Sante: Alternating Current

Opting to move to Berlin in pursuit of his musical dream on the education side of things, Sante got more than he bargained for when he made the move to the German capital because little did he know that such a career move would transform into a life time change of events for this fine house talent.

Having worked alongside Tiefschwarz later down the line, opportunity knocked for Sante who graciously took each and every one with both hands. Now having worked his magic as a resident at Sankey’s in Ibiza for Steve Lawler’s VIVa Warriors brand, the name of Sante just continues to grow. We managed to catch a few words with Sante about his early influences in music, what it was like to work with Tiefschwarz and discuss his hotly anticipated debut LP, “Current.“

You first got involved with DJing at the age of sixteen after teaching yourself how to play guitar. Why did you get involved in such a competitive profession? Did any particular DJ’s inspire you to do so?

Of course. Jeff Mills and Robert Hood are big idols for me. I would also say Daft Punk because the way they produced music changed all of my influences in house and techno.

How did they change your influences?

Because I was more of a guitarist and songwriter when I started and the way that they started, they used electronic music, even with some other kind of example of music. So the way they mixed it up, it made me go crazy and that began the way of thinking that I wanted to start out the same as well instead of just writing music and using a guitar.

You left home at 21 to make a name for yourself in Berlin. What drew you to the German capital?

Actually, I wanted to study there. I wanted to study in music. It was one of only two universities in Germany where you can study music and sound engineering. One was Berlin and the other one was close to Hamburg which was not as attractive to me, so I decided to move to Berlin.

You chipped away and persevered in search of your dream to become a DJ. You finally released your first track after one of your demos ended up in the possession of Matt ‘Radio Slave’ Edwards. How crucial was this occurrence in your career and how did it motivate you to take things to the next level in terms of progressing your career?

When I moved to Berlin I didn’t make it into university so I began to work in a studio. I was always into house and techno but at this point when REKIDS came out and Matt gave me the opportunity, I was let produce a lot of singles and this made me think “I don’t want to do anything else – let’s push things forward.” At the same time that this release came out, I was doing a lot of work with Tiefschwarz. I was engineering and producing with them which got me more and more into the techno scene. I never thought of being an international DJ and flying all over the world but now it’s like a dream come true. After this I release, I knew I needed to do this.

What was it like to work with Tiefschwarz?

It was fun. It was cool. It was good for me. I made a lot of contacts through them. It was perfect and I developed my sounding because I was working elevens almost daily and it was an everyday producing chart where I tried and got more influences. Yeah, this was really inspiring.

The summer of 2014 has been excellent for you. You have showcased your craft on the White Isle in exquisite fashion, most notably at VIVa Warriors at Sankeys, what has been the highlight of your time in Ibiza this year?

It’s a great feeling to be with Steve. I am really happy that he has me on board for Sankeys. It is such a tough, growing club here in Ibiza and I loved playing there as a DJ at one of the best clubs in the world because of the crowd. The sound system and the basement; the dirty, underground feeling – I love to play places like that. When Steve hired me the first time in Ibiza, I was like “what am I expecting?” because I had visited many, many times before but I had never been to this club and I’ve totally fallen in love with the place – so whenever he’s calling, I’m coming. I’m really glad he has me on board as a resident.

You are set to DJ on the Lost In Ibiza Sunset Boat Party alongside Sidney Charles and Patrick Topping. What can we expect from your set on this unique occasion?

Actually, it was raining the whole day so my mood changed but now the sun is shining and there will be banging house music – house and techno. So we will see the ocean is going. If it is quite wavy, we are going to play more house (laughs).

You are spinning behind the decks alongside two extremely talented, up and coming DJ’s – Sidney Charles and Patrick Topping. Are you a fan of their work?

Of course man. I am a big fan of Patrick’s work and of course, Sidney because he is one of my best friends. We are sharing an apartment right now so I am a really big fan of his music and this is why I love to have him on board whenever possible.

Have you learned anything from them having worked alongside them? If so, what?

Yeah, for sure. Especially with Sidney I change a lot of my stuff and we produce a lot of tracks together. It’s like there is constant interaction between us. We share the same kind of interests for the music and the same genre and the same sound. This is when you get the demos or promos and we are totally interacting, this is one of the best things for me at the moment. Sharing time in the studio or DJing time with him. I like it a lot.

Changing subjects now. As your persona increases in popularity and demand, so does your current success. Your debut LP, “Current” is set to be released on your label Avotre on October 20th. Tell us a bit more about your new album.

I called this “Current” because I was working all over the world last year with a lot of songwriters and singers on these ten tracks because I wanted to have something a bit more different from the big time tracks I was known for. I wanted to make a bit more music to show the influences of where I’ve come from but every track is full to the floor – house and techno inspired but with a lot more song driven elements, especially with a lot of vocalists from the States. I worked with Russoul and Ovasoul7. I was travelling a lot in the States and whilst journeying across we had a lot of time to record massive ideas. It was also great working with Steve – the singer from Dirty Vegas. I really enjoyed working with such a variety of vocalists. Then there’s the other part of the album, it’s quite a bit darker which was written in London and then finished in Berlin. The whole idea is to have something to listen to and dance to but not necessarily at peak time level.

Do you have a favourite record from the twelve on your debut album? If so what and why?

Yeah, I did one to test it out. It was a pre-single before the album came out. It was called “Momentary” which is the most dance driven track on the album. Now it’s coming on, there’s one called “Awake” with Agoria on the remix, it has a very nice ring to it with the singer J.U.D.G.E. He was a good talent of somewhat, he is from London but we did many, many tracks and just picked two. Now this is the third single which is pretty very soon at the beginning of October.

Finally, every DJ looks towards the future to build on their success from the past. Where do you see Sante in five years time from now?

Hopefully still DJing all over the world! Music wise, I would love to progress as an album artist and go more down the direction of electronica meets techno, maybe one day even putting a live show together. I also hope to find more talent for Avotre and keep putting interesting music out.

Sante’s debut album ‘Current’ arrives October 20th. Can’t wait until then? Check out the albums opening single ‘Turn It Up’ featuring Russoul below.