San Antonio artist Roc Samson creates his music out of his homemade “MIDI studio,” experimenting with a mix of pulsing, upbeat, pop-electronica and eerie, fluid, sensual drop beats.  Working out of his bedroom studio allows for a familiar space in which to create his sound.   “I’m a homebody, I’m a Cancer...when I’m in my room I feel like I’m in my element.”  Transitioning from a multi-instrument musician to a digital beat creator, Samson is currently in the process of developing and recording lyrics for a multitude of tracks spanning a variety of genres.  His most recent projects include sounds ranging from a gravely, emotional intensity reminiscent of Ryan Adams and Ray LaMontagne, to a floaty, spaced-out trip through buzzes and beats.  

	The gift of his first instrument, a broken guitar with three strings, sparked his interest in music.  A 9 year-old Samson began trying to emulate his influences, including bands like Blink 182.   “Adam’s Song was the song that got me interested in playing guitar.  I fell in love with the opening guitar riff the first time I heard it and immediately tried creating that same sound on my three-string.”  At 12, he was given his first real guitar:  a black, electric Squire with a Peavy 15 watt amp.  From that point on his life revolved around writing music and playing in bands.  In 2006, he and his friends founded Hydra Melody, a San Antonio based indie-rock band.  After touring across the United States, Samson decided life on the road was not for him and in 2008 he began exploring the world of electronic music through a variety of solo projects.  

	After leaving Hydra Melody in 2010, Samson began working with friends recording hip-hop beats, occasionally selling tracks to local emerging rap artists.  “A close friend got me started really producing hip-hop beats in the room I shared with him in our apartment, on my laptop, on a cheap program I bought at Office Depot.  The computer keyboard -was- the keyboard...”  Slowly, his path started to veer toward networking and developing relationships with artists across multiple genres.  “It was hard finding people to collaborate with because it seemed like everyone was all talk.  I pretty quickly decided I didn’t want to be a producer of artists, I wanted to be a producer of music.  I had always been a writer, but was unsure of my own voice.  When I became more comfortable with my abilities and started feeling better about showing my art to my friends, I was amazed by the feedback.  That’s when I realized ‘I can do it’.”

	Samson began to work on developing his singing voice and adding depth to the instrumental tracks he had been producing, and has in the process created a sound he feels truly expresses the kind of artist he is.  “I never had a chance to just sit there and write what I wanted to write.  I took off all restrictions and boundaries and have come up with a sound I really like:  kinda spacey, and eerie, and pop-y...I love the sound of 808s.  But because I’ve always loved hip-hop, that element always comes through.” His goal is a sound that San Antonio has never heard before and beats that will blow his audience away.  Whether through the computer, his bass, vocals, or keyboards, Roc Samson is simply interested in making music and will happily give away free demos to anyone who is interested.  “I just want to turn these naked beats into songs.”  


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