Raised by dancing hippies, SimbaSōl himself was dancing the moment he learned to walk. He grew up around the campfire with Djembes and Harmonicas, and he was exposed to a music-induced lifestyle that later became his passion. Eventually, he found his calling under the disco ball, making the jump to the world of modern music production and attending the Cosmic Academy to chase his artistic dreams.
SimbaSōl has dedicated his life to music ever since and he’s sharing his passion for life, not only through playing and performing, but also through inspiring others to feel free and enjoy each moment. That is also the message he is conveying in his music – to trigger emotions, to release emotions, to connect, and to celebrate life.
Now, SimbaSōl is behind the drop of ‘Saṃsāra’, an emotional ballad conceived to land whatever journey the listener is on & set the table for what is to come. In Buddhism, Saṃsāra is often defined as the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In literal terms, the Sanskrit word saṃsāra means “flowing on” or “passing through.” SimbaSōl’s current focus is on the micro level of deaths and rebirths that happen within me every hour of every day. These songs are a gateway into the paths SimbaSōl walks on, letting go & trusting the flow of his own destiny.
EG caught up with SimbaSōl to learn more about the release of ‘Saṃsāra’, his views on rebirth, his workflow, the current state of the scene, and more.
EG: Hi SimbaSōl! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. Where are you based right now?
SimbaSōl: Hey, great to be here as well. Let’s get into it! I was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. The city has all the cultural inspiration and refined energy I could ever hope for. Authenticity and “Joie de Vivre” on every street corner. This is my home and I am happy to be part of a long-standing lineage of producers from here. The depth and thirst for fresh music here will never cease to amaze me. I am glad to be part of a new generation that will keep putting Montréal on the map.
EG: So, what has your summer been like? Any particular highlights?
SimbaSōl: My summer was deeply emotional and filled with growth. To be honest I feel like a new person compared to the man I was entering the portal of the warm months. The same goes for my productions. I feel deeply connected to my work right now and I feel the difference coming out in my sound. After the usual local festival circuit, I took a massive 16,000 km cross-continent road trip on my yearly pilgrimage to Burning Man. The whole experience has me oozing with creative juices and I have been locked in the studio ever since.
EG: Congratulations on the release of your latest EP, ‘Saṃsāra’! What has the initial reception been like?
SimbaSōl: I am so excited that this EP is dropping. Hard to beat the feeling of playing these songs on dance floors and seeing the deep emotions they get out of people. This EP is what I call a “Heart – O – coaster”. Feels nice to know people can start connecting with the work at home on their own time.
EG: So, what can your fans expect to find on ‘Saṃsāra’? Is there a thread or concept running through the EP?
SimbaSōl: As a performer, I absolutely love curating & crafting musical stories with a clear beginning, leading to a ride of ups and downs in the middle. I always find it important to land the dance floor with very grounding and emotional songs at the end of a set. ‘Saṃsāra’ is my version of what I look for in these moments.
The first song, ‘Rhodes’, is a place to reflect and integrate what is felt inside. An open invitation to look in the rearview mirror. Before walking blindly on, why not delve into what lies within? Why not look into the mirror to find the elements of our past that are holding the puppet strings to our lives? To understand them and love them, in order to let go of them.
Once the dirty work is done, ‘Le Rêveur’ is intended to be a vessel for looking forward. A realm to imagine the ideal world we aspire to live in. To dream big dreams! Ones that are not rooted in our individual egos, but rather in the same heart that we all share.
“As a performer, I absolutely love curating & crafting musical stories with a clear beginning, leading to a ride of ups and downs in the middle. I always find it important to land the dance floor with very grounding and emotional songs at the end of a set. ‘Saṃsāra’ is my version of what I look for in these moments”
EG: From what we understand, you’re currently drawn by a “micro level of deaths and rebirths”, which sounds very interesting. Could you elaborate on that?
SimbaSōl: Oh boy! We could talk about this all day. I’ll try and give my take on this as direct as possible. Well, we all know that our time on this earth will come to an end one day. But what we all have trouble grasping, is that who we are during our journey here, is not a constant thing. We all tend to hold on to parts of ourselves for the simple reason that we get confused and think that these are integral to who we are.
