As with any music genre, the dance music realm is vastly expanding and constantly spiraling out into subcategories. You'd think as a DJ it would be tough to keep up – but San Soda's not too worried.
Spending most of his time digging through record bins, the Belgian-born producer is a master of his craft. San Soda's not one for overly embellished effects – he lets classic house beats steal all the shine. Characterized by simplicity and Chicago-circa-80s vibes, his sets are a nonstop groove fest.
We catch up with the up-and-coming DJ before his show at Dada on Friday night.
That's: What are you most looking forward to here?
SS: I really look forward to seeing the Great Wall again as I remember it to be a very impressive experience the first time I saw it. Also curious about the crowd [on Friday night] and how the party compares to parties in Chengdu and Shanghai.
How would you describe your sound?
As a DJ, I don’t think I really have a specific sound. It can vary from hard to soft and from slow to fast. Usually, it depends on what the crowd and myself are in the mood for. Mostly expressive and direct music.
You're based in Berlin, a city known for its club culture. What do you like most about it?
The fact that not everything is boxed into a timeline of a few hours. It’s rather spread out and relaxed so it gives people the necessary freedom to party when, where and with whom they want.
In the enormous world of electronic music, how do you stay authentic?
I don’t think ‘staying authentic’ can be a conscious thing so then I guess there’s no method for it either.
You're known to be quite the record collector. What inspired you to start?
I remember going to the record shop on the day that all the records came in. People were fighting for the limited amount of copies that were available so the excitement when you got your hands on something you liked is something I won’t forget.
Sucking up to the salesmen for them to keep you a copy aside on arrival, seeing a DJ you [looked] up to walking out with a record you wanted, hoping a record would get restocked (which rarely happened), etc. This was all [before] Discogs and online record shops.
After that came the thrill of finding older records [at] fairs and flea markets. It’s such an adrenaline rush sometimes. It's a shame [that] most selling happens online nowadays – it’s actually here in Asia that I still have the best digging experiences.
What was your very first record? Your favorite?
One of my first records [was] Armand Van Helden - My My My. My current favorite is Edmony Krater Et Zepiss - Tijan Pou Velo.
"I don’t think ‘staying authentic’ can be a conscious thing so then I guess there’s no method for it either."
Who are your inspirations when it comes to DJs?
Some of my current inspirations are Nu Guinea and Interstellar Funk.
What's next? Any exciting projects on the horizon?
I’ve been working on a website called 'Music Take Me Up' that zooms in on music from a particular part of the world. First couple of mixes will be on Israel, Philippines, Indonesia and India. Also presenting a few reissues very soon that I’m really excited about. All [of it] will be announced soon.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Just a big thank you to all the promoters and party people here in Asia. It’s been a few years that I’ve been touring here regularly and it has resulted in some amazing adventures and friendships. For that I’m very grateful.
Fri May 4, 10pm-late; RMB60; Dada, see event listing.
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