San Proper is one of Amsterdam’s finest DJ talents. Right now he is witnessing the bustling city at its vibrant best, with the clubbing world taking stock of the vast array of talent coming through the ranks. A staunch advocate of the Amsterdam scene, San still gets a great buzz from taking to the decks in his native city, and is at the forefront of a scene that’s now enticing clued-in clubbers from all around the world.
Next up on his agenda will be the huge festival Valhalla Festival, held at the impressive RAI arena in the city centre. The festival marks its second appearance, where San will play a focal role. We caught up with one of electronic music’s more gregarious characters recently to talk backgrounds, inspirations and his close friends, fellow Amsterdam stalwarts, Tom Trago and Melon.
Prime Planet: How have you been recently? Keeping busy?
San Proper: Very well, I had a great summer and it’s still rubbing off on me today, December 10th,2013. Today is my birthday and we’ll be celebrating this fact until the 10th of January. It has been a heavy year but very inspirational and productive.
PP: I wanted to start by talking about Amsterdam. What do you make of the scene there right now? Seems pretty healthy to me, but is there still room for improvement in your eyes?
SP: There’s always room for improvement but I’m also really content with what’s going on in Amsterdam over the last couple of years. We could do with some more special locations and crazy venues. The notion of Trouw closing its doors at the end of 2014 stresses me out a little, and after a busy weekend it could even bring tears to my eyes. I love that place.
PP: Do you still get a great thrill out of playing in Amsterdam then? Why do you think the city (and Holland in general) is so obsessed with all things electronic music?
SP: Yes I do, very much so. These days, I’m playing abroad a lot and it always feels good to return to my Dutchies! Of course, a lot of people come to Amsterdam to party these days and this helps contribute to a really vibrant scene. I think the obsession with electronic music is a healthy one, but where it comes from, I’m not sure. Maybe a lack of identity?
PP: You’re playing at Valhalla Festival soon, right? You played there before? What you make of it and what should we expect from your set there?
SP: It’ll actually be my first set at Valhalla, and I’ll serve up a taste of that typical “Proper Love”, and will present lots of new and unreleased tracks I’ve done alongside my greatest hits and some horrifying house anthems!
PP: Aside from music, do you take any other great source of inspiration from the city?
SP: Yes, the girls, the friends, the good times and the occasional ‘blues’ I get all inspire me a lot. Everywhere I go I’m inspired.
PP: So when did you first become interested in the music? What DJs and producers inspired you way back when?
SP: I’ve been listening to cassettes and records for as long as I can remember. I started to record songs at an early age too, and played loads of different genres.
Through an unreleased project that goes by the name of “Marinos Santos”, I became more into producing electronic music. Frodo and his Serial Chill-dren also contributed a lot with that musical selection of gems and treasures, as they did the radio-show “Earwax” in Radio 100. At “Seymour Likely”, “Vaaghuyzen” and “the Mazzo” I did a lot of DJ sets back in the day. All three all now resting in peace. When Rush Hour opened its doors it grew more and more… and I’m still a huge fan.
PP: When did you start producing electronic music? Was there one eureka moment where you realised you wanted to drop band based music for electronic music?
SP: To be honest, I’ve always had a taste for being all over the place. The variety is key for me.
PP: You’re quite close with a number of similarly inclined Dutch producers such as Melon and Tom Trago. I noticed that these guys have a similar musical education to your own. Do you think producers these days are too quick to put out music without actually understanding the complexities of it all? Or are you in favour of the DIY aesthetic when it comes to Logic, Ableton etc?
SP: I’m not sure about that, but these guys are dear friends to me and they also got that DIY-swing going. My motto on this is “Every man has his own tools”. Another one-liner that also applies is “Sign it with your signature”.
PP: For you, how does DJing differ to playing live? Are they very different experience?
SP: Yes they’re different experiences of course, but it also feels like Ying-Yang to me or God and the Devil if you will. One can’t be without the other….!
PP: I wanted to ask about Perlon. How did you first hook up with the label? Was it a case of you contacting them or the other way around? Do you produce your music with the label in mind or send it to them afterwards then?
SP: Actually, it all happened quite naturally. Zip contacted me to do a remix for Ricardo Villalobos after he heard the demo of ‘Twif Twaf’ that I released with Steven de Peven a.k.a Awanto 3. After that, we made plans for “Keep it Raw”. I’ll be dropping my next release for Perlon soon.
PP: Any plans to establish your own label then?
SP: Actually, I’m dropping the first release of Proper’s Cult this coming January, so watch out for that!
Finally, what else is in the pipeline for San Proper?
SP: I’ve got a good few tracks to be released on various labels and I’m happy to present and represent my new label, I’m working on a new live-show, another album and a project with Tom Trago which goes by the name of “The Dirt Machine”.
So there’s lots coming up…. Stay tuned.
– Dan Mac
San Proper is playing at Valhalla Festival in Amsterdam, Holland on 21st December and you can grab tickets here.
