“Generally speaking, it seems that the pop-world is now fully embracing house as a major influence,” says Dutchman Sidney Samson on his continued transformation into one of America's go-to producers, with crunked-up stars like Lil Wayne, Lil Jon and the ever-present Will.i.am all knocking on his studio door. It's a love affair that goes both ways, with Sidney announcing “the US is really something special”. Ultra festival in Miami, EDC Las Vegas and Electric Zoo NYC are some of the highlights from a year of continuous touring before he heads off to Brazil for the first time at the end of the year, followed by Australia and Asia. For those concerned that all this major label dollar might be dulling his club edge, however, Sidney vows that he'll keep the “hard and energetic” sound that brought him to fame (“...which poses the challenge to find a sound that is true to what I'm all about while taking into account what it takes to make a pop smash”), an assertion supported by the launch of his label Rock The Houze, with bone-crushing tracks like 'Tomahawk' and the recent Las Vegas-courting 'Surrender' all nailing their flag to the mast. “All in all, I'm very happy with how things are going and the year isn't even over yet,” he says, “so watch out, there's more to come!” joe roberts
