Get To Know... Sam Akpro • Neu • DIY Magazine

Hello and welcome back to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… which aims to get you a little bit closer to the buzziest acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.

Having steadily garnered a well-earned reputation as a true sonic sorcerer, amalgamating myriad genres into his atmospheric arsenal, Sam Akpro has spent the past few years building towards the now-imminent release of his debut album, ‘Evenfall’. From the gritty ambiance of its title track to the full-throttle acceleration of ‘Tunnel Vision’ - not to mention the vivid rip of last year’s urgent single ‘Death By Entertainment’ - his first LP acts as a sonic representation of nocturnal cityscapes and the stories therein, a shadowy world that’s as serrated as it is smudged at the edges. Ahead of its arrival next month, we catch up with the South London local…

What’s your earliest musical memory?
Probably playing the drums in primary school; I also played the violin for two years in secondary school.

You’re London born and raised - what do you think of the music scene there at the moment? Do you feel like it’s changed in any ways since you first started on the gig circuit?
I’d say the London music scene is very connected in some places, but at the same time it can be very cliquey. It also feels way smaller than it was five or six years ago. I guess that happens when people get older and start doing other things; it’s hard to make a living just being a musician.

City life also figures quite prominently throughout your upcoming debut album, ‘Evenfall’, playing into both its sound and its visuals. How and why do you think your external environment influences your artistic output?
I like to be outside a lot, whether that’s going out at night with friends or just strolling through a park or taking a train. I like to soak up visual and audio information - it helps me understand myself and also how other people interact with the world around them.

“I just try to write music without thinking — that’s when you find something you didn’t know you were looking for.”

What’s the first song you bought with your own money, and why? What’s the most recent song/record you bought (and why)?
I’ve never bought a song before due to the way I consume music, which is usually online on YouTube. I have a Miles Davis ‘Bitches Brew’ vinyl that I was given for Christmas - that’s one of my favourite records.

You’ve described the title track of ‘Evenfall’ as “somewhere between a before and after space in time, where moments have passed & where events are yet to take place.” Can you tell us a bit more about this - why does liminality appeal to you from a songwriting or thematic perspective? How did you go about translating this quite intangible feeling into vocal and instrumental parts?
All of these feelings come from reflecting after making the song; I didn’t intentionally try to translate the feeling. I just try to write music without thinking - that’s when you find something you didn’t know you were looking for.

Tell us the best (and worst) advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
The best advice was to have a strong vision, which I didn’t really get for a while but once it clicked, it clicked. I wouldn’t say there has been bad advice - people can give you advice that just isn’t right for you, but it is for the next person.

Finally, DIY are coming round for dinner - what are you making?
I can’t really cook so I’d probably order some cheeseburgers.

‘Evenfall’ is out on 28th March 2025 via ANTI-.

#AD