DJ De Souza

Biography

Sami Hyytiä from Finland is the figure behind the DJ names De Souza and Forrest Hump, latter being his alter ego for downtempo acts (hip-hop, funk, soul…). This half Finnish half Brazilian bloke showed lots of interest towards music from the very beginning. He was browsing his parents’ vinyl records as soon as he was able to grab things. He had rhythm in his blood and he was dancing before even standing on his own feet. So he surely had to do something in relation to music in the future.

In the late 80’s he got interested in the four elements of hip hop. He started to draw sketches and listen to rap music like Public Enemy, N.W.A. and 2 Live Crew. A few years later, in the beginning of the 90’s, came along electronic music. Alex Nieminen, T. Ripatti, Eliot Ness and Leena Lehtinen, with their various late-night radio shows delivering electronic music, had a big impact on that Sami was bitten by an electronic bug.

It was in the mid 90’s when he saw some video clips from the DMC/Technics world dj championships. He was already a little interested in dj’ing but after that it was for sure; he wanted his own set of turntables. Still it took several years until he finally managed to buy his own equipment in 2002. The name De Souza was picked up after his roots in Brazil.

Sami likes to spin everything between hip-hop, house and techno as long as it sounds good and fits to the set. The key words are deep, funky, groovy and soulful. Though Sami can create a special atmosphere with smooth mixing, he also has a few tricks in his sleeve to spice up his sets. He knows how to rock a party but he also can play an enjoyable chill out set too.

So far Sami has played at small clubs around the capital of Finland. His mixes have also been heard on few radio shows such as Radioseven’s ICAM Sessions and Dancelatinoamerica’s Cue Day. At the moment he is running monthly club night called “Vibes” at Beatroot in Helsinki. Though Sami might not have that much of live experience, he really has potential and he’s very enthusiastic about music and dj’ing. When Sami is behind the decks it’s guaranteed that he delivers pure quality!

In the future, when Sami has enough spare time, he is willing to try his skills as a producer. Meanwhile you’ll just have to settle for unforgettable dj sets. Enjoy the musical journey!