It had a lot to do with Sonja [Drakulich of Stellamara], because she was very clear in her artistic vision. It was just a really attractive place to go – the idea of music as a devotional practice and not just for entertainment was at that point in my life really appealing.

Growing up in LA, it's a pretty spiritually arid place, it's kind of dry, and I was always wanting more. I had a longing. When I started working with Stellamara, that longing really opened up and kind of blossomed. I discovered this whole tradition of music being a vehicle for prayer – kirtan, Sufi music, or ecstatic drumming from Northern Africa – most of the traditions of the world have a devotional aspect to them. That lead to my interest in anthropology, and I was already interested in world music. The spiritual aspect of music gave fuel to what it was already doing, it kind of turbocharged everything and gave it a lot more focus and intention. Now that I'm playing more electronica and that I'm playing a lot of these dance parties, I still feel an element of a devotional aspect in my music, even though it is being played at loud volume under pulsing lights. I think it's something that Cheb [i Sabbah] and other producers kind of share. I've talked to people and seen films about electronic music being the new form of ecstatic dance. A lot of people feel that they really work stuff out on the dance floor.

SFBG: You've studied and played with a lot of well-known musicians in world music. How were you introduced to this community?

JS: When I first moved to San Francisco, I was Entertainment Programs Manager at SF State and I had a world music agenda and was actually booking all these people. I called Cheb i Sabbah and all these other people. I actually met all these people through booking them at the university and working with them backstage at other larger events. Because I was just a little pup – I was just this little oud player guy and I was just getting started, and I was really humble. I would say, "Oh, I'd like to study with you." That kind of developed into these other relationships. I booked the Moroccan musicians, then I ended up studying with them, and then I ended up doing an ethnography of them for my [Anthropology] degree [at SF State]. Everything kind of grew organically.

SFBG: What is your ethnic background?

JS: I was born in Los Angeles, and historically am sort of French/Celtic. My family has been in the U.S. since the 1650's. We're old school.

SFBG: How has that affected your reception by these musicians and by your fans?

JS: Issue of appropriation comes up, but I think the main thing that levels that playing field is the fact that I've studied the oud for over 10 years. I take the time to learn all the instruments that I work with; I don't just sample the music. I feel that I am an apprentice of some of the great masters. That has helped a lot. I am not just pillaging the repertoire.

SFBG: Who are your fans?

JS: Basically, it's cosmopolitan world travelers who are looking for that combination of traditional music and a globalism that comes from knowing people from a lot of different places.

SFBG: Are you concerned with the issue of appropriation in world music?

JS: Very much so. I think that some producers try to mash up different cultural traditions and sometimes those mash ups don't really work because the producer may not have a deep understanding of that music. They will have a jam going on and then they'll just kind of drop in a sample for an exotic spice, but it may not have any relevance to what is going on in the song. I find that to be kind of annoying and sort of imperialist in a way, or colonialist. That is kind of a heavy thing to say, but I think what I am trying to do is to find common ground of all this music, find combinations that are not just East versus West but actually are a very happy marriage. Hip hop beats and Arabic rhythms work really, really well together. Or Indian tabla and drum and bass work really well together. I try to a way where the combinations aren't forced, so both sides benefit and there is not really a duality anymore. This is the music I hear in my head. I am an oud player and I'm an electronic producer, and I was an avant-garde guitar player in LA. Some people just kind of jam these things together and think it sounds cool. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

SFBG: How do you preserve integrity of the traditions from which you draw?

Generally I don't really use samples, I record the musicians live. I generally don't sample melodies; I find musicians to play them and I work with them in the studio – we collaborate – in a live setting.

SFBG: How would you describe your own spiritual practice?

JS: I am a little Sufi, Dervish kind of guy. I did Vipassana meditation for a while, spent a lot of time at Zen centers, and have a sort of lapsed yoga practice, though I'm getting back into it. I feel that music is an incredibly powerful tool for healing and I definitely believe that it physiologically changes you. There is a term called nada brahma, which means "the world is sound," and I really believe that. That is why I enjoy combining the deep traditional beautiful music with these lush arrangements, because it's like you're winning on both fronts. I think if you turned off all the acoustic instruments in my music, it would still be very beautiful, and then you add this other element of these gorgeous, very human melodies, for me it's the perfect combination.

Jef Stott Saracen CD Release party
May 10, 9pm, $5, 21+

Dub Gabriel (DJ set)
Kush Arora (Surya Dub-Live Dubwise set)
Drum Spyder (Live Percussion / DJ set)