sfam is an act that are really going places, and their new Expand EP for UZ’s trap label is a perfect example of this. We got in touch to hear how their journey has been as a duo, and what they have in the pipeline next.
Hey guys, really good to have you – thanks for joining us! Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves to those who don’t know you yet? How would you describe the sfam sound?
M – My name’s Michael Pearson, I’m from Gulfport, MS. I would describe it personally as experimental bass music. As cliché as it may sound, we really don’t worry about any specific genre.
J- My name’s Jacob Hoerner, I’m from Ocean Springs, MS. I’d like to say we don’t focus on a specific genre. We go with whatever we’re feeling and loving.
What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned since making music? If you could give your younger selves starting out any advice, what would it be?
M – I would tell myself to be patient and make sure the music was quality enough to release before releasing it. When we first started we would put out tracks that I listen to now and cringe.
J- I would help by saying to listen to all different types of music to get a feel of what you like. If you don’t think it sounds right or think you can add more, do it.
Do you remember what first got you into wanting to create music? Did anything in particular inspire you?
M – Jacob took me to some shows then soon after he showed me some stuff on a controller just to mess around and have fun. We then decided we wanted to give it a go at producing, bought Ableton, and took it more seriously.
J – I started going out to New Orleans and attending EDM shows, and thought I would love to do it because I already loved the music. I started mixing around and I won a DJ competition that landed me a few shows to get the name out. I decided to partner up with Michael and then we decided to learn to make the music as well.
We really rate the Expand EP – such creativity throughout. What kind of collection did you intend to write and do you feel like it has met your original intentions?
M – We actually wrote a collection of tunes in a couple weeks but kept making more music that we continually would send to UZ. One day he told us to send all the unreleased we had at once, so he could choose his favourite. I’m happy with the collection that came from it.
J – We decided to just go hard and make some tracks that had a similar feel to them. Like Michael said, we sent tracks to UZ and he always gave feedback and then finally decided he wanted us to do an EP with Quality Goods.
What have been some of the best reactions to it so far?
M – I always love hearing everyone scream the lyrics of “Embellish” that our good homie Quaviusblack laid some vocals on.
J – I would say seeing fans throwing up the “S” at our sets really make me happy!
Did the collaboration with Quality Goods Records come about organically?
M – Very organic actually, we sent music to UZ for almost a year, I’d say. He’s always super honest and let’s us know whether he likes something or not. We sent the original collection of tunes for the EP and he eventually let us know we’re definitely going to be doing an EP with them.
J – Very organic, it’s an awesome feeling having a legend like him support us and want to drop our music on his own label.
If you could name three artists/groups who have influenced you the most throughout your career so far, who would they be?
M – Other than UZ (that’s obviously a given) – Mr. Carmack, Dabow, & sumthin sumthin.
J – Bassnectar, DJ 4B, & Kai Wachi.
What do you have coming up for the rest of the year that you can share with us?
M – We have lots of releases for originals lined up for the rest of the year along with some remixes we’ve done for some super dope artists. Not much else we can share as of now, but definitely have some things in the works!
J – A lot of unreleased music and some label releases. Can’t share some stuff, but super excited for the future!
Could you tell us a random fact about yourselves that may surprise us?
We have actually played travel soccer together since we were about 11 years old all the way through the first couple years of college. Not many people know that!
Cop Expand here.
