The Dutch superstar legend forms part of a unique melting pot of talent from Holland. So many Dutch DJs have taken the world by storm today, it seems fair to ask him his opinion on this:

‘We had a pioneer from the beginning with Tiesto and I can only guess that this inspired a lot of people, like me, to get involved.  You often hear dance music on major radio stations in Holland, more than other countries I think so it reached out in to the homes of many people.’

Sander Van Doorn will perform at Electric Mansion this weekend alongside another Dutch talent Marco V. We asked him about their relationship, having done several events and even music productions together.

Sander VD: Marco and I go back a long way.  He was a big inspiration for me and is one of the reasons I started making music.  We work well in the studio together so I’m sure we’ll be doing more tracks together in the future.  We’ve also done some back to back shows recently which have been great fun.  It’s great sharing that experience with someone else.’

And having such a long friendship surely means knowing about each other. What is the most embarrassing thing Marco V would be able to say about you?

Sander VD: Perhaps that I have been known to read the odd comic. That’s all I’m saying.

And what can you say is his most irritating attribute?

Sander VD: Being so calm whilst all those around him are losing their heads!

Now being a touring DJ means experiencing different crowds around the world and they will all respond differently to your music and DJing which is hard to predict. How can you relate to this?

Sander VD: Tunisia was a weird one.  I did a ‘Dusk till Doorn’ party there not long ago.  They were very quiet for the whole set and I began to think that they weren’t bothered at all.  When it came to the end of the set suddenly out of nowhere everyone started cheering and the place went mad so I guess they were paying attention!

And what is the most memorable country visited on your global tours?

Sander VD: Recently I think Egypt was the most memorable.  It was a culture shock to say the least! Crazy car journeys, interesting hotels and plenty more! I’d definitely recommend going there for a visit though. It was great to experience a very different culture.

The music scene is constantly changing, what is your opinion on commercialisation of artists who may move away from their true sound?

Sander VD: The music scene seems to be going through a stage where DJ’s are the new rock stars.  It’s getting lots of day time radio airplay and we’re seeing collaborations with mainstream artists and also mainstream artists are changing their styles to greet this wave of popularity.  I don’t frown on anyone who wants to be successful and write hits and to an extent I don’t think it’s fair to accuse people of selling out whenever they write a track that gets mainstream success.  It’s natural to develop as an artist and that sometimes means working with more vocalists.

You have a new track release?

Sander VD: ‘Intro’ is by a band called the XX who just won the Mercury Music Prize in the UK.  I’d been listening to their album since it came out earlier in the year and really loved this track, which, like most of the album, had such a good vibe to it.  I made a bootleg of it and started playing it in my shows not really thinking much of it.  It’s snowballed from there and has been receiving support from so many people it crazy! I’m just glad that we managed to sort out getting it released.

Is there any new talent you are promoting right now?

Sander VD: Ummet Ozcan from my label has been tearing up dance floors recently.  Definitely a talent who will be going places in the future.

How do you see the music industry evolving over the next decade with regards to the music, people and technology?

Sander VD: I think for the technology side we’ll see the way people DJ change.  It will be computer based for sure and looking at some of the gadgets coming out of companies like Native Instruments, DJing is going to get a whole lot more complicated!  Musically I think that we’ll see even more blending of styles in sets and the tunes themselves, but in 10 years time who knows where we will have got to! The people will evolve as they always have but I’m sure Tiesto will still be DJing in his wheelchair ;-)

Interview by: Andrea Steyn