Man about town
A
gay twenty-something living in London and making music isn’t
unusual but when you’re a successful, gay twenty-something
responsible for shaking a musical fraternity onto it’s feet
in a disco movement both in London and LA sooner or later the
whole world will want to know about it.
Sam Sparro is precisely this man about town. He’s
recently challenged Justin Timberlake and Madonna in song stakes
popularity for his single Black and Gold selling more digital
copies than the duos new single Four Minutes. As well as this
he’s currently riding out a wave of poor publicity associated
with his damning comments to a UK magazine Attitude where he fuelled
a fire (unknowingly) with much to say about the contemporary tenacity
of Madonna.
Comments, for which he’s claimed, have been
conveyed out of context however he regrets his statements and
is most apologetic.
“I haven’t checked in on it that recently,
fair enough I said some fairly awful things,” he says quietly.
Controversy aside, Sam Sparro (Sam Falzon) comes
across as an astonishingly mature, relaxed and down –to
- earth guy. Charisma oozes in his voice. A lineage of musicians
in the family including a grandfather who played trumpet with
Sammy Davis Jnr has meant this 25 year old understands the business
he’s working within.
“I come from a fairly big family of musicians
and I’ve been around the industry for while,” he says.
Get him talking about his upcoming tour schedule
which includes Glastonbury and some upcoming shows in Australia
and he’s as excitable as a child waiting to meet their favourite
superhero.
Part of the reason for this excitement I’m
sure stems from the fact Sam has recently met his. Well a ‘version’
of a superhero anyway. He’s recently struck an alliance
with heavyweight in the music biz, Mark Ronson.
“Coachella [April this year] was the first
time ever we’d met and played together, we’ve been
friends on Myspace I’m a huge fan of his stuff and we ran
into each other at rehearsals and then we kept running into each
other and he’s been playing my stuff and so yes I’m
very excited to be playing at Glastonbury with him,” Sam
says.
For those not yet in the know to the sound that
Sam Sparro is synonymous for synthesizing, it’s a little
difficult to categorise by genre.
Jack
Splash reminded those who’d listen of where our ‘groove
thang’ nestled - the heart. His motown threads woven into
a very jazzy, soul funk project, Plant Life.
In my opinion Sparro is the new Jack! He’s
asking that we get on board the funk train once more, this time
with an undeniable synthesizer to layer up the soul. The result
has been his self -titled debut album.
Falzon originally from Sydney moved, when he was
ten to LA and through fortuitous encounters within his church
he managed to work with some of LA’s finest soul- session
singers. People who’d performed with Chaka Kahn, Whitney
Houston and Michael Jackson, were his teachers and those who contributed
to Sam’s early desire to perform.
Borne from a church upbringing where his father
recorded gospel records mildly perplexes as now Sam creates velvety,
provocative and sexually ambiguous styled music.
“I’m certainly not religious, no,”
states Sam matter-of–factly.
“I have spirituality and music definitely
is a way of connecting to a higher source of power, religion I
think sort of divides people provides them with rules, and that
sometimes can be a negative thing,” he continues.
The music underlying the lyrics (which tell in most
cases interesting tales of loneliness and need for belonging)
feature a drop-beat, down tempo, layered with synth though you’re
given a futuristic Motown reach.
It’s clever to say the least especially on
tracks like Sick and Can’t stop this. A cataclysm of irreverent
disco-pop meshed with the pure seductive purr of seventies gospel-esque
house music. It’s kind of mad but works.
Flitting between London and LA his two homes, seems
to be keeping Sam on his toes and I get the feeling he more prefers
to call London home now rather than LA but I’m again a little
perplexed when he refers to his visits to Australia as another
opportunity to come home.
“I’m coming in a couple of weeks and
I’m really excited.”
“I was home [in Australia] for Christmas this
year, and I’m coming back and playing some shows this time,”
he says.
Ruth
Bailey
