Fast-Rising Tech House Star Matt Sassari Talks Into The Groove,
his Groovy New Sample Pack

Fast-Rising Tech House Star Matt Sassari Talks Into The Groove,
his Groovy New Sample Pack

We sit down with Matt Sassari, whose new groove-laden sample pack Into The Groove is out now. 

Matt Sassari’s distinctive take on techno and tech-house has been pumping from club sound systems and radio speakers alike since he started releasing music over a decade ago. Crafted for the peak time, his productions have found a home on many of the world’s biggest dance music labels such as CR2, Truesoul, Panterre Musique, Terminal M, and Relief. His discography often charts on stores worldwide, and two of his recent hits have found their way into Beatport’s end-of-year bestsellers lists.

His infectious “Put A Record On” peaked at number one in the Beatport charts back in 2019, and Sassari followed up that phenomenal success with 2021’s “Give It To Me,” an adaptation of Timbaland and Nelly Furtado’s 2007 smash hit.

Now, in 2022, Sassari has released his debut sample pack for Loopmasters called Into The Groove. Crafting each sample exclusively for this pack, Sassari has distilled his one-of-a-kind sound into a 650MB collection of hard-hitting, groove-laden tech and tech-house samples.

We caught up with Sassari to ask him about how he created his new sample pack and learn more about his approach to production and music.

Tell us about your new sample pack with Loopmasters

I was really happy to be able to make a sample pack for Loopmasters! In my sample pack, Into The Groove, you can expect the Matt Sassari sound covering tech house and techno. I always try to bring groovy stuff to my productions, so I took what I love to hear and make and put it in my sample pack. 

I have some unusual production techniques that I use in my tracks and I tried to do the same for each sample in this pack. Inside you’ll find everything you need to make powerful tunes.

What kind of techniques do you like to use when producing and sound designing?

I love to use the Transient Envelope tool in Ableton Live. It’s an amazing tool that allows me to set the duration of a volume fade applied to each grain of an audio file. At 100, there is no fade, at 0 each segment decays very quickly. Long envelope times can help to smooth clicks at the end of grains, while short times can be used to apply rhythmic gating effects.

When I’m working with samples, I always try to change the sound of the sample by pitching up or down, distorting, filtering or adding other effects. I don’t want to use the original sound that anyone can download so I prefer to add my touch. 

So you use Ableton? 

I love using Ableton because of the easy switch between live session and arrangement. I’m always starting my project in the live sessions and then finishing the track in the arrangement section. 

I tried Reason a long time ago but as soon as I started using Ableton Live, I stopped. Ableton is very intuitive and that is what I like!

I also sometimes use Ableton Live when I’m DJing, bridging the gap between live set and DJ set to bring a different sound. I have many of my own loops, as well as one shots, claps and vocals to trigger whilst I’m playing.

What was your workflow like when creating Into The Groove and how did it differ from your workflow when working on tracks?

Every sound in my sample pack was created from scratch. Everything is new, nothing from my old projects or anything like that.

When working on tracks, my workflow has changed over the years. When I was younger, I was making music every day. It was about quantity and less about quality. Now I prefer to take time and go to the studio when I have something in my mind. If it’s not solid enough, I prefer to leave it or save the project and come back to it in a couple of months. 

How do you stay inspired when working on music?

I have a notebook where I write my ideas when I can’t go to my studio. Usually inspiration hits me when I play my live set. I write a lot of tunes on Sunday night when I’m back from my gigs!

Your track “Give It To Me” was the 27th best-selling track on Beatport last year. How does it feel to have so many people supporting your music?

It’s crazy! It’s always a big pleasure to get tunes selling like this and getting a lot of streams! My track “Put A Record” On was the 9th best-selling track on Beatport in 2019, but it wasn’t as big as this one because electronic music went to another level over the past three years. Now I have to keep this level up or do even more!

What music can we expect from you this year?

My next tune will be released on Gorgon City’s label REALM Records! It’s more housey than usual with a great vocal and synth all over the track! After that, I’m dropping another bomb on CR2 with my typical sound.

Three Packs, Three Tracks

What are your favourite tracks on Beatport?

A favourite classic is Terrence Parker’s “Love’s Got Me High.” I love it, and now that I know where he sampled the piano and voice, it’s amazing!

A current track I also really like is Eli Brown’s new tune, “Believe.” Absolute banger!

My guilty secret track is the Claptone remix of Dua Lipa and Elton John’s “Cold Heart.”

What are your favourite sample packs on Loopmasters?

I love D-Unity’s Unity Samples series. An old favourite has to be D-Unity – Unity Samples Vol. 1, and a new favourite is Unity Samples Vol. 23; they’re exactly what I need! A slightly weird one would be Loopmaster’s DUBSTEP THERAPY — I love it!



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