Sacha Robotti is having a very good year.  With releases on This Ain’t Bristol, Desert Hearts Records and of course, Dirtybird, his records have been topping charts and lighting up dancefloors all summer long.  This fall, he’s embarking on a headlining tour of North America stacked with talent and living it up with his best friends and collaborators. Now, he makes his return to the Dirtybird Campout this weekend, October 6 – 8 in Bradley, California.   When We Dip caught up with Sacha before his return to one of his favorite events with the collective that started it all.

A Dirtybird Fan

It’s undeniable that Sacha Robotti has become a beloved staple of the Dirtybird Players, but his relationship with the label started as a fan.  “Justin Martin’s ‘Swamp Thang’ and Claude Von Stroke’s ‘The Whistler’ & ‘Who’s Afraid of Detroit’ made me go WTF is this music?” he remembers.  “At the time, minimal was super popular, and house music out of the states was mostly ‘classic’ – for lack of a better word.  The sound [Justin and Claude] blasted out was fresh and groovy, as well as kind of weird and fun.  I fell in love with what they were creating and it influenced me.  Throughout the years I supported that sound in clubs and connected with the Dirtybird artists.”

Gradually support of the sound led to working with the Dirtybird players themselves.  “The first birds I met in person were Christian and Justin Martin in Miami and Europe.” Sacha explains.  “I started sending demos to Claude Von Stroke as early as 2008 and in 2012 I released my first track on Dirtybird – ‘The Major’ with vocals by DJ Rush.”  

The tech house track would launch Robotti’s career to a new level.  By the next year he was releasing collaborative tracks with Claude Von Stroke and 2016 saw him relocating from Berlin to Los Angeles, California.  “Dirtybird is one of the main reasons I’m living in California right now” he says.  “Barclay [Claude Von Stroke] was very supportive of my move there.”

Collaboration With Desert Hearts

Sacha’s been making recent collaborative magic with Desert Hearts founder and party king Mikey Lion.  Their release “Ol’ Dirty Hearts” became a summer anthem, blending the two unique sounds of Desert Hearts and Dirtybird Records.  “It was great fun – Mikey and I get along very well in the studio” says Sacha.  “We finished this track in 2-3 sessions, he brought the sample, wanted to do something with it, I found the bassline.  It was a smooth collab!  The idea behind ‘Ol’ Dirty Hearts’ was to merge the Desert Hearts sound with the sound of Dirtybird.  Both crews support each other and we wanted to express that musically.”  Can we expect more from the pair?  “Who knows,” he hints.  “We might work on something else together soon!”

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/321806182″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

The SlothAcid Tour

Sacha’s fall tour of North America is titled “the SlothAcid Tour” – a term he’s adopted to describe himself and his unique music style.  “I’ve used a sloth logo for my warehouse parties in LA the past couple years,” he explains.  “The sloth has become a spirit animal that has been increasingly associated with my artist persona.  Sloths are endangered species and are friendly, chill creatures who like to sleep a lot and seem to live happily in the moment – qualities that I can relate to especially today in our performance-driven society.”

What does SlothAcid mean in terms of genre to Sacha?  He describes it as “the style of electronic music that I like to play out at festivals and clubs: a mix of groovy, emotional, weird,  psychedelic music with tough beats that hopefully will take you on a journey through space-time”

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/322786128″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

What’s next on Sacha Robotti’s list?  Where does he want to take his music next?  “All over the world to be honest!” he says.  “Currently I would love to play in Japan and in Brazil again.  I still can’t believe how lucky I am and how my dreams and goals of the last years are coming true.  Manifesting works!”

Catch Him At the Campout

Sacha shows a great appreciation for everyone who has helped him get to where he is today, and has a lot of love for the community of fans and collaborators in the scene.  It’s not uncommon to see him in the crowd at festivals living it up with attendees!  “I love being in touch with the people who support me dearly and have a good time together” he laughs.  “I wouldn’t be here without them, without you guys!  So whenever I can, I connect with my fans – be it in person or online.”

For the third annual Dirtybird Campout this year, Sacha plans on being around as much as possible.  “I’m looking forward to hanging out with my friends!  Last year I missed out on most of the Campout because I had to attend shows in other cities that same weekend, so this year I made sure to be onsite at least 2 out of 3 nights.” he promises.

As far as who else in the family he’s excited to see, it’s hard to choose favorites.  “I’ve been really into what Walker & Royce have been producing lately” he offers.  “But I’m genuinely stoked to see everyone!  It’s a family gathering!”

Catch Sacha Robotti on The Birdhouse stage at the Dirtybird Campout this Sunday, October 8th from 5:00p – 6:00p.  Tickets and more info available at dirtybirdcampout.com