SAN PROPER
San Proper is an intrinsic part of Amsterdam’s underground club scene. With a run of releases on record labels including Perlon, Dekmantel and Rush Hour, over the past 15 years he has indisputably staked his claim amongst the ever-growing contingent of quality artists from the Netherlands. He’s known and praised for his house and disco sets, but is also skilled in blending different styles from acid to Afro-beat into an eclectic mix. The man plays at Egg London as part of Familia on 1 February in London, and it was a pleasure to catch up with the man beforehand…
How was your Christmas and New Year? Did you relax much and get away from music at all?
Quite hectic since my birthday is 10 December and I usually celebrate this for a month, I’m still having a ball actually, but I never try to get away from music… It’s what keeps the fire burning.
Do you ever feel you need to take a break, put some distance between you and the music to reinvigorate yourself or…?
One day a week is enough of a break for me, but that’s taking a break from all the other facets like people or booze for instance. I reinvigorate myself through the inspiration I detect around me.
Have you set any goals or targets for this year, anything you’d like to do, achieve or any places you’d like to play that you haven’t already?
It’s sometimes tricky to be to specific with goals, targets or resolutions and I don’t wanna jinx it either but I seriously don’t want to break as many hearts as I did last year, mine included.
I’m excited about a lot of musical projects I’m working on and I plan to push it further with performances, sets, releases and collaborations. I wanna keep on jamming and spread the gospel of house music.
What state is the Dutch scene in? It seems to be healthier than ever – does it feel like that on the ground there?
There’s definitely a healthy scene if I take a look at the artists and friends, some of the venues, festivals, club nights and the crowd, even though most people tend to complain about their city and scene I’ve noticed that it’s a lot more vivid than most people realise when I travel abroad…
How have you changed and evolved as a DJ since you first started out, do you feel you play differently or use different skills and techniques at all as you’ve learned more?
Yes, progress is usually natural when you’re eager to learn, it’s what keeps the drive alive. It’s hard to analyse myself but when I listen to my old mix-tapes it sometimes feels like I’ve been doing the same thing for more than 20 years, but this is not about skills or techniques, it’s about devotion.
Are you playing music for yourself or for the crowd?
It seems to differ with every DJ – some play to others, some only want to entertain themselves… I’m also part of the crowd… We’re doing this together.
What should people expect from you at Egg? What are you currently feeling or inspired by?
I’m blue and I want to shake a load off. I’ve got lots of new material I’d like to share and I’ll bet will have a lot of fun and plenty of feel-good moments.
What else are you looking forward to in the near future?
I’ve got a 4-track EP on Proper’s Cult which I did to launch the label. It’s called The Culture EP. There are tracks coming out on Voyage Direct, Arma 17, Lessizmore, Dekmantel and more this year. I’m looking forward to all the shows which are planned for this year so far and I’m ready. I was born ready.
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Words: Stephen Flynn
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