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Sultan + Shepard Interview: South Africa, China & Melodic House Culture
INTERVIEW | THINK IN ELECTRONIC
Under The Surface: Sultan + Shepard On Emotion, Touring & Melodic House
Sultan + Shepard Discuss South Africa, China & The Cultural Language Of Dance Music
For more than two decades, Sultan + Shepard have remained one of electronic music’s most respected and influential acts, helping shape the sound of melodic and progressive house through emotionally driven production and cinematic storytelling. From Grammy-nominated remixes and collaborations with some of the biggest names in pop and EDM to performances at Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival, EDC, and most recently VAC Festival (Vision & Colour), the duo continue to evolve while staying deeply connected to the melodic roots that first defined their sound.
After years spent navigating different eras of dance music, Sultan + Shepard found renewed inspiration through their return to melodic and progressive house with Lane 8’s This Never Happened label — a creative shift that has since ushered in a new chapter for the duo. Their latest EP, Communicate +, featuring tracks such as Before The Storm, Mio, Mainline, All Access, Sigh, and Postcards, further showcases the immersive and emotive sound that has become synonymous with their music.
Following their South African tour last November with Lane 8 and their recent China debut including performances in Shanghai and at VAC Festival (Vision & Colour) this April, we caught up with Sultan + Shepard to discuss the differences between dance music culture in South Africa and China, their evolving creative process, the emotional direction of modern melodic house music, and why authenticity still matters in an increasingly fast-moving electronic music landscape.
Hi Sultan + Shepard, it is a pleasure to welcome you to Think In Electronic. Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to do this interview with us. It’s an honour for us. Late last year our team had the opportunity to experience your debut in South Africa. While our China team was hoping to catch your China debut but sadly it was not possible.
TIE : Before starting we ask all our guests the same thing. First thing that comes to mind when you hear South Africa and China?
S+S : Amazing places, amazing parties..
Football Shirts, Engineering & Cultural Identity
We like to start all of our interviews on a light note, so we are wondering . Quick one to start:
TIE : Ned, We noticed on a certain social platform your picture has you wearing a Bafana Bafana 1994/96 shirt, what’s the story there?
Shepard: I’m a big collector of football kits, (actually we both are.!) And I wanted to wear a South Africa kit while we played there. I spent quite a bit of time researching different kits and I was so happy to find the 94 shirt, especially because there are all these photos of Mandela wearing it and it was the first World Cup they were in after apartheid. So many people stopped me and asked me where I got that kit. I love the stories behind the shirts.
TIE: Ossama, we are curious to know did you ever finish that Engineering Degree? Actually, your background spans Palestine, Kuwait, Cyprus, Egypt, and Canada, has that cultural mix shaped your outlook in music or creativity in any way?
Sultan: Yes, I did finish my engineering degree and I also got my masters in robotics. I would say earlier in my career my first productions were definitely influenced by the cultural mix especially the tribal rhythms from the Middle East.
Returning To Their Melodic Roots
TIE: We’ve been following Sultan + Shepard for years, going back to your tracks with Nadia Ali and remixes like Morgan Page. Those tracks still feel timeless. Your sound has shifted quite a bit since then and it’s reflected in all your newer releases, it feels less festival, more introspective. Did that shift happen naturally, or was there a point where you consciously decided to move in a different direction?
S+S: We had a period from 2016-2019 where we were really uninspired and just not into what we had started making, besides one or two things. We came to a very intentional agreement in 2019 that if we didn’t start making things we loved we would quit. We got inspired by the melodic, organic and progressive house being made at that time. It reminded us of the music we made when we first started in the mid 2000’s. So it felt like a natural time to return to our roots, but with everything we had learned in the more poppy, big room era. This return also coincided with the pandemic, so there was naturally an introspective feeling in the air. It just aligned so nicely.
TIE: Listening to your older records and your latest EP Communicate +, it’s easy to hear that the musicality has always been there. Your music now sits between club functionality and emotional storytelling. Has it been important for you to hold onto that, and is there ever tension between making something that works live and something that says something?
S+S: We always like to make club records alongside more listening records. Even on our albums that feel very introspective there are still records that we can play in a club that will work. The balance is really important to us. If something goes too far in one direction it can get monotonous. Communicate + was really a response to making so many albums and just wanting to put out instrumental records we could play in the club. It felt like a palate cleanser to help us move on from the Circle in Time Trilogy.
TIE: You’ve been releasing a lot on Lane 8’s label “This Never Happened”. What’s different about that space compared to others you’ve been part of before?
S+S: Dan (Lane 8) has built such an incredible community of fans. They’re so passionate and dedicated to this music. It’s unlike any other label we’ve been a part of. It’s so fun to meet them and see how excited they are for new music, for traveling to shows and so on. They notice all the little details that we put into the music and it means so much to us. That passion is really infectious and keeps us feeling very inspired.
South Africa, China & Dance Music Culture
TIE: You played South Africa recently and, by the time this interview is out, you’ll have played in China. We’re connected to both, and the difference in crowds can be pretty noticeable. From your experience, do certain sounds connect differently depending on where you are, or is electronic music becoming more of a universal language?
