The first release by Teddy Stuart and Magali van Caloen is out now.
Photo credit: Samples From Mars – Official
Samples From Mars expands into original productions with the launch of Salt Queen, a new project from founder Teddy Stuart alongside New York-based visual artist and musician Magali van Caloen.
After building an international reputation as a sample pack label over the past decade, the imprint now opens its catalog to a broader musical scope. Stuart, previously a Grammy-nominated recording engineer in hip hop and part of A/JUS/TED with Justin Strauss, brings his studio background into a release that reflects the label’s analog-focused approach across house, disco, techno, and ambient.
Salt Queen introduces a collaborative identity grounded in hardware-driven dance music and spoken word. Their debut single ‘ARE U OK’ unfolds as an acid-led cut built on Italo-leaning 808 rhythms and a persistent 303 bassline, stripped of chords and melody in favor of a skeletal groove. The vocal moves between confrontation and detachment, tracing familiar club exchanges before shifting into a more chaotic sequence marked by siren elements.
The release also features the ‘Freak Nasty Club Mix’, which removes the narrative layer and focuses on raw machine interplay. A pronounced SH-101 bassline leads the first section before transitioning into a sharper acid pattern that drives the track forward.
Listen to ‘ARE U OK’ below and download your copy here.
