What better way to start off Talloweek than with an EDM show, am I right? Taking what we already know about EDM and adding his own creative flair, San Holo put on a show to remember last Thursday at Bajas. For those who don’t know, San Holo, whose real name is Sander van Dijck, is a Dutch DJ, producer, composer, and musician who got his claim to fame with his remix of Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode” back in 2014. Over the past couple of years, he’s been working and releasing music with major labels, including Spinnin’ Records, Monstercat, Baron Family and OWSLA. He has even founded his own label, bitbird, which includes major artists such as Taska Black, The Nicholas and more. Since then, he’s come out with other mixes and singles, like “Light” and “We Rise.”
Of course, before the main show, there were the opening acts. Just a Gent was up first at 12:00 a.m., getting the crowd hyped for the night to come. Droeloe, the second opener and one of the many artists signed to bitbird, came on soon after at 12:45 a.m. At 1:30 a.m., San Holo came on stage opening with his hit single, “Light,” taking the energy in the club to another level.
If you’re new to San Holo, or maybe just become a fan of him the night of his show, there are a couple things you should know. First, he has more songs other than “Light” and “We Rise.” His latest single, “I Still See Your Face,” which was released earlier last month, is the lead single for his label’s new LP, The Gouldian Finch 2. He even lent his vocal on the new track, sharing with Billboard, “Last year, I wrote this song on one of the many hotel beds I sleep in on tour. I recorded some demo vocals on my noisy Macbook microphone, thinking I would find a good vocalist later in the process to finish the song with. Yet for some reason these first crappy recordings sounded so right on this song, I decided to keep my own vocals on it this time.”
Second, he was threatened with a lawsuit by Walt Disney Pictures back in 2014. Since gaining the rights to the Star Wars franchise, the company has kept a close eye on the Dutch DJ since his stage name is too much like that of one of the movie’s main characters, Han Solo. San Holo isn’t the only DJ that was in hot water with Disney, according to Sound Space, Deadmau5 also felt the heat “for having a mouse helmet that looks too similar to Mickey Mouse’s.”
Now, I totally get it. EDM might not be your thing, and trust me, it wasn’t mine either. But the energy that San Holo puts off at his shows along with his creative and innovative beats make him one of the most unique artists that EDM has right now. So, do yourself a favor and keep San Holo on your radar, we’re sure we’ll see him doing bigger and better things soon.
All images courtesy of Michelle Abraira.