Introducing: Sh?m And His Inciendary Promo Mix

With a hard to categorize sound that shifts between glitchy, darkside territories and sumptuous textures, Sh?m is the latest talent on the scene that's garnering strong support and attention. Sh?m, which is actually pronounced "Shem-Question Mark", is also a bit of a wizard at executing those high octane, high rolling selection, turning his tripped out percussion into a formidable selection perfect for those intense, late night sessions. It's one of the reasons why the producer will not only be taking the controls off Koan Sound, Feed Me and KDA in Room Two this coming Friday, where he'll be energizing our second floor to the early hours of Saturday morning but it's also why we asked him if he could fire over a new promo mix so we ourselves could feel more hyped and ready on this Wednesday afternoon, getting us suitably toasted for the weekend ahead. Download: Sh?m FABRICLIVE Promo Mix How best would you describe your sound? The best way to describe my sound is with a huge question mark haha. I make tunes with big build ups and grimey drops with disgusting basslines but I also make chill stuff with warm, lush sounds. I like to bring those two worlds together sometimes too. You’re playing in Room Two next month. How do you like to execute your sets?  Do you mould your sets around the vibe of the lineup you’re playing or just go with what feels right on the night? I always like to start off strong. For me, I think it's important to keep the energy high no matter what time I'm playing. I'd rather just go with what feels right but if the line up is gravitating towards a specific vibe then I might switch it up a little So take us back to the beginning, how did you begin to make music? My uncle has a home set up at his place so I used to visit all the time when I was really young. At that time I was using an MPC XL 2000 and a Korg Triton as my workstation. My step father also used to have a home studio in the house. It was actually quite well equipped. Again, with an MPC, Korg M1, A bunch of external FX on the rack and sound modules. I remember it like it was just the other day haha. I was like 5 when I first started creating my own tunes. I wish I had the floppy disks just so I can hear them again! It was from there where the passion for music sort of ignited and that fire is still blazing today. Do you have a specific process when it comes to working in the studio? It all depends on how I'm feeling. I might sit around for hours playing chords or delving deep into sound design or just listening to a 16 bar drum loop before anything really gets developed. I think every time I make a tune, I approach it in a different way. Naturally. I like it that way. What have been the biggest moments and the greatest challenges so far? The biggest moments have to be when I started doing international shows. That really opened my eyes to a lot of things both in my life as an artist and just life in general. Seeing videos from around the world of people going crazy for my tunes and even seeing it for myself when I'm behind the decks. It's crazy. I mean it's kind of been a normal thing for a while but it never ceases to amaze me. I think the challenges mainly occur when I'm the studio. I always put 200% into my music so when I create something I'm not feeling that much, it definitely bothers me Who are your main influences? There are so many key people who have an influence on my music. People like Joker, Swindle and Plastician but also people like King Tubby and Jah Shaka. Even Spooky and Alias. I could list so many names What else is going on with you at the moment? What other aspirations have you laid for the rest of 2016? I want to do quite a few things both in and out of music. But in terms of music, I definitely want to hit the states and do some big shows and collab with some sick artists. Hopefully I can make that happen this year! I'm definitely looking to bring more vinyl out and more interesting projects both with MCs and singers. I've got lots of ideas for different things, it's just a matter of getting them out and bringing them to life