5 minutes with... Sander Van Doorn

Read on to find out what went down for Sander at the Miami Winter Music Conference, what to expect from his ramped up visual show, and what he has in store for Gatecrasher Birmingham this Easter.

Your new track 'Chasin’' is out now, and fans are saying it is the 2012 answer to your hit 'Koko'. Would you concur?
I didn’t write it with that in mind, but I have heard it quite a bit having just come from Miami, so why not?

Your artist album Eleve11  has received phenomenal critical acclaim. Tell us about it?
Well for me, I really approached it with an ‘album’ mentality. I didn’t want to release an album that was simply a bunch of club tracks. As a producer and writer you get inspired by all sorts of things and being able to communicate that through music is what it’s all about. I was really pleased that fans and music lovers of all genres appreciated the music on Eleve11.

Your From Dusk Till Doorn 2011 compilation was also a great success?
Yeah it’s a brand we’ve been building for some time now and I think that album really pulled together all the great sounds and energy from one of the Dusk Till Doorn nights.

Last year you toured From Dusk Till Doorn with a completely interactive show. What can we expect from your DJ set this time around?
Well I have ramped up production to give a very state of the art visual show to accompany my set. I am using Unlimited [from NL] for this and I couldn’t be happier with the result.

Is it important for you to create unique and visually inspiring sets?
You have to define yourself in a way that works for you. I wanted to give the performance something extra, so this works for me, but there is no reason that a dark club with music you love can’t work just as well. It’s all about expectation and perception and what you as an artist want to covey. There’s no one way to do it!

How was Miami this year?
Well, I’m just back from that relaxing in Vegas right now for a few days, so I can say it was bigger and better than I even expected. I had a private showcase for my new single with a singer called Mayaeni [‘Inside’] that was amazing. It was at Tom Lord Alge’s [mega producer Pink, Blink182, Avril +100”s more] home on the water and was just spectacular. Then we had a few shows here and there but the cherry on top was playing Ultra on Sunday. Went live to a few million people so I hear, and I really can never absorb how massive it is until I watch it back. Definitely another highlight show.

Tell us about your residency at The Marquee in Las Vegas. Apparently Vegas has become the new capital of dance?
So they say! I think there is an overwhelming amount of money in Vegas and so they are putting a lot of time and effort into the dance scene. It can definitely become a US capital for dance music, that’s for sure.

Your radio show Identity has achieved phenomenal success and broadcasts to over 10 million world-wide… is this an important means of communicating regularly with your fans?
Yes, because I can keep them updated with everything I’m up to and it’s just a more personal way to communicate with everyone across a global scale.

You constantly have new projects on the go. How do you find the time to get everything done?

Now that I can produce on my laptop, I feel like I get much more productions done.

You played Gatecrasher a lot back in the day - do you have any special memories?
Always one of the best events, everyone is ready to go from the moment I come on. I think we’ll be making some new amazing memories coming up!

What can we expect from your Gatecrasher Birmingham set this Easter?
I have a few surprises in store, that’s for sure. Got a lot of new music in Miami, so will be dropping some of those and maybe testing out a few SvD ones, so get ready!

What's next for 2012?
I'm working on a new album and a few more interesting collaborations - but that’s all I can say at the moment!

Catch Sander Van Doorn at Gatecrasher Birmingham this Saturday 7th April, with Radio 1's Danny Howard. Tickets are available through Skiddle, from £10.

Tickets are no longer available for this event