Hanz x Sem0r on 'Reconnecting'

At Splice we know that some sample packs consistently top the charts. Sometimes though, the creative magic behind these packs – informing their success – is a bit of a mystery. Sample pack producers don’t always claim the spotlight.

‘Reconnecting’ is a series of sample packs by producers Hanz x Sem0r on Splice label Komorebi Audio. In this interview we get to know the minds behind this incredibly popular wave of sample packs.

Hey guys! We both started producing back in the early 2010’s, connected on SoundCloud in the beginning of our careers back when it was a huge medium and we just kept in touch. We both produced a lot for our solo projects and for many artists throughout the years and at some point we figured that making samples might be a good outlet for our creativity.

We've been regular collaborators before and always wanted to create a sample pack. At the time when we first started - around 2022 - we realized that we have a very different set of skills that compliments each other perfectly. The first few packs were quite chaotic given we failed to realize how much organization is needed not only to create a sample pack, but also a good one while at it - and this is probably an area where we’ve improved the most.

The quality of the samples has also improved dramatically, but we assume that’s a given based on the sheer volume of the sounds we’ve created in such a short amount of time. Practice makes perfect!

Since we get bored relatively quickly when creating similar sounds it pushes us to constantly rethink what we are passionate about and reinvent the future sounds for the packs. We don’t want to keep on creating the same product and rather make each future volume an improvement over the previous one.

One of the things that we’ve always valued the highest is having fun. We’re both really good friends and our dynamic has shaped our sound to what it is today. Making samples is a very different approach to music and in many ways it’s quite freeing. You only have to focus on a few seconds rather than a whole song with complex structure. It's easier to try new things and think outside the box that way.

We try to keep in touch with what’s currently trending but at the same time we don’t want to be blinded by it. We listen to a lot of music and follow a lot of incredible producers on social media. We take a lot of inspiration from it but aim to sculpt that into something that is true to our sound.

Given that we’re constantly working on sound design and samples we wanted to take a crack at it from another perspective. We’re currently working on a plugin called Mirage, that can generate atmospheres and create granular artifacts out of anything you feed into it, adding depth, movement, and character to any sound.

There are so many amazing tools on the market but sometimes it’s hard to find the right one for each task. It’s exciting to be able to create something that is suited directly to our needs and share it with the people!

For us we always try not to overthink things too much. Sometimes the brain can get in the way of the heart. We also really value being original and finding your own sound, so stay original and be consistent!