San Holo talks about Secret Sky, “stay alive” and bitbird

San Holo speaks openly about his upcoming appearance at the Secret Sky Festival, his latest project stays alive and bitbird.

The dance music community went wild earlier this week when Secret Sky Festival was announced by Porter Robinson, Brownies & Lemonade, and Golden voice. The line-up is full of talented artists as well San Holo is included in this list. He’s not only the mastermind behind iconic tracks like “Light” and “lift me from the ground” with Sofie Winterson, but also just a versatile person.

Even in these strange times, San Holo keeps our spirits high with his latest project stay alive. In the past six weeks he released a new song to give hope to his fans and community listeners. Not only will he play Secret Sky this weekend, but he will also release the final track of the project “Staring at the sea without you next to me” With I LIVE HERE on Monday May 11th

In all fairness we can talk about San Holo all day, but it’s time to get into our interview with him. Read on for the full chat, tune into their vibrant playlist on Spotify, and don’t forget to tune in to their set at 12:28 p.m. PT tomorrow. You will not regret it.

Stream San Holo – Stay Alive on Spotify:

Hello San Holo. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. We’re really excited to see your set during Secret Sky this weekend. When the event was announced, the community went wild. It lifted a lot of moods. Can you tell us how you got there?

Porter’s team reached out to me to see if I would be open to doing an appearance on Secret Sky. I haven’t done a lot of livestream sets so far, but this was such a special opportunity I knew I just had to join in!

Shortly after the lineup was posted, you tweeted a picture of you and Porter Robinson. How is your relationship with Porter?

I have a lot of respect for Porter, he’s a legend. He really is one of the great pioneers of electronic music and I will always look up to him for that. He was kind enough to send me on the Shelter Tour with Hugo a few years ago early in my career and that really helped. I have a lot of great memories of this tour (my first time on a bus!) And have stayed in touch with him and many others from this tour to this day.

I haven’t done that many digital sets yet so I’m probably not the best person to ask about, but it’s nowhere near as addicting as the real life gigs. I love going to the front of the crowd and really seeing people face to face and how they connect with the music and the show and even with the other people around them. It’s a beautiful thing and it’s just not the same online.

Let’s talk about your current project. Stay alive. You put out a new song every week, which is pretty impressive. What inspired the project and what does it mean in your own words to stay alive?

the stay alive Playlist started because I needed a way to express a lot of the emotions I was having when the quarantine started. I find it much easier to express myself through music than words, and I’ve had so much to say that I just wanted to bring it all out. Staying alive means accepting the ups and downs of life and trying to be as mindful as possible and share the living energy you have with those around you.

You recently worked with Broods on the beautiful track “Honest”. How was the collaboration with the sibling duo?

I wrote ‘Honest’ with Georgia a few years ago [Nott] by Broods and two other writers, Nate Campany and Kyle Shearer. Although it took a while to get it out, it never lost its magic for me or my team. If anything, I may have thought too long about the production and I’m glad we finally released it.

Bitbird has been down with some really stunning releases lately. Can you tell us a little bit about the background to recent projects like Create Together and what to look for while listening to demos?

It’s all about music that touches our hearts in some way. We don’t care about genres or boxing. We want music that is real and limitless. Create together is a perfect example of this. The fans of the bitbird Discord group had the idea for a compilation. Each producer was challenged to do a track within a month, and the top ten were to make up the final compilation. I love how different all the tracks on this compilation are. But they all sound like they were made with the same intention.

Since this topic is definitely on everyone’s lips, how has the coronavirus and the quarantine affected you?

It was quite an adjustment, but I am getting more and more comfortable with it. The whole situation definitely forced me to slow down a little and rethink my life. I’ve been on the road almost continuously for the past few years, it was fun and I can’t wait to come back. But because it’s so much fun, I sometimes find it difficult to take a break. So it was good for me. I have more of a “normal” routine and fall asleep in my own bed.

Right now we are all taking our day-to-day lives, what are some things that kept you down during that time?

I make a lot of music, which is my favorite thing to do. You can also go for long walks and enjoy nature with music. I’ve also spent more time with my family than I have had in a while, so this is another hidden blessing.

When we finally think of San Holo, we think healthily and positively. It’s just about spreading the good mood. What advice can you give to someone who is having a difficult time?

Take a deep breath and remember that nothing is final. Brighter days will always come.

Connect with San Holo on social media:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud | Youtube