Despite the vast and ever-expanding catalogue of dance and house music, Logic1000 stands out as both an incredible DJ and for her deeply personal approach to music. With her music, house music feels transformative and deeply evocative, and her debut album Mother, the result of several personal breakthroughs, is the ultimate compilation of this love letter to house music. Emerging with a restored sense of confidence that she wears well, this album sees her taking confident and assured steps, making for a successful debut album.
Blending her own love for RnB with her familiar take on house music, the result is this album of real heavy hitting house tunes. Working alongside partner in the creation of this album Tom McAlister, the duo has achieved something truly remarkable. Giving birth to her daughter Genie in August 2022, the journey has meant Logic1000 has had time to consider her own relationship to motherhood, which she has resolved is to be defined by growth. Insistent on never stopping learning and improving, this album sees Logic1000 confident and entirely dynamic. Being sober and a mother, Logic1000 can tap into the intensity and energy of a room and has learned how to generate that, with Mother as testament to her vision.
Logic1000, also known as Samantha Poulter, initially rose to prominence in 2019 when Four Tet dropped her breakthrough single DJ Logic Please Forgive Me in his Coachella set. Five years later, after the pandemic, pregnancy, and a breakthrough with her mental health, Mother marks a very promising first album. Alongside her own music, Poulter pioneers what she calls the THERAPY party series, hosting day raves in sociable hours and a welcoming environment, promoting a more accessible way to engage with music. In conversation with METAL, Logic1000 sheds some light on the club music scene, her relationship to motherhood and the album, and upcoming live performances.
Hi, Logic! It’s great to have you back with a new album on the way, how are you?
Thank you! It’s good to be back. I’m doing well, I think? I’m working hard on continuing to grow and change and always trying to be a better version of myself. It’s hard at times but the wins feel amazing when they happen.
Music didn’t come to you as your first career. What was the turning point to start creating music or was the love always there?
I’ve always adored music. My sister and brother always played instruments, but I gave up on my piano lessons quite early because I hated that formal and rigid type of learning. My mum and her whole side of the family are also super musical so growing up I was surrounded by my family singing and playing guitar. But I never thought of myself as musical. I wanted to be an actress! But then one day I realised I had a lot of opinions and ideas about how music should sound, and so I collaborated with my husband Tom McAlister on a track (Perfume) and realised after the response it had on SoundCloud that a little fire inside me was ignited. The rest is history!
Having studied Psychology and with your own experiences, do you find your relationship to music has changed at all?
I actually think no, it hasn’t changed. Well, the essence of it anyway. I still have so much passion and excitement around music and also a lot of opinions on it. My taste also hasn’t changed. I still love everything I’ve always loved. But I guess what has changed is the fact that it’s now able to be something that I think about most of the time. It’s such a blessing to have been able to turn something like this into my job.
Growing up, were you always drawn to this genre, or how has your music taste developed since?
Growing up I was an RnB fiend. It’s all I listened to. I had a brief indie stage then found dance music. I really do believe that all of my musical output has been directly influenced by these things.
You’re Berlin-based, but Australian-born, how do you find the scene or engage with the club scene now, both as a mother and sober?
I’ve actually never truly been in any club scene, from Sydney to London to Berlin. Young and old. So now, as a mother and sober person I don’t really have much FOMO. I get my fix of music in a club setting when I DJ. I feel really privileged to be accepted in the club scene as a DJ and it’s so fun to be around that kind of energy. I think especially cause I’m sober when I work - I really wholeheartedly feel the intensity and energy of the room.
Your single Promises was out on January 31st. The song feels deeply personal, and the lyrics and sound on it really merge perfectly. Can you share how the song came into existence?
The instrumental for that track was written in the first of the sessions that were focused purely on the writing material for the album. We kind of quickly busted out a bunch of basic ideas with the intention of sending to vocalists to work on. We had wanted to work with Rochelle [Jordan] ever since we heard Dancing Elephants, and she came back with the vocals basically perfect. She did some tweaking, and it was good to go! It was incredible how well she interpreted the track and how perfectly suited it was.
The new single feels so reminiscent of the best of mid-2000s RnB, as well as of course your modern house take. What musical inspirations did you find contributed to this single, and the album as a whole?
RnB is definitely a huge inspiration and reference for the project from the beginning. As an 80s baby, that music completely soundtracked my early teens and will always be very close to my heart. There’s a lot of crossover between that period of RnB and earlier house music, and I know I’m not alone in thinking that the two styles of music are very complimentary of one another - an RnB vocal over a house beat is just such a perfect pairing of two musical worlds that are very dear to me.
