San Holo: Why Outcasts Make The Best Art + How To Stay Authentic When Everyone Wants A Formula

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ABOUT THE EPISODE
Why do so many great artists feel like outcasts, and how do you stay true to your sound when everyone wants a formula? I sat down with DJ and producer San Holo, aka Sander van Dijck, whose remix of Dr Dre's The Next Episode has 278 million plays on YouTube.

Sander tells me why he paid to buy his way out of a label deal that wanted ten more songs like Light, and how he broke down replacing every kick drum on his first album before a Tomorrowland main stage set. We get into the four day bass bootcamp with T-Pain, how future bass turned into a formula, and the mood percentage his fans copied into their usernames.

He also explains why sadness can be beautiful, how he recharges as an introvert, and why music and the music industry are two separate things.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Why outcasts make the best art
01:31 How San Holo got his name
06:28 His Dr Dre remix and 278M plays
09:32 Making bangers with T-Pain
14:49 Why he never follows the crowd
22:00 Make your own cool kids club
26:13 Bitbird and the biggest demo mistake
29:34 How to find your own sound
33:12 Tracking your mood as a percentage
35:30 Why sadness is not always bad
42:50 Loneliness on the tour bus
44:31 Redoing every kick before Tomorrowland
47:47 Music vs the music industry
49:13 Buying his way out of a label deal
51:58 Why a hit is not a career
54:53 How an introvert recharges
1:12:10 Advice to his younger self

FOLLOW SAN HOLO
Website: https://sanholo.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanholobeats/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIwv90GceyJdsl9-9YYYaLQ
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sanholobeats
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0jNDKefhfSbLR9sFvcPLHo

FOLLOW THE SHOW
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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2CDS3KOgOSwmKCvK6BWS8B
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1657317674
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hwwpod/
Adam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meetwally/
Work with us: the contact form

ABOUT THE SHOW
Each week I explore the pillars of a full life - health, wealth & wisdom - through interviews with the world's leading experts, thinkers and operators who embody one or more of these pillars on a world-class level. Hosted by Adam Metwally.