Over the last year, Marcus “Swami Sound” Harley has found himself at the forefront of a newfound sonic soundscape within contemporary house music: NYC Garage.
Existing as a tasteful offspring to the genre of U.K. Garage, NYC Garage is a newfound rendition with its own unique set of traits and idiosyncrasies.
Despite not being anywhere near the apex of his musical journey, he has already been dubbed the “Father of NYC Garage.” While this level of acclaim might astound some, Swami Sound is honored but still very much fixated on expansion and unlocking the next level of where the genre can go.
With a very niche, cult-like following bubbling on SoundCloud, actively undergoing a multi-city tour and releasing new music relatively often, Swami Sound is working towards cementing his imprint on the world of Garage music with verve, excitement and a fresh paradigm.
Fully indebted to his craft, Swami Sound is in a mode of consistent creation as he has already dropped over 15 tracks within the past year alone. Some of his most notable works include “kelela – waiting (swami’s NYC garage), Two-Step Verification vol.7 (TGS x Hula Open Mic), and frank ocean – cayendo (swami’s NYC garage mix), which can all be found on his SoundCloud.
Before launching his second leg of touring and releasing his latest single: “Back In The Day (Soulecta Dub),” Swami Sound was able to chop it up with JaJuan Malachi of The Knockturnal about life, musical inspirations, goals and the NYC Garage Movement as a whole.
Here is how the conversation played out:
JaJuan: For those who aren’t yet familiar with Swami Sound, tell us about your background and where you come from?
Swami: Word yeah, I go by Swami Sound. I’m from the Bronx, NY. I’m 24 years old. And yeah, I started making music around the time that I began college and throughout my artistic musical journey, I’ve purveyed different spaces and different communities especially within the Bronx at my early onset as a DJ, as well as, a musical community where I studied. I studied at NYU and I graduated in 2019. Since graduating, I’ve explored different realms of my musicianship through electronic music and as of late, I’ve been having a foray into house music and through that foray, I have explored U.K. Garage and Two-Step and I’ve started to cultivate my own rendition of it. I’ve been dawned the Father of NYC Garage.
JaJuan: So how’d you develop your penchant for Garage music and when did you discover that there was an opportunity for you to carve your own niche in NYC?
Swami: The first Garage song that I heard was “On My Mind” by Preditah and Jorja Smith. I was working with an older schoolmate on their new album and one of the track’s on that album was supposed to be a two-step Garage song. I wasn’t super familiar with it. In a way in order for me to become a better producer and for me to produce that song a lot better. They sort of offered a little bit of an intimate study through a playlist. They were like “hey, here is a list of garage songs that I like a lot that you can listen to to get a feel for this production belt.” Through that playlist, you know I listened to all the songs and was like damn, these are all fire. I certainly took all the songs and started making my first mixes through that first playlist and also that song I produced. I started to get better at not only producing garage music but listening to it and finding different artists by way of that I was very familiar with the legacy of house music through my friend GUM and then I started relating to it more by playing more with GUM and DazeGxd. The more that I got new gigs, the more I studied. There was always an assignment. I was like “let me look, let me find songs that I can relate to.” So for Garage music, I was able to find songs that did multiple things for me personally. Like, they filled an emotional hole but also an energy that I’m looking for. Like, something that could be melancholic or cool or calm but has a beat that’s high enough in tempo to where I’m going, so I can feel emotionally charged. One of my favorite songs is called “Summer of Love” by Lonyo. It kind of has a melancholy kind of feel to it but it’s like a summer song. Sonically, it does that emotion thing but it also gives me energy.
JaJuan: When did you discover that there was an opportunity for you to carve your own niche in NYC?
Swami: In terms of finding an opportunity to carve my own lane, it happened copacetic. Like, I was producing a lot more and what it did for me, like those two qualities: the emotion but energy wise made it very easy for me to create my own music in that lane. For a while I was trying to explore myself artistically, I didn’t necessarily know what the perfect thing was. Like, is it melancholic or emotional? I didn’t know what speed I wanted it to be at. And if I wanted to do dance music, I didn’t know how to authentically do that. By finding that niche for myself, I was able to produce it and offer it as this thing. Like, “hey, I found this thing that was perfect for me.” It wasn’t a matter of being opportunistic. I was just like “yo, there’s this genre that’s so fire. That I know how to make and I can name it.” That was like the biggest part.
