Liverpool has previously given us a long list of musical talent to enjoy, with the likes of CamelPhat and Solardo coming out of the city, and the next name to join the list of Merseyside elites could be here.
SOSA has already released music with Defected, Sola and Relief, and this month he returned to the seminal Ministry Of Sound imprint for the release of his new single, Your Love.
We spoke to him about the track and how it came to land on Ministry Of Sound, as well as his own COCO label, the impact of the pandemic and what advice he would give to other aspiring artists. Get the full discussion below.
Hey SOSA! You’re on our Inflyte Radar this month, tell our readers what you have been up to so far this year?
I’ve been in the studio pretty much most of this year. Unfortunately, with everything that is going on at the moment there’s not much else to do! After a few months I was finding it hard to get ideas finished, so I decided to sit down and make a different type of track.
Your next outing finds you return to Ministry Of Sound for the release of Your Love, tell us about the track in your own words, and how it came to land on MOS?
I wrote the bassline and within 5 minutes I knew it was a biggie! It was pretty much done in an hour because everything fell into place. I then sent the instrumental to Guy McNamara who I deal with at Ministry Of Sound and they instantly loved it. They sourced me a sick vocal and that was that! Your Love was born.
You also have your own label, COCO, what lessons have you learnt from managing a label that don’t come up as a DJ or producer?
Running my own label has taught me quite a lot in terms of signing tracks, the A&R process and all the little things you have to do. I really enjoy getting stuck in and I do all the A&R side of it personally so I don’t miss out on any good tracks.
And who might we expect to see on COCO in the near future?
There’s been quite a lot of demos which is amazing, but there’s a guy called Classmatic from Brazil. He sent me a link with about 8 tracks and every single one of them blew me away! I managed to pick 3 which really fit the label and the sound we’re pushing.
In the past you have also released music with Defected, Relief and Sola, what advice would you give to other aspiring artists that want to sign with these kinds of labels?
My advice would be to network as much as possible and to make sure the music you’re sending fits the sound of the label/DJ as you have more chance of them playing or signing it if they like it and it is in line with what they’re playing. Also, don’t rush! It doesn’t happen overnight and if you work hard and get in the studio you will reap the rewards.
2020 has been a wild year for all of us, though it must be especially frustrating to have clubs close when things are just coming together for your career?
Ahhh yes, this year has been a nightmare for any DJ. I’ve been unfortunate as this would have been my first year as a full time DJ and we had some pretty big stuff planned. But I always look on the bright side, and I’ve made tonnes of music which is arguably the best I’ve made and with a bit of hope the clubs will be back open soon to play it all.
And on that topic, how have you been keeping busy during the lockdown periods?
It’s so hard to keep busy. With virtually no inspiration it’s hard to make the music. But I do a lot of fishing in my spare time as it helps me relax and take a break from the world which is nice.
Thanks a lot for chatting to us, before we go, what’s your favourite track of 2020 so far, regardless of genre?
My favourite track of 2020 is by Melé and it’s called the Panther. Just wish there was a club or festival to hear it properly! Ha. Thank you very much for having me.
SOSA’s Your Love is out now on Ministry Of Sound.