Sandro Silva

Quite simply, one of the most exciting young producers in the world right now


Interview : Dan Prince


Hey Sandro, welcome to DMCWORLD…where on the planet are you today?

“Hey there! I’m in Albufeira, Portugal right now. We did a show here last night, and now we have of couple days off here.”

An incredible new piece of production from you sir, this time ‘Symphony’ getting the hands in the air. Please talk us through the sound and history of the tune…

“Thanks for the nice words! Myself and Arston started working on this a few months ago, it was a big project. Our goal was to take this whole ‘big room’ sound to another level, because it needed a new take. That’s why we used sounds of live instruments and did something different with the breaks in the track. Also the drop is different than normal, because the kick is changing really fast, same as the mainsynth. It gives the track so much more dimension.”

When I told Guy Garret in The Buzz Chart throne room I was interviewing you today he shouted out… “’Symphony’ is breathtaking, it’s epic and sounds like a movie score in it’s right, a true stadium anthem”. Thoughts on that little comment?

“Haha that’s amazing to hear because that was our goal! The whole track is like a movie for me. It’s telling a story and it’s really building up to the point where it goes off.”

A massive double weekender at Tomorrowland for you and every major DJ in the world. What were some of your take home memories from Belgium’s numero uno party festival?

“No words! That’s all I have to say about this festival. This year was even bigger and better than last year, unbelievable. Biggest thing for me this year was that we did 2 weekends, so we had twice the fun! One of the best crowds in the world, all my new tracks where going off including symphony!”

Who are the DJs/producers that you love bumping into at these magical events, who do you know you are always going to have fun with?

“Guys like Carnage, DVBBS and Blasterjaxx just to name a few. These guys I know very well, and they are always fun to hang with. Always a laugh with those guys!”

What is on a Sandro Silva rider these days?

“Not much lol! Just a bottle of Vodka and some mixers. I’m not a big diva haha.”

 

What is the current top 10 you are spinning…

1. Sandro Silva, Arston – Symphony

2. Calvin Harris – C.U.B.A

3. R3hab, Vinai – How we party

4. Nick Double, O Neall – Live life

5. Dj Snake, Lil John – Turn down for what (Dj Snake Parision Version)

6. Kavido – Bundaye

7. Audien – Hindsight

8. Mark Sixma – Shadow (W&W edit)

9. Markus Schulz – Remember this

10. Wiwek – FOK

Tell us about your studio set up…

“I have Adams a77x as monitors, a Mac Pro to run my DAW (Reason 7) and I have a midi keyboard. I don’t use hardware anymore. I did use the Access Virus for a bit when I worked in Cubase a long time ago, but now I’m all in to software!“

You DJ’d in Miami last weekend, how do you see the US EDM scene developing – it seems the clubbers are starting to get into different styles as they learn and appreciate this new music?

“So true. It’s not just ‘EDM’ anymore. People in the US are discovering all the sub genres right now and that’s so exciting to see. When I play my sets, I always try to do different things just to show them there is so much more than just the peak timers.”

A quote from Faithless’s Sister Bliss this week…”I think people will become bored with the stock crude generic sounds of EDM and the artists themselves may be somewhat musically bankrupt (David Guetta even admitted as such in a recent interview) as there is only so much touring you can do before it impacts on studio time and having space to think creatively.” Thoughts on that?

“Really interesting, because it’s 100% true. The thing about this is that we DJs don’t want to say this out loud – so it’s good someone has said it finally. It’s almost impossible to create a ground breaking piece in just a couple days when you are in the studio. If you want to create something that’s different and fresh, it’s gonna take some time in the studio and time is limited for us DJs because of all the touring. That’s why myself and my management always block days in our schedule just for studio, to focus on new music and develop new sounds for future singles.”

What is the record that…

…reminds you of your childhood?

“Paul Johnson – ‘Get Get Down’

…always gets you dancing?

“Calvin Harris – ‘Summer’.”

…reminds you of being broken hearted?

“Drake – ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’.”

…you wish you would have made?

“Swedish House Mafia – ‘ONE’.”

 

Cool. So let’s rewind for a moment. How old were you when you first discovered the strains of dance music and who were the producers/tunes/DJs that first caught your attention – we know Tiesto was a big influence…

“I was really young when I got in touch with dance music, I was 11 or 12 years old I think. Of course Tiesto, the big boss! My parents gave me a DVD with his concert he did in Holland back then. I was speechless and I watched that DVD a thousand times. Other than Tiesto, guys like Armin Van Buuren and David Guetta were big inspiration sources for me. They were there since the beginning and they have paved the way for many young DJs including me.”

What did your family think of your chosen career path?

“They were supporting me since the beginning and they still are. Because of them I was able to start making music. They are really proud that I’m touring the whole world with my own sound right now and they are following me with everything, even my Twitter!”

You are stuck in a lift. What is the 1 genre of music you do not want to be playing…?

“Hahaha! I would go for heavy metal.”

Something you once said in an interview…” I don’t like to work for a boss.” So what is the worst job you have ever had?

“Haha It’s funny because this is my first real job. I started really young, so that’s the reason lol.”

And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise…?

“My next release is in August. It’s a really different record again, almost trancey. It’s gonna come out on Armada, really excited what the response is gonna be!”

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