Rochelle Jordan on this lead track is such a great sound, how did that collaboration come around, and how was collaborating with the other amazing artists on the album?
I’d been a fan for a while - as I said earlier her track Dancing Elephants was on rotation in my DJ sets since I discovered it, so it made perfect sense to hit her up and see if she wanted to work together. And as with all of the people on the record, it was such a heartwarming and humbling experience to work with such a talented, beautiful person. Everyone involved in this record brought something so special that we could never have achieved on our own. I really can’t wait to collaborate more in the future. Hopefully in real life!
Your debut album Mother releases today, on March 22, congratulations! Can you talk us through the album a little? How do you approach creating your first album rather than an EP?
Thank you! It’s quite surreal that this project is finally going to be heard by the world. To be honest, we didn’t approach it all that differently in terms of our method - I guess it was more of a mindset thing. In the past, which I think is common, the EPs had almost been collections of tracks we had made along the way. But with the album we had a clear goal in mind. I think this in some ways allowed more freedom. We didn’t put as much pressure on ourselves to write music purely for the dance floor - a longer form release made us explore a little more and gave us room to breathe. Collaboration was also a huge motivation for us.
You’ve credited your partner on this album, what does this creative process look like?
It’s very intuitive because we are both very aware of how we feel about certain sounds and elements of songs. And I think because our tastes are so aligned, yet our influences and life experiences are so different, the combination is really wonderful. We have a lot of respect for each other’s craft, and each other as people and artists. So, I feel when we’re making tracks there’s a nice flow and energy to it.
Were there any unexpected developments or real highlights in the production of this album that we can hear?
I think one of the major highlights for me came recently. Rochelle [Jordan] shared with us her vocal production process on the song. I think it was so special because we worked with all of the vocal artists remotely, so seeing how she put it all together and brought it to life was mind blowing. She is so talented.
This album really feels like you capture a powerful take on what motherhood means to you, forging your own relationship to that role. Can you tell us a little about more about this for you personally? How do you approach translating that into music?
Yeah, I do feel like every journey through motherhood is so unique and different, which makes sense right? So inevitably our unique and varied experiences, coupled with the fact that every child is so different, are going to make us inclined to have a unique relationship to motherhood. For me, my mindset is growth. I never want to stop learning and expanding as a person and as a mother. I want to be conscious that I don’t have all the answers and I never want to be stuck in any ways of thinking. I want to be open to change. I think this is very similar to my artistic mindset, and how I approach making music.
You’re gearing up also for a return to performing live again, what does tour look like now for Logic1000?
I’m trying my best to not say yes to too many things. It’s hard because this year I feel so ready to get out there and play lots of shows. But I also know I don’t want to burn out. So, I’m showing a lot of restraint. In terms of the logistics - I’m taking Bambounou’s advice and leaving for the shortest amount of time humanly possible. So, get the latest flight out of Berlin, and get back by mid-morning. This means Genie will (hopefully) not be too impacted by me touring.
With both your podcast and your Instagram, you are very honest and open about your mental health journey, helping fight the stigma and starting a much-needed conversation. How are you supporting your mental health currently? Any practices or routine you have that you find work?
I am seeing a counselling psychiatrist every 2 weeks - she is incredible. We are starting this thing called chair therapy. I’m not sure if that’s the official term. But it’s a nice way to do therapy and I really adore my psychiatrist, I’ve been seeing her for many years. So, it’s a really nice routine. Also, Tom and I are in regular family therapy which I think all couples should be doing. It’s a beautiful hour of deep connection every week. And then there’s the obvious things like sleeping enough, eating well, processing my big emotions, and practicing compassion.
You seem to be creating the change you want to see in terms of making a more accessible way to engage with music through your THERAPY party series. What other ways do you think things can change, what does the future look to bring for THERAPY shows?
Yeah, I think the whole ethos of the party comes from three core values: justice, fun and growth. I learnt that these things are most important to me via a group coaching session I did with Ora Collective. I’m trying to make sure that everything I do, whether it’s personal or professional, is in line with these three values. So, I want therapy parties to embody that.
Looking back on all you have achieved, what advice would you give to your younger self knowing where you are now?
I would give her a huge cuddle and stroke her hair and say, you have been through an enormous amount of trauma, I see that, I see you, I see your pain. But please know, you have the insight and power within you to pull through all of that and you will be blessed with the life everyone deserves. Never give up. Keep journeying, keep growing, you’ve got this.
With the album coming up and the live shows you have planned, you’re set to be busy. What’s next in store for you?
Lots of travelling for shows, working on music for a very special project at the end of the year and hopefully I’m going to keep this growth mindset both musically and personally. I want to achieve great things!