JaJuan: Do you have any vivid recollection of that “aha,” eureka moment where you were like “oh, s**t, I have something here.”
Swami: Yo, the aha moment was in September or October when Tony G tweeted like NTS should make a radio show called “Two-Step Verification” and like, I immediately responded to this tweet and was like “yo, I’m taking this idea” and then I made my first mix.” And then that’s when the Aha was like “I like this a lot and I have so much energy for it.” And then when I was exploring all these songs. I’m understanding rhythms. I know how to make it and I’ve practiced songwriting long enough to get this across. The aha moment was really like when I made “Hope It Stays.” That was really when I was like “yo, this is a great beat.” Then when I sent it to JOON, he sent me those vocals back and I was like “this is it.” This is exactly what I’m going to focus on right now. It was very simple. I didn’t have to overthink it. And then I was like “yo, I need this out next week.” It had been a long time since I released music, so for me to feel ready to show something meant a lot because I’m a perfectionist. I be on my virgo shit like crazy! I’m like “yo, I need this right, I need this perfect.” I’m a big perfectionist when it comes to music. But like for an idea to come together in such a small amount of time signifies that “this is really it.” It’s not about how I can make this sound at its best but literally like “this is the perfect idea,” this is the perfect time, here it is.” And those opportunities show themselves.
JaJuan: Well I commend you for answering the call! The world is a better place because of it. So going back to what you stated earlier about being dubbed “The Father of NYC Garage” by SoundCloud, given such rarified acclaim, do you feel a sense of additional pressure to execute and perform at a high level now?
Swami: Yeah, like.
JaJuan: Like, you feel like there’s very small margin for error and you can’t afford to disappoint at all?
Swami: Honestly that happens. That was so random. It was just so random.
*mutual laughter*
Swami: I was like, “I mean know that’s right but like this is it.” “N***as just don’t throw that shit around like that. They don’t just call n***as that out of nowhere. Like, that meant something and I had only put out two songs. Like only two of those kinds of songs but I was also supporting them with playlists. I was doing mixes. Like after that, once that occurred, I was like “everything that I’m doing is apart of the plan.” As far as disappointment goes, I have no room for disappointment. I don’t really experience imposter syndrome. That was affirming that this is exactly it. Like, when I was like this is the perfect time, perfect opportunity. I don’t know if it was the perfect timing but that put the battery in my back to keep doing it at the pace that I intended to. It just gave it more of a name. It gave me a name. But then what occurred is that I started getting more naysayers. People that were trying to argue that I wasn’t necessarily respecting Garage music or the onset of house music or the early pioneers. Or that there was outright neglect present of the evolution of music or the transatlantic exchange that can occur. The time. How time moves with music and how I’ve been responding to it. So for them to call me “the father of NYC Garage,” a lot of people are neglecting the fact that. I’m pronouncing it as NYC Garage. Not Paradise garage. Nothing like that. This is the next level of two-step for somebody from the East Coast. For a n***a from the Bronx. Like I’m from the Bronx. N***a, this is the reason why music is like this right now. Like this is exactly how it’s supposed to be. They can argue it all they want. One, my s**t is not trash. Two, that’s pretentious. I don’t mean to sound pretentious but like yo, I know what I’m doing. I’m respecting the legacy. I do my research all the time. Like, I’m not the one to argue with and I get a lot of people in my DMs tryna tell me like what it is. I’m like, it’s just music. I’m not the one that tweeted that.
JaJuan: You just embraced it pretty much.
Swami: I embraced it.
JaJuan: So I’m curious to know: How do you combat the vitriol? Because it seems like there has been a lot of clout and attention that has stemmed from this newfound place you’re currently in? Like how do you maintain mental focus?
Swami: Yo, yeah I was on social media for a minute just buggin’ out but then the MixMag article dropped and then that’s when I realized, I don’t have to do anything. Then I did the Dublab Mix, and then I did the Henry Street Settlement Mix. Like, literally the way that I combat the vitriol is by continuously working. They could still come from me and stuff like that. This is almost in a way like saying cosigns but not really because these people are cosigning it just off rip without me begging for it. I’m not begging for anything. I’m doing exactly what I planned on doing from the get go. Y’all are just blatantly, the vitriol is just the vitriol. That’s just a part of it. And actually, that’s exactly what should be happening because if no one is doing that then is what I’m really doing impactful. And then also, I’m engaging in that vitriol with respect and also like education and acknowledging that I’m also on a journey of figuring out how to do this the best way but also learn in the best way, so it helps me sort of like think critically about my own music. Because if people are still going to question me at the end of the day, then that means that I’m not necessarily demonstrating the amount of respect that’s necessary.
