Five Things with Samy Jackson From Animal Trainer

My father is a musician and there was constantly classical music around me as a child, so this [was] my first influence. [At the age of] seven years I started to play the piano, my first step playing an instrument. Later I studied jazz and contemporary pop/rock music for five years, playing the guitar.

2. Inspirations

I think my favourite musicians are all completely non-techno-based, because of my musical background, which was always very wide and not specifically focused on electronic music. Keith Jarrett, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Duke Ellington, The Beatles and Boards Of Canada, for example. My inspirations are coming from everywhere – music in general, my son, listening to other DJs, nature (sometimes)… but mostly I try to just do what comes from the inside.

3. Your Crew

First of course my father, who’s a musician himself and always supported me to play in bands or to study music. I quit my last shitty day job about three years ago and I can never imagine to have a normal nine-to-five job in an office again.

4. The Music You Make

Usually I play based on the chaos theory concept. This means I start my set with a sure shot, then it can go into every direction. I love to let myself go and play by intuition. Some old, some new, some unreleased stuff… always different, but always with an eye on the crowd to make sure they have the same fun as me.

5. Music, Right Here,Right Now

I guess the biggest obstacles, for me, are the constant self-doubts, and besides this it’s (sadly) all about doing the right move at the right time and carrying [on] business stuff. As an artist and musician, I am still not used to those things, but I’m getting better and better. The scene in Zurich is and was always quite huge. There are so many clubs, events and artists around, especially compared to the size of the city, but due to the high costs of living, you can’t make a living without a normal day job or living on the countryside. We tried it another way and can play all over the globe and this is a huge blessing – I’m feeling lucky about it every day. There’s nothing better [than] to earn your money with things you love to do!