These days, I really try to focus on the little parts of myself that I can let go of in order to let life’s natural flow of new iterations to come to the surface. So, on a daily basis, letting emotions and thoughts come in and gently letting them go helps me do the same for deeper and stickier elements of my personality. By noticing this daily cycle, I feel more connected to the complete “newness” that each moment has to offer. I am hopeful this leads to having an open mind and heart with everything I do. Whether it be a conversation with a stranger or tinkering with a new kick drum in the studio. Hope that makes sense!
EG: That sounds fascinating! Now, we know every track is different, but could you walk us through your creative process? Do you have some kind of “blueprint” to help you close out ideas into tracks? Have you picked up any new soft or hardware lately that you’d personally recommend?
SimbaSōl: For me, it always starts with the overall emotion and feel of what I want to create. Oftentimes, inspiration comes from what type of music I am resonating within that space and time. I guess that’s why my style hits a wide spectrum of vibes and feelings because I have many deep wells of inspiration to pick & choose from.
From the jump, I have felt a pressure to sort of define my sounds and stick to one category. I mean if this was a business I would totally get it, but I refuse to see it that way. I have always looked up to artists with wide and eclectic tastes. I am expressing my humanity with this art form so it’s only natural that my songs are diverse and express the different sides that exist inside.
Once I have a general vibe tingling in my toes, then it’s straight to the DAW. Time to get rough sounds and arrangements in place without letting my brain get in the way. The tinkering that comes with mixing is a lot of fun but I really try and stay clear of this for as long as I can, as to not disrupt the creative flow. This is how I have been taught to produce from day 1 and it really helps me get the results I want. Shout out to “Cosmic Academy” for instilling this in me!
As for software, I have been using Shaper Box for all my side-chaining needs. Nothing to get too excited about yet, but digging deeper, I recently found that it comes with a wicked preset FX bank that I have been layering into my synths. At the click of a button, my sound progressions are getting all kinds of cool new herbs and spices thrown in.
EG: How do you usually keep entertained when not in the studio? Where does your inspiration come from? Any new books, movies, or series you’d recommend? Where does your inspiration come from?
SimbaSōl: Inspiration exists everywhere. Literally from the moment you open your eyes in the morning, information is flowing in. Come to think of it, even our dreams play a huge role in defining how we create. To quote Helena Bonham Carter (random I know, she is the gem that plays Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter movies if you are curious):
“I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea (or in my case cortado’s). How you decorate your home. Or party. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. Life is Art.”
On a tangible note, just last night I watched a really interesting documentary called ‘Biggie, I’ve got a story to tell’. Part of it explained how he learned at a young age from jazz musicians how to rhythmically arrange his wordplay, flow & cadences from patterns in classic Jazz percussions. For me, this cross-pollination between different art forms is where so much of the magic happens. No strict lines just pushing pure creativity to new realms.
EG: What are your thoughts on the current state of the scene? What would you like to see more and less of?
SimbaSōl: I think the cliché would be to say “FEWER PHONES on the dance floors”. But at the same time, I think we have to accept that that’s not going to change any time soon and learn to embrace finding a balance. Big drops equal a whole bunch of flashing phones filming up in the air. Don’t get me wrong, the sound selector is the core of the experience, but the reason why I fell in love with all of this is my connection with the collective experience that is felt.
Best way to illustrate this is how a typical dance floor is a row of eyes all pointing toward the stage. Why not turn around, face the person or circle behind you, make eye contact, and start moving together? Not rocket science right? This to me is the essence of what we are looking for and I am hopeful that the energies I am attempting to create can be part of the groovy restoration of how dance floors have always got down.
“Inspiration exists everywhere. Literally from the moment you open your eyes in the morning, information is flowing in. Come to think of it, even our dreams play a huge role in defining how we create”
EG: What’s next for SimbaSōl? What particular milestones are you looking forward to now?
SimbaSōl: Things are really taking off right now. My release schedule is packed up until the spring of 2023. Since the beginning of this ride, I have been set on not judging my success on tangible milestones. Rather focusing on keeping my studio time pure to what gets me dancing in my undies late at night and sourcing endless tracks that keep my sets at the level I want them to be. At the end of the day, I feel that as long as the quality and freshness of what I bring keep building, the right results will flow in.
EG: Thank you so much for your time, SimbaSōl! We wish you all the best for the future.
SimbaSōl: The pleasure was all mine. I love your publication and it’s an honor to share my thoughts with you for the first time!
SimbaSōl’s ‘Saṃsāra’ is now. Purchase your copy here.
Follow SimbaSōl: Facebook | Soundcloud | Instagram | Spotify