JaJuan: Well in the words of NYC rapper Fabolous, “if you ain’t got no haters, you’re not poppin.” For my next question, how would you describe NYC Garage and what are some sonic facets that distinguish it for other iterations/versions?
Swami: So like NYC Garage is still in its early forms. I’ve got Daze and GUM sort of like applying themselves to it as well and labeling their forms of Garage music that way. That really helps develop the identity. We’re just like East Coast guys. Like, Americans making this version of two-step that doesn’t specifically sound like future Garage, “outsider” house, or U.K. Garage in general. Like, it has elements in funk, soul, more deep connotations. My version of it or the future that I see for it is actually a connection between drill music: NY drill, Chicago Drill, Grime, U.K. Drill. Kind of like pulling that together sonically and it hasn’t necessarily happened yet. I’m like doing it bit by bit. I’m familiarizing the city with this sound so that one day, I can pull it all together in a way that is authentic. That’s the plan for it: to combine it with contemporary Hip-Hop. Because a lot of those cadences, the tempos. We’ve seen Hip-Hop go at higher tempos now. At this point, A lot of drill music that’s out is hitting 150, it’s hitting 160, it’s hitting Philly Club, Jersey Club. Like, it’s all connected. Drum and Bass and Garage are all connected. It’s all dance music. In a way there will be a perfect time and moment where all those tempos sort of connect with each other. And you’re going to hear it. I’m kind of just giving the blueprint of where it is going to go. The thing is it’s not supposed to have one uniform sound. Anybody can be New York Garage. I just so happen to be the “father” of it.
JaJuan: So, I guess striving towards this finalized form of it, do you have somewhat of a timeline or is it more so an organic process?
Swami: Yeah, so organic process. I remember talking to GUM about it and we wanted to get this all done this summer but the issue with that. We kind of shopped that idea since then but the issue with that was we expected for n****s to start biting but we had to let go of that conception. Like, if n****s was biting, that was the point. The point was for n****s to feel like we opened the door to that because that’s what the legacy is but you know it’s been coming in waves. People are inspired by us and that is super important. Like, I want to do this thing where I’m just inspiring producers to embrace dance music. I’m inspiring artists to embrace dance music and that’s what’s happening. For as long as I can do that, I’m excited. I’m not in a rush to complete this final form of it because right now, I’m spoon feeding it slowly. My last remix came out like five months ago. And I just put one out yesterday off a whim. The time is so short. I’m feeling like it’s just gonna happen. If it doesn’t happen, nah there’s no room for thinking it’s not going to happen. It’s going to happen. I expect it to happen soon but I think the most important thing is that it happens slowly. It’s happening slowly. I don’t want to just have one hit. I wanna put out a lot of great things. I want to put out a lot of great mixes/songs. I wanna have good shows. I want a prolonged experience. It’s making me think about Drake dropping. For that week, a lot of people were having deliberations on the state of House music. Like, a lot of those conversations aren’t happening anymore.
JaJuan: Yeah, they quickly dwindled.
Swami: They quickly dwindled. That’s not what I want. But the key was that people were also directing people towards us. Like and I’m guessing that’s what it was supposed to do. The last thing I want is to have a “quickly dwindled” conversation. It’s supposed to be a prolonged experience. For as big as we want it to be, it has to happen at a slow and steady pace.
JaJuan: I feel that. So on another note, how has touring been for you?
Swami: Touring has been dope! Going to Montreal, it was sick to see another city for a personal experience. Getting out of NY is a blessing. A lot of people want to come to NY and experience it and stuff like that but for a New Yorker to come from where I’m from, a lot of n***s don’t even get that opportunity to go somewhere else just for a little bit to get some money, you know? So to go somewhere else to get some chicken but also just like to experience a city in a different environment to see how other people live and to see where else I could thrive.
JaJuan: Like the novelty of it is enchanting.
