Progressive, big-room and electro-house DJ and producer, Sandro Silva, is from the hot bed of the dance-music world, The Netherlands. Constantly traveling the world professionally, his love for discovering new cultures and sharing his sound, drives his ever-evolving passion for music. Have a listen to one of his latest tracks, “Stay Inside”, featuring Kepler embedded below.

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Chris Remmers: We’re going to be talking about the things you have seen, places you’ve been and how that’s shaped your career today. Why don’t you start by telling us a little bit about where you are from?

Sandro Silva: I’m from Holland, of course. I live in a small city called Zoetermeer. It’s next to The Hague, one of the bigger cities here. I’ve practically lived there my whole life. The past six years I’ve been flying a lot though. I’ve been abroad a lot in the [United States] — basically everywhere. So far, it’s been one hell of a journey.

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CR: It must be a wonderful feeling when your career takes off, traveling to all corners of the globe and seeing things you never thought you would see before. That being said, where would you send a first-time visitor to Holland to really get a sense of the beauty?

SS: I think a lot of people that go as tourists will stop at Amsterdam first, which is one of the most famous cities here. If you want to see beauty and things a lot of tourist don’t go to see I would suggest taking a trip into The Hague. It’s by far one of my favorite cities. Not only is it really close to my house, but there’s also a lot of stuff to see and do. You can at any point find an amazing restaurant, see an amazing view and the people are just so friendly and welcoming. It’s truly a magnificent place to be whether you’re visiting or live there.

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I personally love sushi, and one of my favorite restaurants, Momiji, happens to be in the center of The Hague. When I tell you that this place is awesome my words do not do it justice. I would definitely bring anyone visiting for the first time straight to that spot to start the trip off right.

CR: I love sushi myself, and I’m going to have to put Momiji on the bucket list! When did you first decide you wanted to pursue life as a deejay? Did the culture you grew up in have any sort of impact on your career?

SS: I would definitely say that growing up in Holland had a profound effect on how I am today as a DJ and as a person. Growing up in that area there was always a lot of DJ’s, producers and people pursing music. So, it had a positive impact on me, because it’s a small place and all the DJ’s kind of know, stay in touch and learn from each other. It really helped, when I start touring, getting to know DJ’s on my rosters.

CR: That sounds like the perfect environment to help mold you. Over the course of the past several years dance music in general has grown exponentially across the globe. Where have been some of your favorite venues to perform? How do some of them differ internationally?

SS: I would say I have a lot of favorite venues that I’ve played over the course of the last few years. I would definitely say I really love Privilege in Ibiza. I really love playing large venues, but I also enjoy being in a smaller crowd. You are able to be more intimate, and you get a better sense of the energy in the crowd from the music you’re playing.

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CR: Is there a venue that sticks out to you where the crowd atmosphere was either on par with the surrounding area’s nightlife, or completely different all together?

SS: There was definitely one venue I played where it was a little culture shock called Bootshaus in Germany. It’s a really famous club, although it’s rather small. The crowd there was just going absolutely wild and nuts. There was mosh pits all night and people hanging all over the place. It was just wild. That was definitely a shock for me. One of the craziest venues I’ve played. I remember that day like it was literally yesterday. If you haven’t been there, and you love the club scene, I feel like it’s a place that everyone must visit at least once.

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CR: That’s amazing! I’m sure that’ll be a night to remember forever. To segway more into travel, when you’re looking to just get away, are you looking to relax on a beach, hike in the mountains, explore a city or something totally different all together?

SS: I really, really love Bali. It’s an amazing island and you can do so many fun things there. It was definitely one of the most relaxing places I’ve ever been to. You can go out and go to crazy parties, or if you want to stay low key they have some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen in my life. There are just so many things to choose from it’s really a great place to forget about the stresses of life.

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CR: What are some of your favorite things to do when you’re in a place like Bali?

SS: To be honest, I’m a huge foodie. I love to go out and look for new restaurants and try different delicacies. I love to sit on the beach during the day, sometimes just to get my mind right and ready for my evening plans. Everything has to be in balance for me when I’m going away on vacation or a getaway. I like to have a good time, but I also need to relax and sometimes just do nothing. When I go on vacation, I don’t want to feel like I am being rushed or have a crazy schedule to follow. There’s enough of that in everyday life. This is why I take time off to begin with.

CR: How do you feel music and travel really complement each other best in your life?

SS: Music and travel for me is something that go hand-in-hand with one another. When I travel I like to listen to other genres of music, and a lot of time that gets me in the mood when I get to another country. Sometimes, it even helps me draw my inspiration too. I try to take the perspectives of other people with me when I’m in a new place, and it definitely has changed me as a person.

CR: One of your latest tracks, “Stay Inside”, featuring Kepler really stuck out to me. What was your thought process behind it? How do you feel it’s been received by your fan base so far?

SS: That’s exactly what I do it for. When fans and artist say stuff to me like, “Your music really touches me!” Or, when there’s just an overwhelming amount of support, there’s no greater feeling, honestly. This is what I try to do with my music. I switch it up so you can be a club goer and know all of my hits in the club, or you can just be a regular person dealing with a tough time. If my music can help anyone get through there issues, that to me is what it is all about.

Right now, I’m trying to really expand my influence into all kinds of music. I don’t want to only play club music. I want to help people and send a message. If a few of my songs can do that, even if they’re not club hits, then that is perfectly okay with me.

CR: That’s really an amazing thing to keep that kind of stuff in mind. Having that thought behind some of your music purely to help someone get through a tough time is huge. Now, everyone has a list of places they would like to go and see that they haven’t been to yet. Do any particular place or places stick out to you?

SS: You know it’s funny, I’ve played in almost every part of the world at one point or another. A few places I’ve not been able to play at are a few parts of Africa. I would love to get to see and preform. Russia is somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit or preform in, as well. There are just so many places I want to visit and play my music.

© Diana Robinson

CR: After traveling for a long period of time, what are some things that you like to do at home that you don’t do on the road?

SS: When I’m coming back I’m always driving around in my car, because I just miss that feeling of being behind the wheel. In my profession, most of the time other people are driving and I never really get to do a lot of “normal things”. It’s nice to just use your own stuff like getting groceries. I just like doing simple stuff when I get to go home.

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CR: In your realm of work traveling obviously comes with the territory. What affect has seeing and experiencing these different cultures had on you? How has that broadened your perspective of the world?

SS: Honestly, it made me super open minded. I’m a really open person right now, and I think that’s something traveling has really taught me. You meet so many new people, people from different cultures, and you definitely take that with you when you leave. You learn a lot of lessons on the road traveling in all degrees of life and lifestyle. Traveling is just a really good outlet to help you change your perspectives, and it helps you to become a better person. There’s so much garbage you see on news outlets, you really have to go out and experience these places and things for yourself to get a true sense.

CR: Lastly, what’s your next big trip and what’s it for?

SS: We have a bunch of trips coming up. This past weekend we actually flew over to Italy. The big trip is coming in September, because we are going to be going to hit a bunch of spots in China. I love China, we’ve been out there a few times and it’s just a really amazing place. We will see what gets added to our Asia tour soon.

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For more on Sandro Silva visit his website: