We met Sam Way on a Hype App Tour a few months back, and instantly knew there would be some kind of collaboration afoot. A brilliant singer-songwriter, we got him in to do an extra special Scented Songs, for our second birthday in July. Happy birthday to us!
It was the first time he’d thought about combining his music with smell. "I remember walking into a frozen yoghurt place once, and thinking 'what is that smell'? I noticed that at every store they pump this smell, something they've created that’s apparently meant to smell like freshly cut grass, into their store and outside it too. I guess that was the first time I thought that scent could be an integral part of branding. But in terms of art, I think our sense of smell is quite undernourished. After both attending and playing a Scented Songs at Gorilla, it's definitely something I'd like to explore more.”
When it came to picking the scents, though, Sam was a natural. “I enjoyed pairing fragrances that not only seemed to fit on the sensory level, but also the narrative."
Architect (scented with All Good Things)
"Architect is a very personal tale of lessons learnt the hard way in love, and I couldn't have found a better match than All Good Things perfume, inspired by a great relationship coming to an end. The notes of pepper and candy floss seemed to capture something for me, the bittersweet message in the song.”
Under the Morning Light (scented with Superworld Unknown)
We tried to capture Sam’s morning light by gently misting down this dreamlike fragrance on the audience, whilst getting everyone to close their eyes.
Tigerlove (scented with Inhale and Exhale)
With two parts coming together, we gave everyone scented puzzle pieces during this song.
Dancing Shoes (scented with Love)
An infectiously fun song that had everyone on their feet - we blasted scented bubbles around the room for this dancey little number!
Untame (scented with Stayin’ Alive)
"For Untame, a song that at its core asks the question 'Where did your wild and free spirit go?’, I chose to pair Stayin’ Alive, which not only awoke the senses, but was also created for those who want to throw caution to the wind.”
More Than a Memory (scented with Dad’s Garden: Chamomile & Honeysuckle)
You can watch Sam’s beautiful performance of this song here.
Pretty Liability (scented with The Bug)
We hate to say no to a request. When Sam asked us to create a cocktail inspired by The Bug for us all to shot during this song, we simply had to oblige. Cheers!
You might know by now that we always ask our musicians for a scent memory of their own. Sam’s is based in Marrakech, Morocco:
“I was out there for a few days for work, and one of the guys from the production wanted to go out and buy something to smoke. We were walking down barely lit pathways, past buildings that were crumbling down... I was only 17 at the time and this is the first time I'd been to another country whose culture was noticeably different - and it was just an incredible feeling, a feeling of exploring the world - but at the same time I had no idea where we were going, walking through the dark, past men huddled around fires in steel drums. Finally someone approached us who seemed to know exactly what we were looking for and the guy I was with spoke to him in English. The next thing I know the Moroccan man, in an attempt to convince us to buy, shoves this massive block of Hashish practically up my nostrils, and I recoil, almost gag, as I had never smoked before, and was suddenly overwhelmed by this crazy powerful smell! It was such a funny moment really, but I still remember that smell, how intense it was, how it lingered around me, and how we all laughed.”
Sam’s next single is out very soon which is very exciting indeed, so please keep your eyes and ears (and I suppose we can now also say nose) on his Spotify. He’s also got an iTunes and a website.
Thank you Sam, for giving us such a sweet-sounding birthday!
