[Artist Interview] Sander van Doorn talks Purple Haze, Identity, and Future Plans

Sander van Doorn is arguably one of the most influential producers and DJs in the dance music world today. Not many other artists can successfully sell out major venues worldwide, own their own label, run a weekly radio show, produce 3 full-length albums and numerous hit-singles, and also produce music with a completely different sound under a different alias. We had the opportunity to chat with Sander van Doorn and learn more about his creative process, future projects, and his alias Purple Haze.

You’ve been in the music scene for quite some time now. In what way have you seen the industry change over the years?

The main thing is just that the music itself has changed, which is always the challenge- sticking to your own sound while balancing with the new.

What’s your process like in the studio?

It’s different every time really. Sometimes I might start with a beat and work from there, and sometimes I come up with a melody and work around that.

Walk us through how Purple Haze was born.

It began in 2010 with the first track I released under the new alias. The name had to be different from Sander van Doorn as it was a different sound, so I came up with Purple Haze. To me the name means something vague and deep, so I thought it would perfectly match the new type of music I was making. But I really took it to another level in 2017, when I had a lot of tracks I wanted to release and to start touring with as well.

Where does Purple Haze draw inspiration from?

It comes from a lot of dark yet euphoric music. Some of the examples I really like are Sigur Ros, Royksopp, and London Grammar to name a few.

Do you keep all of your music that you “just weren’t feeling” and ever bring it back out only to create something magical?

Yes, I definitely keep everything and sometimes when you hear something a couple years later, you’ll get other ideas for it.

How do you balance staying relevant to what’s popular in the scene while also staying true to your own unique sound? What’s more important?

I’m always making new music, which helps. I think you need to strike a balance between staying true to your own sound and the trends of the moment.

You recently hit episode #522, your 15th year anniversary on Identity Radio Show (wow!). What are some of the ways or sources you use to scope new music/artists to feature on the show?

I receive a lot of promos so every Monday I go through them all. I also check out Beatport too, which is a good source of new talent.

A lot of artists have podcasts/radio shows; what makes yours unique?

I try to play the newest music and also play music from new young artists to keep my shows interesting.

What are your future plans for Identity?

We have some cool ideas for 2020. We want to involve the fans more and more and give them opportunities to be part of the show. We now do a weekly fan request, but we want to up it in 2020.

Dream collaboration?

It would definitely be with Moby. Other artists who motivate me and who I admire are Radiohead, Oasis and Sigur Ros among others.

Dream festival/event/club/venue to play at and why?

Hmmm, that’s a tough one! There are so many cool festivals I haven’t played yet. I played at Burning Man a couple of years back and I definitely wanna play there again sometime!

What new music can we expect from you in 2020?

You can expect a lot of collabs from both Sander van Doorn and Purple Haze, as well as a lot of new singles.

In another life where you weren’t a legendary music producer and DJ, what would be your calling?

I always had an interest in becoming an architect, so I think something like that.

What’s your New Year’s resolution?

Maybe focusing more on a healthy lifestyle.

Best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?”

If you can dream it, you can make it 😉

With an amazing track record, we are excited to see what Sander van Doorn will bring to the decks in 2020! Catch him playing in Chicago this Friday Dec 20th at Prysm nightclub. Get tickets and keep up with his tour schedule on his official website here.

Where are you hoping to see Sander van Doorn play in 2020? Drop a comment below!