If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be? It might sound cheesy, but bitbird friends and I always call it that the “x-factor.” Certain songs just have that special thing that touch your heart and make you go, “Oh man, this is amazing.” This could be a hardcore gabber track, a classical piano piece, Dutch folk music, an orchestra piece anything. I really do not listen to music by genres. What types of music are you into right now? Learning music theory has been crucial as well, which is something I use a lot and come back through my use of chords and melodies. I think being open minded towards music and just life in general is one of the most important things to me. Playing in bands and being exposed to so many musicians and styles definitely helped broaden my perspectives. How did going to music school contribute to your material? I quickly discovered that I really enjoy all of that type of music, so instead of being just a guitarist, I wanted to be a creator - which is why I started producing. Bands like Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Linkin Park really inspired me to start playing guitar and create music. I remixed all of these classic hip hop tracks and created a totally different musical universe around it. That’s why I decided to start that project, Don’t Touch The Classics.
Hearing these ’90s hip-hop tracks just brings back so many memories. I’m a nostalgic person, I love thinking about the past, reliving moments. Dre’s “The Next Episode.” Are Dre and hip-hop big inspirations? And it’s not hard to believe either San Holo’s great attitude is constantly reflected through his music.Ī lot of people knew you for your remix of Dr. Even when talking about industry plants - one of his few pet peeves in the business - Sander is hesitant to get too much into it because he would much rather focus on positivity. He’s driven by his love and passion for music rather than worrying about all the politics and stigmas surrounding it. Right off the bat, we’re able to see that he’s a friendly, humble character who likes to surround himself with good people and vibes. In promotion of his recently released New Sky EP, we linked up with the electronic music artist to learn a little more about who he is and what drives him to keep going. The producer’s moniker (which is an obvious tribute) was too similar to the name of the Star Wars character (which has been acquired by Disney), Han Solo.ĭisney may be a big company, but obstacles like this didn’t stop the producer from making music and chasing dreams. As soon as Sander’s name got a little more prevalent, the beatsmith was stuck by the corporation with a cease-and-desist with a strike fee estimated between $5 to $10 million for infringement. If you thought that Deadmau5 and his headgear was the only case within electronic music to have had run-ins with Disney, you’re wrong. On top of that, he’s also the founder of the prominent creative outfit, bitbird.
Dre’s classic 2001 single “The Next Episode,” which dropped in 2014 and currently has over 80 million views on YouTube, San Holo has been delivering notable tracks through big labels like Spinnin’ Records, Monstercat, and more recently, Skrillex’s OWSLA. The 25-year-old Dutch producer, real name Sander van Dijck, has quite the impressive resume despite being such an independent music figure. If you’re a fan of electronic music, it’s likely that San Holo isn’t a new name to your ears.