Business & brands / Music
Sam Valenti IV
· record label founder
Founder of Ghostly International, the influential electronic label he started in Ann Arbor in 1999 as a University of Michigan student.
- Birth name
- Samuel Valenti IV
- Also known as
- Samuel Valenti IV
- Detroit years
- 1980s–2000s
- Field
- Business & brands, Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Sam Valenti IV grew up in suburban Detroit and became a fan of underground music culture as a teenager, sneaking into hip-hop clubs by carrying records for his DJ hero, House Shoes. During his first week at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor he met Matthew Dear at a house party, and their shared love of Detroit techno led him to found Ghostly International in 1999. The label's first 12-inch was Dear's “Hands Up for Detroit”, co-produced by the ghettotech producer Disco D. Early releases included Tadd Mullinix's Winking Makes a Face and the Italo-disco-inspired compilation Disco Nouveau, and the dance-focused offshoot Spectral Sound issued Dear's early singles. Ghostly became known for combining electronic music with strong visual design and later expanded into indie and ambient music, with artists such as Tycho and Com Truise. The company is now headquartered in Brooklyn, but it remains one of the best-known musical exports of the Ann Arbor–Detroit area.
Highlights
- Founded Ghostly International in Ann Arbor in 1999.
- First release: Matthew Dear's “Hands Up for Detroit”.
- Launched the dance imprint Spectral Sound.
- Ghostly is now based in Brooklyn, New York.
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · late 1990s
University of Michigan
Where he met Matthew Dear and founded Ghostly International in 1999.