Cool, cosmopolitan, and more chill than his signature smooth sounds, DJ Sun has been a fixture in Houston’s music scene since the mid-’90s, boasting a diverse and loyal fan base that far transcends the city.
A respected purveyor of soul, lounge, and groove, DJ Sun (born Andre Sam-Sin) first nurtured his following with his Soular Grooves radio show on KPFT nearly 30 years ago, as well as his wildly popular DJ sets and residencies (his jam-packed Friday night sets at The Flat in Montrose are a local tradition).
Now, the DJ/producer/musician/host is set to release his third studio album, a figurative love note to his fans, Houston, and the world. Loveletter drops on Saturday, July 23. To mark the release that same day, the talented DJ and a cast of elite musicians will perform Loveletter: Red Hook to Rotterdam, a multi-disciplinary show at the University of Houston’s Moores Opera House.
The ensemble includes a 14-piece orchestra conducted by the acclaimed Marlon Chen, rapper Fat Tony, spoken word by Houston Poet Laureate Outspoken Bean and DJ Sun’s daughter SAM-SIN, and renowned Houston native Chris Dave — who has drummed for superstars Beyoncé, Adele, and D’Angelo and whom famed drummer Questlove of The Roots calls “the most dangerous drummer alive” — and his band The Drumhedz.
Also adding serious star power is bassist Tim Ruiz, a three-time Grammy Award winner with famed Tejano band La Mafia. Notably, Dave, Ruiz, and Chen (currently the music director of the Manila Symphony Orchestra) are graduates of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
Other names include Louis Morales (lead singer of reggae band DEM) and astrologer Jasmine Richardson. To add to the immersive experience, corresponding videos and projections will be created by Justice Tirapelli-Jamail and Tamirah Collins. Navarro Stark serves as the event’s creative director.
Tickets for the star-studded performance are a mere $5 and are available online.
Fans can expect Sun’s trademark Lo-Fi grooves, clever and tasty samples, and atmospheric, retro vibe — made all the more lush and immersive with the orchestra and corresponding visual displays in a refined setting.
A top-tier production, this Loveletter showcase is co-produced by the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston and should rightly command a top-tier ticket price. But the benevolent DJ and UH grad — born in the Netherlands, raised in Suriname, and now decades-long Houstonian — ensured through a UH grant and his own investment that prices would be accessible to all, as a thank-you.
“Houston has just been amazing to me — not just good, but amazing — because of the diversity that we have here,” DJ Sun tells CultureMap. “I call this a Loveletter because really, we could all use that right now.”
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DJ Sun and company perform Loveletter: Red Hook to Rotterdam at the Moores Opera House at the University of Houston (3333 Cullen Blvd.) on Saturday, July 23. Doors open at 6:30 pm; concert begins at 8 pm. Individual tickets are $5 and can be purchased online or by phone at 713-743-3388.
Houston legend DJ Sun presents his lush multi-disciplinary, Loveletter on Saturday, July 23.
