Interviews

Sable Blanc makes music that chimes to the energies of life, bringing together a myriad of feelings and channeling it into his craft. ‘New Places’ may speak of places and experiences new, but it's a quintessential reflection of Blanc as an artist, a pure expression of his sound and what he aims to evoke through his music. We still down for a few questions to learn more....

Hey Sable Blanc, great to meet you! What's happening in your world at the moment?

Hey guys, thanks for the interview. Summer has ended and I just finished a new EP, and been also working on soundtrack music for a French podcast series called Transfert, produced by Slate. And my son is gonna turn 3 next month, so that's also exciting. Keeping myself busy!

Can you enlighten us on the meaning of your artist name?

Great question. Sable Blanc means -white sand” in French. It was supposed to be a demo title, back in 2014, but then I thought that it sounded elegant and very fresh for an artist name.

When I think of white sand, I automatically see myself at the beach, staring at a beautiful sunset. It's super cliché of course, but it was a very soothing feeling, and I wanted my music to convey that softening experience, and for people to understand it very quickly. Also, I like to explore different genres, and sand can have any shape you want.

Congratulations on releasing 'New Places EP' on Oath. Talk us through the release, what is the Inspiration behind it?

Thank you very much, appreciate it big time.

'New Places' has 2 big meanings for me : moving out of Paris, to the South of France. Literally to a new place. And also, becoming a father, being in a new place, and a new stage in my life, basically.

It was actually a truly difficult time for me back in 2022 and I went through depression for over 2 years.

Music was my sanctuary and I put all of my positivity into this EP. I wanted something complete, rich, solar, to contrast with what I was dealing with at the time. Working on that project was like therapy for me.

I went all in and pushed my own boundaries to make music that was genuinely the best I could possibly do. I can't even properly describe the styles or genres of some of the tracks. I still don't really know how everything came together, but I’m glad inspiration kicked in.

How did the release on the label come about?

Usually, what happens when independent artists like myself finish a project, they look for a label. Then we send demos to labels we like and want to work with, then one day, hopefully, a label likes the music and we can then talk further on a potential release.

For this EP, it was very special because I had only Oath in mind. Been loving the label since their very first release with Hidden Spheres, and following their work very closely. Their art direction, their straight-forward marketing strategy, their roster : they have a very coherent vision of what they want to accomplish artistically, and I feel like I wanted to be part of that. I wanted to be part of their story.

So I only sent the demos to them, and they pretty much instantly got back to me and said they were interested. I then asked for Moomin to be the mastering audio engineer, and he accepted. As he’s one of my biggest inspirations ever, I was beyond excited.

For those who are just discovering your music, what do you hope they feel or experience when they listen to your productions?

I have a tendency to put a lot of effort into my own vision, for my music, in general. I take a lot of notes of what I want a project to sound like. It goes from typical genres I take inspiration from, or simple feelings I want to convey, or even colors I have in mind when pitching down ideas. It might be abstract, but it’s actually often very clear in my mind. I want my music to make sense.

I like to say that my music is always soft and sunny. I’m always very happy when people describe my music exactly the way I wanted them to feel it. Whether it’s my ambient stuff, or my upbeat house stuff.

It’s warm and grainy. Just like sand.

Can you describe the connection between your music and your french roots, and how they continue to influence your music today?‍

Never properly thought of that.

I grew up in France, but also lived a year in Alaska when I was 15 years old and did some time in South Korea as well. The more I travel, and the more I actually love France. Musically speaking, we are known for bringing something new and fresh to the electronic scene, thanks to the French Touch era.

I get inspired a lot by the city life, but moving here in the South of France also brought some more mellow and down-to-earth ideas.

Other than that, I’d say I’m pretty much inspired by a worldwide selection of things.

Can you share some insight into your creative process when producing music? Do you have any particular rituals or methods that help you stay inspired?‍

I like to start with either finding the right sample and play with it, or making my own loops with my hardware gear. I feel like I need to get that catchy loop first, and feel the magic of the melodies and harmonies before getting down to the drum parts. And I’m saying that as a drummer!

Cutting out and chopping samples either directly on Ableton or on my Digitakt, playing out with effect pedals is usually the first thing I love to do. Then, once I have the overall vision of the track, I can start adding percussive elements, and a bassline, and so on.

I also like to find old interviews of celebrities, and taking specific words or phrases, and making new lines with them. This is exactly what I did with ‘Remember the Feeling (of Love)’, which is actually an interview of Mother Teresa. The interviewer asks a few questions, and I thought she had a beautiful voice, and I chopped what she said and put it all together to make the phrase “remember the feeling of love”. It fit the track perfectly.

As someone deeply rooted in the Deep House scene, what state is it in right now? What notable artists are emerging?

I think the deep house scene has always been exciting, if you know where to look. Of course the 90s were the golden age because it was the genesis of the genre, and they defined the roots of that cultural movement ; but did it ever fade away? The 00s, the 2010s and now the 2020s have had outstanding artists emerging from all over the globe. I believe the 2012 - 2016 is probably a renaissance period, with the lo-fi scene and also the more textured sounds coming from Max Graef, Andy Hart and Glenn Astro, to name a few.

What I’ve been loving the most lately, for probably 5 to 6 years, is the genre-crossover. Artists like Laurence Guy who can pull up massive house bangers, to straight-up guitar-looped ambient interludes is what gets me excited about the house scene. House music has always been about getting inspired by disco, funk, jazz, r’n’b and so on. Diversity is incremented in its DNA, and we’ve been pushing the spectrum of genre-crossover ever since.

Soul Wun has a new album coming out and it’s gonna be a keeper. Holo has that very distinctive, beautiful, poetic sound that I can’t get tired of. Ell Murphy has such a perfect voice for that UK garage vibe. The DJ Minna has been my favorite curator lately, what a selector she is : she embodies what a DJ should be.

When you are not busy with music, what might we find you doing?

You’ll find me everyday at the playground with my kid haha. Gonna take the time to start working out again. Gaming is probably my second hobby though : where my Smash Bros gamers at

What do you have coming up in the next few months? Feel free to mention anything!

Just finished a new EP and started working on the next one. As I mentioned earlier, making music for the podcast series Transfert is also taking some time, been doing it for about 4 years now, and loving it.

Finally, tell us about three of your best dancefloor fillers…

Janet Rushmore - Try My Love (Tom Moulton Re-edit Remix) : if I had someone listen to house music for the first time, I would play them that track. Classic organs, lush yet bouncy rhodes, a groovy bassline, catchy vocals, a punchy four-to-the-floor beat, and those sax and piano solos. Can’t get any better than that. That part at 3:26. Peaktime stuff right here.

Joe T Vannelly Project ft. Harambee - Sweetest Day of May (Knee Deep’s Vocal Hymn Mix) : sunny house at its best. I play house music all the time to my little kid, and I told him “house music always makes you happy”, and he loves that particular one. One of my favorites ever. You just want to sing along to the whole thing.

Dub Striker - Wild Rhythm (Garrett David Remix) : this one always gets people pumping. It just never fails. I always like to start my sets with warm, soft, deep jazz house stuff to get people in the mood. Then I play this track, and people know we’re gonna get the bangers out.

Check out the latest release from Sable Blanc.