Caught up with the incredible and extremely talented, Sasami!
We talk about her favorite synths, favorite records, recording equipment and more.
All photos provided by Ambar Navarro for Synth History.
Synth History: What are a few of your favorite synths of all time?
Sasami: For me, affairs with specific synths mark eras of my life like past lovers. Sometimes in the middle of a passing song I will hear the seductive sibilation or beckoning honk of a synth that catches my attention like a hot person that walks by you at a bar. Are they a friend of a friend? A complete stranger that I will never see again? A lot of the synths I love are ones that haunted me, so I hunted them. Like teens stalking their crush on Instagram I would stay up late on Gearslutz, Gearspace, Reddit, etc. lustfully seeking gear lists and synth patches from bands I liked. Broadcast’s use of the Korg MS-20 and Stereolab’s use of the Farfisa and Moog Opus III sparked a romance that carried through my first album. I played a Juno-106 in Cherry Glazerr, and at the end of my time with them I was obsessed with putting it through distortion and delay pedals and using the pitch bender to get kind of shitty sounding My Bloody Valentine-y tones--though most of what sounds like a synth on their record are never synths anyways. I did a lot of pitch bendy string leads/lush chords on the Crumar Orchestrator on my first album, and in that era I used my Yamaha CS-5 constantly.
I feel like the CS-5 can emulate some MS-20esque vibes on a budget, but brought its whole own character. The pandemic is when I became extremely Minimoog pilled. I used it on everything, from instrumental score work, to all of the albums I was producing and on a lot of my second album Squeeze. It’s just a perfect instrument. I used a Keystep sequencer through it regularly to get magical arpeggiated swirls or layered polyrhythmic percussive overdubs or even melodic leads. There’s nothing that baby can’t do.
The studio I was working in for a couple different records had a Prophet-5--which I originally discovered at Tiny Telephone in San Francisco and coveted deeply in my broke bitch Juno days--which also sounds incredible through a sequencer and is gold standard for pads. Those both carried through my second and third album eras heavily. The one modern digital synth that I have actually used quite a bit over the years is the Manikin Electronic Memotron, a “virtual mellotron,” which honestly kind of bangs in its own special way. I tend to distort and affect synths a lot anyway, so often the source material can be shitty or even silly.
Synth History: What are some of your current go-to pieces of gear--doesn't have to be a synth?
Sasami: I mean I am an extremely prolific user of the iPad for Garageband and in the past even granular synthesizing apps like iDensity. I also like odd-tuned guitars--some of Squeeze and a lot of my up-coming record was written on a rubber bridge baritone acoustic guitar. I think the MS-20 and Minimoog are going to be lifer synths for me.
Synth History: Some of my favorite artists have managed to maintain their unique sound whilst continuously evolving throughout their career--David Bowie an example. How important do you think it is to evolve as an artist, and what era of Sasami are we currently in?
Sasami: I don’t think that it is important to evolve or change as an artist unless that’s what you are truly called to do. There is a lot of external pressure on artists to create/perform/behave in certain ways and I think it’s all poppycock. At the end of the day my constitution is that the songs already cosmically exist, and we are the servants that are entrusted to bring them into the earthly realm by whatever means. I think if an artist is making huge stylistic shifts, it’s because the little invisible gremlin fairies that live inside of the song are body-snatching them and forcing them to do so for the sake of the music. I don’t think there is ever any right or wrong reason to create, evolve or stay hyper focused on a very minutely shifting craft. I definitely seem to create in dramatic eras, but that’s just because my celestial musical overlords have tasked me to do so.
Synth History: As a follow up - how important are coinciding visuals for you when it comes to your music - album art, promo photos, stage set up, music videos?
Sasami: I am personally very inspired by world-building when it comes to making anything. I fucking love being a basic-ass Pinterest board building bimbo. I have collaborated a lot with Andrew Thomas Huang on the worlds and fables of my last two albums and I do my best to actualize the characters that we have birthed into existence with any resources I may have, be it sonic, lighting design, styling, etc. It’s a huge reason I was inspired by metal while making Squeeze---the metal world has a campy devotion to theatrics and costume that is as dramatic as the music they make.
Synth History: If you could pick three albums you think everyone should listen to at least once in their lifetime, apart from your own, what would they be and why?
Sasami: System of a Down - Self-titled. Such a unique band with incredible range. Songwriting and arrangements take you from heaven to hell via Glendale. This record is zero skips for me.
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk. Perfect album. The tones and production are godmode. To me, drum sound bible. Also, there are three songwriters so the energy is constantly shifting. It’s probably the album I have listened to most throughout my life and have never tired of.
Ooof hard to pick one but Elliott Smith - XO or Either/Or. Some of my favorite songs of all-time and arrangements on both fully shaped me as a producer and musician. The songwriting/guitar playing/bass lines are Mozart-level cannon. “I Didn’t Understand” is the choral emo kid requiem of dreams.
Synth History: What is one tip you have for aspiring solo musicians, that you wish you knew ten years ago?
Sasami: Don’t be afraid to cover songs/seek out tones and sounds you love from other music; also, don’t be afraid to make something completely all your own that no one else in the world understands. Bottom line, don't create out of fear. There really is no right or wrong way to make music. Just get off your phone and touch an instrument instead.
Pre-order Sasami's Blood on the Silver Screen here, out on Domino March 7th, 2025.
Synth History Exclusive.
Interview conducted by Danz.
Photographer Ambar Navarro.
Lighting Tech Max Flick.
Hair Mikey Lorenzano.
Makeup Valerie Vonprisk.
Stylist Lindsey Hartmen.
Camera Tech Charlie Han.
Special thanks Levi's, Re/Done, Rosen Sound.
PA CJ Calica.