Musical connoisseur, label boss, party-starter and voracious collector are just a few of the handles that might be applied to Sam Don. His love for music grew out of a childhood fascination, mining his way through hip hop, dub, afro, through to disco, house and techno, eventually breathing in all of dance music’s florid shades. Forays in the Soho underworld, digging sprees around London’s perimeters and an already well-worn DJ passport are the components of years of hard-won experience that have brought him to where he is now, one of 2025’s breakout DJs.
He has brought his musical sensibility to three compilations curated for Athens Of The North, including 2020’s lovers rock covers masterpiece, For The Love Of You and Just A Touch, a sublime survey of UK underground soul music. In addition to this, his own label, Sweet Free Association, is only three releases deep, but includes the brilliant Convertible EP, a house-music essential that will surely feature in many end of year best-of lists. It’s continuing its forward motion with the imminent arrival of further eclectic and emotive dancefloor material over the next 12 months or so.
These releases give a small glimpse into his musical mind, a wide vista of inspirations that stretch from floor-filling electronica to disco, afrobeat and beyond. Whatever the party demands, Sam Don has the ammo to detonate it and armed with this knowledge he continues to seduce dancers worldwide.