S+S: China’s crowd is a bit younger. Their exposure to dance music feels more recent and so their enthusiasm is really infectious and so fun. Fan culture in Asia in general is also just next level so we really felt so much love there. We can’t wait to go back. South Africa has been a part of dance music’s DNA for much longer and the crowds were older and also more diverse. There were people from all over the world there and they really had an amazing understanding of different eras and styles of dance music. It felt really special to play there and know that if we dropped an older record people would get it. Both places were amazing though. We had the best time.
TIE: China’s scene has been evolving quickly, but it still feels quite different to more established markets. One half of us, being based here, we’ve seen certain sounds stay quite niche, and that club shows don’t always fill up, while festivals like VAC depend on big names. From what you’ve seen so far, what stands out to you?
S+S: We were really impressed with the production at our shows in China. The lights and visuals and VJ’s and lighting people were top notch. Also, the passion of the crowds is more important than how many people are there, and so we felt like the fans just made both shows feel huge. It’s important that scenes grow organically. If you try to make something huge right away, the vibe will suffer. It seemed to us like things are growing in a really nice way there now, and so we’re excited for what the next few years in China will be like!
TIE: South Africa has deep roots in music when it comes to house and deep house, the house genre is the soul of South Africa, when you played in South Africa, did anything stand out to you musically and are there any artists you’d like to work with from South Africa?
S+S: We got to go see some Amapiano at a club in Pretoria which was amazing. It was just so cool to see a whole style of dance music that we don’t really have much access to here in North America be played at a commercial club there. It was a totally different style of mixing and also dancing. We loved it. In general, the South African people’s appreciation for dance music is amazing. You just have this sense that they really understand the music in such a deep way, and you can tell they’ve been listening to it their whole lives. It’s something you don’t see in many parts of the world. Our friend Cornelius SA makes great music and we’ve talked about doing stuff together. We really like Ami Faku as a singer. We’d love to work with her.
AI, Creativity & The Future
TIE: There has been some noise around Diplo’s latest AI in music comments. AI is becoming pervasive in everything including music production. How do you see it impacting creativity - does it open new doors, or risk diluting originality? and Have you used any AI tools, would you be open to using them?
S+S: We don’t use AI in our music. There may come a time where it will be helpful but right now it just feels very generic. The human perspective is extremely important and for us that’s really what we want to express rather than making something that sounds like it will be popular.
Touring, Pressure & What Comes Next
TIE: Artists always give everything in a set, but not everything is in your control. How much do things like the venue, sound, and crowd shape the experience, and how do you adapt when something feels off during a show?
S+S: Venues make a huge difference. We try to be as picky as possible and pick environments and venues that we think will be best suited to our shows. Ultimately as you said, you only have so much control so you have to do the best you can no matter what, but the longer we’ve been doing this, the more we’ve been picky about where we play. We just want our fans to have the best time possible.
TIE: Most people only see the highlight reel, the big moments and the highs. For aspiring musicians, can you talk about some of the tougher realities of being an artist and DJ, and how you’ve learned to navigate or overcome them?
S+S: This is a passion not a normal job. There are so many ups and downs. You have to really want to do this and really love the music. It’s a marathon and not a sprint. If you’re doing it for any other reason that your love of making music and performing then it won’t last. Just focus on making the best thing you can in each moment and you won’t have any regrets. It’s nice to listen back to older records and hear that you were really in it to the point of “wow how did we make that?” vs. “what we were thinking, this is terrible” haha. The only way to do that is to be totally into what you’re doing.
TIE: Looking ahead, how do you see the future of Sultan + Shepard, both in terms of your sound and your journey together?
S+S: Just trying to evolve and continue to make music sincerely from our hearts that makes us excited. We know what it feels like to do that and we also know what it feels like not to do that, so we’re just trying to pay attention to that line and follow our feelings.
Rapid Fire: First thing that comes to your mind
24 hours, no sleep: South Africa vs China. where are you taking us and what’s the plan?
Ned Shepard :Shanghai. Let’s eat and roam around. Such a fun, futuristic city. Feels like it encompasses the past present and future all at once.
Ossama Sultan: Cape Town. One of the most beautiful places ever. Let’s eat and go to the beach for sunset.
In the studio: Perfectionists or gut-feel merchants? (How many times do you really test a track before letting it go?)
Ned Shepard: GUT FEEL. Depends on the track! Sometimes we don’t even test it at all!
Ossama Sultan: GUT FEEL!
Pre-show mode: Rituals, superstition, or just walk on and go?
Sultan + Shepard: We like to gather our team if we’re traveling with people and do three breaths all together just to take it all in for a moment and rest before things get crazy.
Unpopular opinion: What’s one trend (music or otherwise) you wish would come to an end?
Ned Shepard: Following other people’s trends.
Ossama Sultan: POV social media posts.
Outside of music: What do you do to wind down or take a break?
Ned Shepard: Meditation.
Ossama Sultan: Spend time with my wife and kids.
Crowd surprise: What’s the most unexpected track that’s ever worked in your set?
Ned Shepard: ZIMA!
Ossama Sultan: YOU ARE MY HIGH!
With Communicate + marking another chapter in their evolution, Sultan + Shepard continue to blur the lines between club music and emotional storytelling. Whether in South Africa, China, or anywhere else in the world, their music continues to prove that connection remains at the heart of dance music.
