Sander Van DoornコミュのTrance addict SVD TOP 7! ↑１２７

We caught up with Sander van Doorn in Winnipeg shortly after his high placement in both the TA and DJ Mag DJ Polls.

Did you start out as a DJ first and then get into producing or ... ?

The very first time I really got into the music industry at the age of 16 I started messing around a little bit with vinyl. I was at my cousin's birthday party and he had just got 2 turntables and a mixer so we kind of just tried out different stuff and I was completely hooked from the very first time. That's how the whole thing started but professionally it all started with producing. About 2 years later I bought a groove box - the 303 - and started experimenting and that's when all the producing started. So it's been about 4 years since I've been releasing tracks now.

Back in the day, who were your inspirations when you were picking up vinyls for the first time?

Back then it was pretty hard being such a young age. It had to be very loud, more like the hardcore stuff. When I was 18 I went to a club called Danssalon in Eindhoven for the first time and Marco V was actually the resident out there. Back then he played like groovy stuff and more house like Tori Amos - 'Professional Widow' and that kind of stuff. So I completely switched from hardcore to the more groovy stuff when I heard him play. I was completely amazed by the different kind of stuff that he played.

Your name is actually Sander Ketelaars but you have also gone by Purple Haze, Sandler, and Sam Sharp. Why have you used the different names? Which was the first one you adopted and why have you transitioned?

I think it all started when I got in contact with Spinnin Records and the first name I used was Sam Sharp. But later on we switched to Sander van Doorn which was more my name and also more my style. The different names give me more opportunity to produce under different diversities. For instance Purple Haze is more the deeper melodic stuff and Sander van Doorn is more for the stuff I really would like to produce like the DJ tunes from my sets and the music I really like most. Now we're in the process of bringing it all back under one name - Sander van Doorn - to keep it simpler. Last year my friends all started phoning on Sam Sharp and I was like, "No guys. It's Sander van Doorn here. What are you doing!?!"

What kind of styles do you have and do you have a different approach to producing?

Because my interests are very broad - I love house, I love techno, I love trance - that's also what you hear in my sets. I don't just build up with house then go to techno and trance. I try to mix it all in the entire mix and go from one style to another to try to make it one blend of different styles of music. I think that's very typical of Sander van Doorn sets. But I think the main feature will always be a rough underlayer, a really thick bassline because that's basically what I like.

On a more technical level, what kind of hardware do you tend to use? What kind of equipment are you fond of? What kind of software?

I just made the switch from PC to Mac and I'm learning the process for all the new functions. I produce with Logic on the Mac and I use a couple of synths like Virus and Andromeda. I got Evolver from Basement which is a wicked device and has like a million buttons and stuff. It takes ages to get your sound right but it will sound so phat so I'm really happy with that device which I just got last week. For software I use a lot of Spectrasonics stuff. I use Battery for drum beats and Trilogy and Atmosphere I use pretty often for the bassline layers. I usually use three or four different sounds to make a bassline. To be honest, what I like most about producing is creating a balance between the kick and the bassline and just start from there.

You had some excellent success this year with Message in a Bottle; how did that mix come about?

That's kind of a funny story because I made that song just for my own sets. I love The Police and I came across an acoustic solo of Sting. So I used that sample and kind of made a techie production out of it. From there we sent it out to a few DJs and it blew up. For most ideas it's not that I look to other productions but more what I like to produce and start from scratch and see what happens.

DJs have been somewhat reluctant to start incorporating technology into their music, a lot of them still sticking to vinyl and turntables. How do you see technology evolving and being integrated into your music and perhaps the industry overall?

Well obviously it's a very natural process. You're happy with one thing until something better comes up. I used to travel with vinyl a lot but compared to CDs it's very difficult with airports and the restrictions these days. They are too heavy and you always get into trouble when you're traveling with vinyl so I kind of made the switch to CD because the mixing is kind of the same. You have to do the same stuff and you can actually also do your scratching also with CDs.

So, are you completely off of vinyl now?

No, I still use vinyl but less than I did before. When I travel a long haul I'll just use CDs. For me the image of the DJ with the black discs is of course the image I have of the DJ. But I think it's a natural process and it will evolve to more technology. I think it's also a good thing because with CDs you can make your own edits and you can make faster edits of tracks which has a positive wave for the crowds. You can mix faster and you can give more to the public.

Do you think we will wind up getting to a point where we are completely digital, now that we can download almost anything?

Like walking into a discotheque with a USB stick and just plug it in? Like the iPod DJ? Well, I don't know. I think that will be far ahead but who knows. It could all happen. You also have a lot of DJs now who just mix with laptops so we'll see what happens.

You recently mixed the new Dance Valley CD; what was that production like?

It's kind of a blend between the styles that I heard at the festival myself. The previous CDs were always mixed before the festival and I had the advantage of mixing it afterwards so I could really get the atmosphere and try and put it on the CDs. It starts more housey and ends more techie so it's as diverse as possible.

You had a DJ competition in February of this year - the 'Pimp My Track' competition. You had DJs remix one of your tracks - Punk'd - and the winner would get a track on your next release.
How did you come up with that idea and do you think you will do something like that again?

Oh yeah, absolutely. For most producers, especially young producers, the hard part is finding a basis to work on. Usually a lot of producers are a little but insecure with what they are doing for the next production and they tend to start copying existing styles. So I thought why not just put my samples up front and just go crazy and that's why I named the competition Pimp My Track and not just do the same old thing.

What were you looking for from all the submissions? What was your judging criteria?

It had to be completely different from the track that I produced and we eventually came up with three winners - Sean Tyas the number one mix - which was more of a broader package towards Punk'd. But it was basically designed for giving people a chance to get into a contest and win a vinyl release on Oxygen Records.

Favourite DJ?

I'm still a huge fan of Jeff Mills. The way he mixes is great. There is a Dutch sort of house-techie DJ who plays a little bit like Jeff Mills who is called Benny Rodrigues and I absolutely love to see him play. He mixes like a hundred tracks in one hour. It's amazing.

Favourite track?

I love the D Ramirez remix of 'Plump DJ' but also Loco Dice 'Seeing Through Shadows' is absolutely brilliant.

Favourite compilation?

The first inner city compilation that Marco V did when he started breaking through as a DJ was a compilation that was just incredible. I still play it a lot.

Obviously, you're going to be playing a lot more big events around the world now. What would you say has been your favourite event so far?

Two weeks ago when I played over at the Guvernment (Toronto) was just fantastic. But my favourite festival for me this year was Dance Valley. It was very special as I used to go as a clubber myself so to go as a DJ was great.

Is there any particular event you are now looking forward to playing?

I played on a very small track two years ago at Global Gathering but I think for this year I would really like to play main stage. Also Creamfields would be great for this year as that's more on the English part. Also the Winter Music Conference over in Miami I am really looking forward to.

What advice can you give to new up and coming DJs around the world?

Be very critical with your own productions and don't just make something where it's got a kick, it's got a clap, it's got a bassline - cool! - I'm going to send it out to everybody. Just be very cautious with that and try to make your own different style with it. As difficult as it may sound because of all the styles around it's still very much possible to create your own style. Keep it original. That's the main thing.

For more info on Sander visit - www.sandervandoorn.com