We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Blair (SDOT) Simms. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Blair (SDOT) below.
Hi Blair (SDOT), thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I think the riskiest thing I did was travel alone to South Africa and to Brazil. Both countries are musically rich and diverse and I think they rubbed off on me in a good way. As a club producer I always have loved electronic music but Baile funk and South African House have always had a special place in my heart. The opportunity to go to where these artforms originated and make friends with locals has had an indelible impact on my life all the way down to the way I use percussion in songs. The opportunity to travel to these places has also opened my mind to the endless possibilities there are with music in general. This completely changed my perspective on life and how vast the world is. If I had not gone to these places I can confidently say I would not produce the type of music I am today.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
For everyone who is meeting me for the first time I go by SDOT. I am a gay architectural designer by day and dope music producer by night. I have been creating club music for about 15 years and Djing for two. I got my start getting club tracks played on Baltimore’s local radio station 92Q. I first learned about the club scene from going to local high school parties and the Paradox nightclub. I realized I was great at producing club music about the same time I realized I wasn’t a great dancer lol. Throughout my time at the University of Memphis and Morgan State University, I was a part of two club music collectives M.T.M. and H.A.M where I honed my skills. Honestly this time period (2010-2017) was where I had my first run creating tracks that helped to fuel the underground shakeoff scene in Baltimore.
I took a break until 2020 finding my way back to music during quarantine with the release of “The Return” & “Cold Summer EP’s”. I also joined Midnight Club Collective which includes Kade Young, Dj Beast, Petty Penguin and Histo. We collectively helped to usher in a new wave of parties dedicated to club music in Baltimore.
In 2021 I had the opportunity to work with Serpentwithfeet on two tracks (“Sailor’s Superstition Bmore Club Remix” & “Shoot Ya Shot”) gaining my first two major music production credits. Later in the year, I released the “The Cerulean EP”. This was my first attempt at incorporating my influences of Baile funk and South African house music into club. I also joined MansPlans, a visionary label of rappers, producers, & videographers. Some of my most cherished moments in the past couple of years were rocking a host of radio shows worldwide including Rinse FM, Nocturnal Wax, Unseen FM, Kulture Lab & Radio 80k to name a few. I also loved the experience of playing gigs in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Honestly club music has always been a safe space for me. When I moved to Baltimore from Louisiana I had it pretty rough trying to make friends and fit in. Club music was probably the first place I felt seen in Baltimore. I fostered friendships with the dancers and the producers which gave me a sense of community. It also allowed for growth in my music because my group of friends pushed me to do better. My mission is to have the club scene remain a safe space for everyone to enjoy themselves. As a producer my goal is to teach the younger generation all I know so that they can continue the legacy and rich culture that is Baltimore Club Music.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Externally there is no greater joy than watching someone rock out to one of your creations. I am able to take in music from all over and synthesis it into new ideas for remixes and original songs. The catharsis that happens when creating is like no other. It is an outlet for me and I love the fact that I am able to express my feelings through music. However all of that is miniscule compared to people expressing to me that a song I created helped pick them up or bring them out of a dark place. Music is healing for you mind, body and soul, so to be able to provide that healing unknowingly to someone else makes this journey worth taking.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Sdotwildin410
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.dotmusic/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blair.simms1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/S_dotmusic
- Other: https://sdotmusic1.bandcamp.com https://soundcloud.com/sdotmusik https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ruvWpLs2aMVuibVXpsJwL
Image Credits
Meagan Buster (Ducky Dynamo) Tyler Lewis MansPlansMedia