Fireside Chat - Ghostly International Special

Sam Valenti

Ghostly International, Spectral Sound, USA

Sam Valenti IV is the founder of Ghostly International, home to two of America's finest independent record labels, Ghostly and Spectral Sound. Valenti grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, fascinated by the city's musical transition from Motown to techno. He picked up his first pair of decks at the age of 15, adopted the moniker DJ Spaceghost, and began tutelage under some of D-town's most respected DJs. At the age of 19, Valenti noticed a distinct lack of options for American electronic music, and began envisioning a genre-less label that would respect the freedom and intellect of both its audience and its artists. Recruiting a team of musicians and visual artists who explored the fringes of experimental pop and dance music, the Michigan-based company has carefully built a reputation for artistic quality and innovation since its inception in 1999. Today, Valenti's Ghostly International label is a unique force in American independent music, balanced carefully between pop culture, leftfield experimentation, and studied artistic tradition.