After remixing “untouchable” classic hip-hop tracks from the likes of Eminem, Nelly, and 50 Cent, the young Dutch DJ San Holo quickly rose to virtual fame. His SoundCloud following spiked from several hundred to several thousands and his remix of Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode” went viral, receiving over 50 million views on Youtube – and this was just the beginning of his career. Since then, he has released two EPs, including his recent release Victory on Monstercat records and has been playing shows across the globe. Based on San Holo’s creative ambitions and his instant rise to success, the DJ is a force to be reckoned with.

Photography and interview by Lauren Engel
intro by Sadie Bell

Tell us about your upbringing/childhood and how did it shape the person you are now?
My childhood was great as I had lots of love and support from my family. In school I always wanted to perform well, which meant that I would spend so much time doing my homework and studying. My parents realised this was becoming an obsession and were like “You got to find yourself a hobby or something!” I was always fascinated by guitars. I used to see all those 90’s rockbands on MTV, and playing guitar felt like something I really wanted to do, so I started taking lessons. From that moment I realised music was going to be a big part of my life. From my first guitar lesson unitl now, it’s always been all about music – writing songs, playing in bands, starting musical projects etc. After high school I went to the Rotterdam Conservatory to study guitar and music production which enabled me to focus even more on music. I played in a few bands and did some tours all over the world. However most of the time the bands I was in ended up breaking up so when I discovered music production programs like Logic and Ableton, I realised I could just do it all myself. And so I did! I started recording and producing all kinds of music. One of my old projects is Casilofi, you can find some old videos on YouTube that kind of reflect my learning process in the world of music production. Around that time I was also really inspired by Hip-Hop, so I started making lots of beats and that is kind of how San Holo was born.

What kind of music got played around your house growing up?
A wide variety of music! I remember my dad playing the Beach Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Halen, Beastie Boys and bands like that. When I listen to those bands now I get huge nostalgia. I think nostalgia plays a big role in my music as I’m always looking for that specific emotional euphoric vibe with a little bit of sentimentality sprinkled on top of it. I still am a huge Red Hot Chili Peppers fan. Their ex-guitarist John Frusciante is just such an inspiring musician. I learned a lot from listening to his guitar playing and songwriting. Other bands/artists that have been a major influence are Sigur Ros, Debussy, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Talent and Rage Against The Machine.

You started off with playing a guitar and in a band; how did you transition into producing and doing DJ sets?
So I started playing guitar when I was 13 and, like I’ve said, used to love bands like Rage Against the Machine and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. However I never wanted to be categorized as one thing, I wanted people to remember my music for it’s quality, not it’s genre. So I decided to give producing a go and the rest is history.

You went to Rotterdam conservatory to study guitar and music production. Looking back, do you think you could get to where you are now without education or did it shape your music journey?
Having a musical education has undoubtedly shaped my journey as San Holo, I managed to learn a lot in a short time. I’d say that most importantly though I learned what I didn’t want to do. During those four years of music academy you meet so many people with different ideas and styles. It really opens your mind, not only musically, but also socially. It made me realise that I didn’t want to play guitar just to ‘play guitar in a band’. I wanted to compose music and work on the entire thing as a whole. I didn’t feel like playing as a session musician in other people’s bands could achieve that. So I decided to do my own thing.

“Duchamp once said: “I force myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste.” I think this is so important, and is especially important when listening to music from other artists. Stay open-minded! “

What is the music scene in your hometown–Netherlands like?
In my hometown, actually everywhere in the Netherlands, there’s no scene for my music. There’s top 40 and bigroom EDM bangers and that’s about it. That’s why I love going to like America and Australia, it’s completely different over there. There’s this electronic music scene that’s really open to new music and I feel like my music is much more understood over there. Maybe it’s because my country is quite small compared to other countries. I don’t know…

How did you get inspired to start bitbird?
bitbird is an open-minded creative label for open-minded people. We want to support innovative artists. I feel like lots of labels are only interested in music that sounds somehow familiar yet most of the time the most special songs are the ones that you need to hear a couple of times in order to understand them. These songs are the ones that open your mind and expand your musical vision!

Duchamp once said: “I force myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste.” I think this is so important, and is especially important when listening to music from other artists. Stay open-minded! bitbird is also all about fairness and honesty to the artists on our label – we want to support them, and not just use them to further our own careers. Ultimately bitbird is all about pushing the boundaries, which, since launching at ADE this year, I think we’re beginning to do!

What inspired your music video for IMISSU? It’s very original!
The IMISSU video is a collaboration between a video company called ‘Opslaan Als’ and bitbird. We wrote the concept and they executed it beautifully. We had this idea of a 100% screen capture video, with little hidden things in it. So every time you watch it you discover more of these funny inside joke things. There’s a lot of things in there that only long time San Holo listeners will understand. I love that. We’re very happy with how it turned out!

My new track will be out next week on Spinnin Records (nov 27th). It’s called Can’t Forget You and it’s one of the best tracks I think I’ve ever done!

Love, San