Artist Profile: Sara Sukkha [Interview + Mix]

[listicle-in-article-ad]

DMNW: What was the hardest part of breaking into the industry?

SS: I feel quite fortunate with how I was able to break into the industry, because I entered at a major time of change for women in the industry. The conversation of bringing more women into the scene is massive and constantly growing, so having that movement building steam at the same time I began djing was a huge blessing to me. I got my break into the scene by competing in the first all-female DJ battle hosted at Are You M.I.A.. Then afterwards they brought me on as a resident with the Saturday night Deep Down Inside crew.

The hardest part beyond that has been discovering my unique voice and sound to figure out what makes me different. Trying not to be too influenced by what others are doing and what their timelines in their journeys look like.

So what’s my thing?
I will take you from laying in a hammock with sunshine on your face deep into the dark shadows at the bottom of the sea. You just have to trust me!

DMNW: For today’s “EDM” scope, your style of music is pretty different than the norm of what we’re hearing, which is super refreshing. How do did you find yourself immersed in such a niche scene?

SS: Ever since being introduced to drum and bass as my first taste of electronic I’ve always been really drawn to the darker underbelly of electronic. Something about those tough sounds just hit me the right way. That being said, I do believe there is a time and place for every sound. My friend Tana once said that there is a sun-to-music ratio that needs to be respected, when you’re laying in a hammock at a music festival with sunshine on your face, aggressive bass music just doesn’t feel as good as delicate deep house.

My preference however definitely lies in the darker side. I think that influence comes from my past from listening to sad and raw indie music. That music appealed to me more than the overly happy, catchy stuff I would hear on the radio. The sad and dark stuff felt real and honest to me, you could hear the artists vulnerability and true voice.

DMNW: What was your LEAST favourite gig experience thus far in your career?

SS: I competed in a second DJ battle to try to win a festival slot, but this competition was pay-to-play, so in order to compete I had to sell 15 tickets. I spent 30 days promoting and then had 2 days to prep my set, to which I was given a 15 minute slot. The stress of the competition was awful and the crowd there only liked mainstream music, so when I played my underground stuff I was met with mostly grim faces. Safe to say I’ll never do another pay-to-play gig again.

DMNW: What was the coolest moment in your musical journey yet?

SS: I got the opportunity to open for Chris Lorenzo, who has been a major idol of mine for a long time. I played my set (which I was so nervous for) and met Chris who was amazing and so friendly! He’s also an absolute beast on the decks, so it was unreal to watch him up close. Chris was staying with a friend of mine, and she messages me and tells me to come over; “Chris is here and he wants to meet you — he said your set was so fire that he ended up changing the beginning part of what he had planned for his set.” I went over and we got a chance to hang out and I picked his brain a little. He was just such a genuine person on top of being such a skilled producer and dj, definitely one of my favourite days to date.