[Interview] We Interviewed Sander van Doorn At New City Gas
With his new single soon to be released in collaboration with Yves V., Sander van Doorn took time from his busy schedule to play for the Montreal ravers on November 8 at New City Gas. We sat down with him before his set and here’s what we found out about the Dutch producer.
Ariane-Montreal Nightlife: You started out as essentially a trance DJ, and you’ve been experimenting with different genres lately. What influences you when producing a new track?
Sander: I always start with a blank screen and i work my way up from there. Sometimes it can be more tech-y, more melodic. I loved working with vocals in the last couple of years as well. Wherever the melody or a vocal leads me, I’ll produce a track; that’s pretty much how I’ve always been. I’ve been developing my sound from the very start I became a producer and I love to combine different genres and see what comes out.
Ariane-Montreal Nightlife: Tell us about your first experience with music.
Sander: My older brother, who’s about 10 years older, would always buy a lot of CDs, different genres like Depeche Mode or “Turn Up the Bass” CDs, which were pretty popular in the early 90s and the late 80s, kind of an introduction to the whole dance music scene, more like KLF or 2Unlimited. That really got me introduced to the whole phenomena of dance music.
Ariane-Montreal Nightlife: Do you have any tips for people who are starting to produce music?
Sander: The first tip is to start with producing and then become a DJ. It’s really important to be able to create your own sound, and the best way to do that is with producing. Also, try to get close contact with artists. We have so many social media platforms these days that it’s pretty easy to get acquaintance with an artist.
Ariane-Montreal Nightlife: What would you consider as your biggest career highlight?
Sander: What I’m the most proud of is still the decision to become an artist in the first place, which is always a pretty big decision. You’re venturing into this whole new different world and nobody can help, you have to really prove yourself as well. I made the decision about 11 years ago, and that was definitely a highlight, to do what I love.
Ariane-Montreal Nightlife: Your latest collaboration with Yves V, Direct Dizko, comes out Novembre 25 on Beatport; what else can we expect from you and your label, Doorn Records, in the next year?
Sander: Yes! Doorn records is actually about to do a world tour, so I’m going to travel with a lot of artists. Our label has blown up especially in the past year. Aside from that I’ve been doing a lot of collaborations and working on a lot of solo projects as well. I’m actually taking a studio break over in February to even work towards an album, so there a lot of music coming out. Together with the touring, it’s going to be a pretty musical and pretty insane year.
Love that club! See you guys next week in London! 😉 RT @SandervanDoorn: Playing Montreal tonight @newcitygas together with @JulianJordan!
— Jochen Miller (@jochenmiller) 9 Novembre 2013
Ariane-Montreal Nightlife: So DJs usually talk about how they pick up different vibes in different cities. What do you like about the crowd in Montreal?
Sander: The crowd over here is all about the energy; it’s pretty unique as well. They will keep on going until the early hours, like nowhere else in North America. Obviously the people here love to go out and have a good time. I’ve been playing here now for about 10 years and the crowd never disappoints, it’s such a great vibe.
Ariane-Montreal Nightlife: Last week we had Kaskade in Montreal and he said he cannot come to Montreal and not have a smoked meat sandwich from Schwartz’s. Do you have any Montreal traditions?
Sander: I’ve never actually had the chance to stay longer than just overnight, but I would love to taste one of those, definitely!
We would like to thank Sander van Doorn for taking the time to meet with us and letting us get to know the man behind the decks!
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