Artist Profile – Sarah O’Moore (Ireland/Germany)
Every now and then you come across a voice in drum and bass that stands out as completely unique. That’s what happened when I first heard Sarah O’Moore.
She has a raspy, bluesy tone that makes you sharpen your ears and listen in harder, bringing the focus and attention to the voice first and then the music second.
We have featured a few stand out vocalists here on the site previously, with the likes of Lucy Kitchen and Pat Fulgoni both coming in under the spotlight.
The reason for that mostly, is that we like to broaden the musical horizon past your normal dancefloor carnage, and explore the relationship between singer and song on a wider level. To open up the boundaries of possibility within the sphere of drum and bass music.
That’s where Sarah O’Moore steps in for this interview. She reached out a while back with a tune that we premiered for her and her musical partner, Beatkilla, and more recently we did the same with ‘Ready’, a breathy, vocal led slice that sits back musically and lets the vocals really flourish.
Sarah! Welcome IN!
Congratulations on your last two tracks. They really caught our attention and have proved yet again the real versatility of the genre. There are so many ways to express oneself through DNB, and amongst a whole host of very good, but also very similar female vocalists out there, your delivery style really stands out as being quite unique!
Well thanks a million for the lovely words. I really appreciate all the support and giving me the opportunity to come on here. I’m delighted with it!
Tell us a bit about your early influences. I can hear the blues first and foremost, but also traditional rock tones and even a bit of folk? What and who were your first inspirations?
Yeah for sure! I’ve always been drawn to big, soulful jazz voices like Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, and Amy Winehouse. I spent a lot of time really listening to their phrasing and the way they shaped tone, and then experimenting to find what felt natural to me.
It was definitely a process of trial and error. Those influences really resonated with me and helped shape my sound. And being Irish, there’s a natural love for music — it was always playing in the house.
Your voice is instantly recognisable. You mention always being around music and singing, so I’m guessing there was a lot of encouragement to express yourself around the house?
Ah thanks a mill! yeah, it definitely was. There was always loads of encouragement at home especially when I started writing my own music.
Ireland has a very rich musical heritage, with a big emphasis on singing and community. For a musical person this must have been an incredibly exciting atmosphere to grow up in?
Absolutely. I remember being small and calling over to other family members’ houses, and there was always a point in the night where everyone would gather around and someone would start singing and there would be silence. Everyone had their own song. Singing was always something that was celebrated.
At age 22 you moved from Ireland to Bristol to study a Bachelor of Arts in song writing. What did that entail exactly? Was it as much hands on (or Mic on!) as I can imagine?
Yeah, it really was. The course covered a bit of everything like songwriting itself, music theory, and also the music business side of things and how to navigate it as an artist. It was definitely very hands-on which was amazing. You were constantly writing, performing, and getting feedback. I had a fantastic time there, and it really pushed me to become a better musician and to explore different styles.
There was also a lot of performing live and gigging during this time too. A perfect time to cut your teeth I guess?
Yeah absolutely and bristol was the perfect place to for it!
Bristol has been a musical hotspot in the UK for decades now. What would you say are the main things you took away from your time spent there?
Bristol is just so open to different styles of music, and the people there are amazing. For me, it was a place that really spurred me on creatively. There’s such an energy in the city. The people there genuinely want you to do well. It’s a young city, but it’s also incredibly open and accepting.
Berlin is the place you call home now. It’s a place I have always wanted to visit, and also a place with a HUGE history in electronic music, what with Kraftwerk, Tresor, Berghain and more recently Nur Jaber, but also a quality underground house and DNB scene. Tell us what drew you there in the first place?
Yeah, you should definitely check it out! It’s worth it. I’d visited Berlin before and just completely fell in love with it. The music, obviously, but also the history and the fact that it’s such a melting pot of people and cultures. I really wanted to push myself by moving somewhere different. There are so many characters here too, which keeps things interesting.
And then there’s Beatkilla, an Italian producer also resident in Berlin. How did that collaboration start?
We actually met through an app called Vampr. It’s an app where you connect with different musicians. He invited me over to his studio because he had a DNB track he wanted vocals on and straight away, on the first listen, ideas were already coming to me. It’s been amazing working with Beatkilla, he’s a super chill guy.
As well as your DNB releases, you’ve dabbled with jazz, blues, R&B and a whole host more styles. Having a love for all sorts of music must give you many more options in terms of potential output, and also fun! You’re not confined in terms of style?
Oh yeah, completely. Loving so many different styles means you’re never really boxed in, which is great. It gives you the freedom to push yourself and not shy away from trying something different. It’s way more fun having the options haha.
I love to hear the take on microphones and why certain vocalists choose certain makes and models. You use a Mac and Scarlett interface and a Rode mic. Why this combination, and what post recording work do you do (if any) to get that vocal line sounding just right?
For me, it’s honestly just a setup that works. The Rode mic is good enough for what I need, and I’ll be the first to admit I’m absolutely terrible with the technical side of things on the laptop. I basically record the vocal, use it to get song writing ideas down, add a decent bit of reverb, bounce the track, and hope everyone’s happy!
I tend to rely a lot on the producer after that — they’ll usually check in to see if I’m happy, I’ll give my two cents but anything deep on the production side is definitely not my strong point.