Swami: Yes, the novelty of it and it never really goes away because I’m from probably the greatest city in the world but I am able to appreciate the small things in other cities. This is a great place. Like Portugal is great because you know the beach is like a 20 min drive away. You can go to the water but then you can go back to the city and check out the hustle and bustle but they’ve got some good eats, you know what I’m saying. Los Angeles is dope because there’s a lot of dope people and they are working out there. And I was grateful to have gone. The LA trip was whimsical in a way but I was like “yo, this is an opportunity I’ve gotta take and there I realized that that’s where my largest fanbase is, where people would say “I’ve been following you and your music for a minute now. I love your music, ah, ah, ah.” Touring has been really wholesome. I’m back in NY for a second but I’m about to go back on tour.
JaJuan: Wow, well that’s exciting. What’s the next stop for you?
Swami: Austin!
JaJuan: Texas?!
Swami: Yeah, yeah.
JaJuan: Ahh ok word! That’s lit!
Swami: Yo, I’m with the shits. I need Zaxby’s immediately.
JaJuan: Haha, Zaxby’s is fire. You’ve gotta try Raising Cane’s as well.
Swami: Yo, Raising Cane’s! They’ve got that in LA right?
JaJuan: Oh word!? I wasn’t savvy on that. I think they’re bringing one on 42nd Street as well. Yeah, the eats out there are impeccable but on another note, who would you say are some of your biggest influences?
Swami: Yo, my biggest influences. Let me look through my library real quick. Yo, MJ Cole, Kelela. The thing is I have a lot of influences, so that’s a really difficult question to answer. Maybe like Sean Brown as well. GUM is a big influence. I can’t deny that. Daze, Larry Levan, and Frankie Knuckles of course, he’s a Bronx Legend.
JaJuan: Gotcha! For my next question, if you had to choose between producing and DJing, which one would you say you enjoy the most and why ?
Swami: Um, yo! I love DJing because I get to hear blends on the fly. I hear two songs that sound really good together and I always know what songs sound good together. Like, it helps me know that I’m so good at this. Also, it helps me produce better. It helps me find out what direction I wanna take my productions in or like, what I want to strive for at some point. They’ll always be songs to play. I try and take my creative side. I try to treat it with care. There was a point in time where I wasn’t listening enough and that’s why I love DJing because I can always listen. It’s not always about creating but I can still always create a fire blend.
JaJuan: What are some of your short term goals?
Swami: Getting my CDs out there. A n****a like me needs some money. Developing more of a garment identity. Like what kinds of garments I want to make. I want to explore more a visual, cinematic world but that’s hard because I need money, haha. Yeah but sort of just getting the image out there. Like people can subscribe to it in a simpler way than just the music. As of right now, I’m getting people to subscribe to the music but at some point, I’m going to get them to subscribe to the image. It should always be, at its core, about the sound. It’s a little hard to do that with a couple songs out.
JaJuan: I would imagine so. It seems like a time-intensive process.
Swami: Yes indeed!
JaJuan: Everything that you have going on is sort of like a slow burn.
Swami: Yeah, slow burn! Like and that’s the important thing is that like, I’m not making super viral TikToks every single time. I’m getting TikToks that have like a couple of 1,000 views. That may be a lot but that’s actually a small amount but that’s perfect because then you’re developing a niche. That lets you know that it’s a niche. Like, I’ve seen people on TikTok with videos that blow but then that’ll be the only reason why people f**k with them. They’ll be seeking that one specific sound or that one specific song. But that’s not what I want. I want people to like all of it. That’s why niche is important. That’s what’s most important to me. Like you know what I mean. There was a point in time where I thought I was only going to be identified through the kelela remix but I realized that all I needed to do was make a fire remix.
JaJuan: So diversify the portfolio pretty much!
Swami: Diversify the portfolio at a timely basis because you’ve gotta let things live. You’ve gotta let things live. Right now, it’s not about the numbers. It’s not about having 100s of 1000s. Right now, what I’m looking at is 10s of 1000s because that’s perfect. Because you can really tell that this is on the rise. That there’s an opportunity to go beyond that. Trusting the process is soooo important. And I’m really going for that one but if I do get that one, I’ll be grateful.
JaJuan: Outside of music, what are some of your other creative outlets?
Swami: Yo, I’m still trying to get into sort of like documenting our travels. Sort of like more clothing. I like Gorpcore a lot. I want to get into the actual application of Gorpcore. Like going out and hiking, kayaking, um yeah. I like to look like I’m doing something.
JaJuan: Word! So where do you envision yourself in say the next five years? Do you plan on committing to music full-time?
