of tracks, you definitely don’t want to make those getting vinyl."
What’s special about vinyl to you?
First discovering it, then the limitation of time. The length of the track and not having a way of looping it really makes you work hard for that set. The same goes with the amount of records you can carry around. Constraints will almost always prove to help guide the work rather than reduce its quality. It is also about putting your money where your mouth is, you can make mistakes buying digital copies of tracks, you definitely don’t want to make those getting vinyl.
Where do you see yourself in the future of the music industry?
I definitely don’t see myself stopping DJ-ing anytime in the next 10 years. I will probably spend more time producing and putting records out. I’m currently exploring the possibility of doing a Masters of Arts in Music Performance Composition, which will open other doors. I see myself spending more time in Europe and playing at clubs where I am allowed to explore a musical form in many other ways besides the commercial success of a night. I’m also looking at conceptualising a residency at a special venue I cannot disclose currently.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like spending time with people I love, taking photos, engaging in thought and conversations, reading and writing and especially eating good food.
How were you involved with Piknic Électronik what did it mean to be running something that became so huge in Melbourne?
Piknic was something that Kevin, who I work at Stable Music with, wanted to bring from Montreal for a long time. The first year was relatively small, but the year after a larger crew got involved and since, it has been amazing to see it grow, although nowadays from the other side of the fence, as a punter. I was the booker for the first 2 seasons, I also programmed with Kevin for the first season. The second season we had Loic join the crew, and on the third one we worked with Damien from Hardware as we moved to the Botanical Gardens. The idea and the parameters we worked with had evolved over time, as the event had. Although, at the core, we still wanted to showcase the best local talent and we always wanted to have at least one woman on each line-up, something that has increased over the last season and the next one coming.
When did you move to Australia from Spain and why?
I met an Australia lady whilst I was living in London, it evolved into something else and somehow I ended up here; there are two things that move the world: money and love, I guess that’s why I’m in debt [Samuel chuckles].
You can also catch Acid Safari on the Vinyl Appreciation Hour next week talking further about the event and providing a guest mix with a sampler of the records he will be spinning on the night.
You can find this show on the Vinyl Appreciation Hour Soundcloud next Thursday evening. Link here: https://soundcloud.com/vinylappreciationsociety
