His release of the hypnotic single “We Rise” in early 2015 was another turning point, coming out on Nest HQ (OWSLA) and garnering Skrillex’s praise and attention. “Then it became one million and then two million and I just couldn’t believe it.” Eventually the remix garnered over 100 million YouTube views, putting San on the map with his “Don’t Touch The Classics” series, ready to snare even more exposure with completely original productions. “First it got a thousand plays and that blew my mind,” he says. He released his debut EP “COSMOS” on Heroic, which featured anthemic singles “Fly” and “Hiding.” These tracks lead to fans discovering his re-working of Dre’s classic “The Next Episode,” which blew up on the blogosphere and SoundCloud community, launching San’s future in the process. In 2014 he took a friend’s advice and started adding his production skills to some classic hip hop songs, shapeshifting them into his own remixes and putting them up on YouTube. He also developed a respect for the more adventurous artists, no matter the genre. “I went in to study the guitar but soon I was finding myself sneaking into the back of the production classes to absorb everything I could.”
His affinity for guitar and punk rock had him kicking around in bands at an early age, with San eventually attending Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam, pursuing a music degree. “It was known as the least cool town in Holland but that’s why I loved it,” he said. San grew up in one of the smallest towns in the region. He recalls his first flicker of interest in music came from listening to what his dad played in the car driving around their native Holland. I truly did want to see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Maybe I was asking myself for some guidance. I started the song on my laptop in the airport and finished it on the plane. “It was in the middle of touring and I was quite exhausted, frustrated a bit because I wasn’t able to write as much as I would like on the road. “I actually wrote the song on a plane,” he says. The atmospheric track is layered around the refrain ‘I just want to see the light,’ with San basking in its irresistible glow. The captivating song nears 50 million streams on Spotify, garnering traction and airplay throughout the global dance music ecosystem. That was around 2010/2011, talk about ‘learn by doing.’ His current hit “Light” is emblazoned with a distinctive creative style that San has meticulously honed through the years, placing him high on the list of emerging new trailblazers in the genre.
I never walked into a club until my music started being noticed by people wanting me to DJ.” I realized you are able to build entire songs around a laptop and that started my interest in production. But I had so many ideas for making music and was getting tired of always looking for players to help fill the spots. “I started taking guitar lessons when I was about 13, forming bands and all that. “I have great respect for those guys but I got into music originally because of my love for rock and the guitar,” he says. The first thing Dutch artist/producer San Holo conveys about his rise in the electronic music scene is that he wasn’t your typical DJ with the dream of conquering the genre right from the start.