Swami: Yeah, I’ve already committed to music full-time. But what I want to do within five years is, I need a Grammy for one, two I want to start a music therapy practice. I want to put my degree to work and start a business in music therapy. Yeah, that’s the only plan.
JaJuan: Tell us about your vision behind your upcoming single: Back In The Day (Soulecta Dub)? And sort of like what your ideation process was behind that?
Swami: Yeah, so the original version of “Back In The Day” that came out in February, that took about two years to create and that had different forms. It’s final form was when I realized I wanted to make Two-Step Garage music. I wanted to explore myself personally, be able to translate that into lyrics that I wrote for it, and then come together with Camille, getting it to conceptually match my identity as being a Bronx Native, appreciating Spanish music and sort of applying it to that. Like, y’all ain’t never heard Spanish music in Garage music in the way that I applied it. Someone told me that and I told them that I’ve never heard that either.
JaJuan: So this is pretty groundbreaking?
Swami: Yo, it’s groundbreaking! It really is. So like the Soulecta Dub. When Soulecta hit me up or when he followed me rather because I’ve been in tune with the UKG scene, that was just a connection that really worked out. Like Soulecta sent me all of his dubs including the ones that he hasn’t put out yet and I was like, these are all fire. I always play some Soulecta when I’m out performing. I hit him up and was like, “yo, do you wanna make a dub of this?” For something that was already Garage, he made it like the U.K. Garage that really signifies the difference, so that when somebody hears it, they’re going to be like “yeah, this is the difference between U.K. and NYC Garage.
JaJuan: So it really delineates the contrast forreal forreal?
Swami: Yeah, exactly! And pick which one you prefer between the two. If you pick one, cool but then you have another one and it’s also for the DJs something that’s easy to play, something that feels good. Yeah, the thing about the Soulecta Dub is that it feels a lot better. It feels like more of a Summer hit. The original version explores the depth of my artistry and does what a remix should, which is make it a lot more fun. You get the same message. It brings me back to like, in the early 2000s era those remixes, a lot of people slept on those. Those house remixes that kind of seemed corny for the time. Now, they sound so good because they were ahead of their time. Reviving a song through a remix is so important, like there is much more to it.
JaJuan: Yeah, the track takes on a new life with the remix if done right. Sometimes, it’ll even surpass the quality or popularity of the original. There are few that come to mind actually right now.
Swami: The “Confessions” remix. I didn’t even know that Kanye West was on the “Confessions” remix.
JaJuan: Oh you didn’t know that, haha.
Swami: Like there is so much there. Like the “ice box” (swami redub), there’s a couple remixes of Cassie’s “Me & U,” there are remixes of Ciara, Janet Jackson. Like there are all these remixes that exist that aren’t cringy that sort of fit into the sonic identity of me but also the memories of so many other people. Like what I’m doing is filling in that memory hole that can lift you up but also bring you back.
JaJuan: We definitely need that nowadays for sure. So what is some of the best advice you’ve received in your career so far and from whom?
Swami: From my homie Mars Marvelito. I forgot what he said exactly but the message was that there are people who aren’t going to be hip immediately. I think as long as that continues, it’ll be good. This might not be how it is forever either. I can be the hottest thing right now but at some point, I might not be. But I can’t let up, it’s a marathon. I’m navigating as if I’m not the hottest thing right now. If I am, I am. If I’m not, I’m not. I’d rather not be right now. I’d rather be a little poppin,’ just because I found my fan base. Like, I haven’t even reached like 2,000 listeners. I mean like followers on streaming services and music platforms. I’m not the hottest thing right now. I’m literally just finding my fanbase. I don’t have a hit that’s great yet. As long as it takes, I will continue working towards that. Everything’s going to take time and that’s what excites me the most.
JaJuan: I’m excited as well. So what are your thoughts on the “dying” record label and would you consider yourself a proponent for more of the independent route? In the event that a record label wanted to back you, is that something you’d be interested in?
Swami: A N***a like me. I need a f**king challenger. I need a hellcat. I need money. Nah, I’m not joking. However, I’m not leaving money on the table.
*mutual laughter*
JaJuan: I feel that. So what can we expect from Swami Sound for the rest of 2022?
Swami: More music, more mixes, good shows, fun times, good energy, connection.
All images shot by @cooly.fooly.
To keep up with Swami Sound, check him out on Instagram.