“You have to be crazy to pursue what we do,” Gafacci says with a smile on his face. “If we wanted to make money out of this thing, then we’re in the wrong business,” echoes Sam Interface.
The duo are speaking to one another over Zoom, a catch-up months in the making. They ease into the conversation seamlessly, like they never left it; their camaraderie is palpable and infectious. Gafacci, the Ghanaian producer whose percussive-heavy work in the last 10 years has heralded him as one of the continent's most exciting musicians, has recently moved to Canada, so Sam Interface asks him what life is like as a new immigrant. “It’s cold,” he responds and they both crack up.
There’s a true authenticity in the duo’s conversation, a quality which stretches into their collaborative project, Public Information, released back in June on More Time Records. It was a project born from trust and a deep understanding of one another before they even entered the studio. “I took Sam to a restaurant I usually don’t take people,” Gafacci says. “It’s where I go to show people off as everyone there knows one another, so it has to be someone I respect that I’m with.”
Mutual respect forms the bedrock of their collaboration, allowing their creative processes to merge seamlessly. Respecting each other's artistic vision and individuality is paramount, ensuring that their music remains genuine and uninfluenced by external pressures. A London-based mix recording engineer, producer and DJ who specialises in bass-heavy club music, Sam has worked with the likes of Aitch, Pa Salieu, Bugzy Malone, Stormzy and many more heavyweights, yet he is selective about who he makes music with. “I wouldn’t want to make music with someone as a tactical business move,” Sam says. “Personalities have to align.”
After having nurtured their connection online for years, they met in 2018 at Afro Nation in Ghana when they were with both their families. Instantly, they hit it off. “My first impression was ‘this guy really likes the stuff he does,’” says Gafacci. “You can easily tell when someone is dedicated to what they are doing in life. Plus, I really liked that Sam was such a family man.”
Before Gafacci and Sam got into the studio, they spent all their time in Accra together: watching football, eating meals and finding a kinship outside of music that was easily translatable once they were in Sound Republic studio. The studio is owned by Waxy, a fervent Liverpool fan like Sam. Gafacci is a Manchester United supporter, so a bit of friendly rivalry underpinned those early conversations which also allowed them to bond quickly. Over a week, they made about 12 tracks, finding a seamless connection together. “However far you are on a journey,” Gafacci says, “you’ll always learn something when you collaborate with someone, even if it’s a beginner. The way they look at things will be different.”
The result was 7 tracks of heaters they decided to name Public Information. “We named the album "Public Information," playing off the mathematical Pi symbol. The potential creations from this symbol, which inspired the artwork for "Don't Stop," are why we stuck with the name "Pi."“ Sam explains. Throughout the album, Gafacci and Sam draw from a shared vocabulary of crafting beats that bounce with drunken bravado; it pops and fizzes with a distinct mode of expression, challenging listeners with the way they continually add new colours to the palette as the album progresses.
Opener ‘4-4-2’, an ode to a football tactical formation, is a bass-heavy snappy all-out club heater: its electricity surges through the tune, waiting to be played out of club speakers. ‘Brekete’ is a rolling rapturous song with lean, skittish drum rolls while ‘Day 1’ is not for the lighthearted with its thunderous bass and powerful claps. ‘Don’t Stop’ is an infectious party anthem, the perfect tune to switch the vibe up at a house party while ‘I Go Chop’ and ‘Killer Bees’ capture the infectious energy that sits between the two producers in conversation.
“I think projects like this are very important to the landscape we are in as musicians,” Gafacci says. “Nowadays, conforming to standards and styles is what makes an artist’s ends meet, but making something unconventional is more daring.”
He continues, “One thing I'm proud of with the tracks we made is that I learned a lot of things I never knew before. I just make music spontaneously. I don't think too much about the technical aspects. So, working with Sam on the project was a learning phase for me. I got to understand how certain things like advance sound designing are done.”
“There are very serious, heads-down rollers like “Brekete and ‘Killer Bees’,” Sam states, “but then there are fun tracks like ‘I Go Chop’ or ‘Super Sunday’, which are more light-hearted. These tracks translated the fun energy we had. It’s a timestamp of a beautiful time spent together.”
The creation of Public Information also predates significant changes in both their lives. “When we made this in 2020, we were both not dads,” Sam reflects. “Then the world went crazy for a couple of years, and we came out of the pandemic as fathers, with very different lifestyle changes.”
Their journey is a testament to the power of mutual respect, shared vision, and the joy of creating something genuine. Public Information stands as a beacon of their collaborative spirit, capturing a moment in time that speaks to the authenticity and passion that drives their music. “We just made music for brave listeners," Gafacci says emphatically.
