San Holo – Victory EP
San Holo has been jumping between originals and remixes over the past year with “We Rise” earning the OWSLA endorsement with its release on Nest HQ. The Dutch production wizard has grown his SoundCloud following from a mere 5,000 to over 100,000 in just six months, and has already earned millions of plays on his remixes of Outkast, Dr. Dre, and more. After a cryptic video teaser earlier this month through Monstercat, San Holo announced that his next EP, Victory, would find its home on the Vancouver imprint with the unveiling of its lead single.
As the poster child of the EP, “Victory” bore the weight of setting the stage for its counterparts to later paint the full musical picture. A cyclonic fusion of vocal cuts, hi-hat shudders, and a coarse, glitchy lead prove right from the start that San Holo isn’t looking for the radio crowd with this EP but instead those listeners that admire creativity. The only track to have a featured vocalist, “Hold Fast,” calls upon Tessa Douwstra to sensuously reinforce the intensity behind the encapsulating bass blows, stealthy synth trickles, and background cowbell of San Holo’s handiwork on the track. For “Shrooms,” this future trap bubbler is a psychotropic, auditory trip that drags you into a swirling, digital realm where you can’t help but keep continue listening to the twists and turns the track takes along its course.
Victory is likely San Holo’s most insightful form of musical expression yet. To further elucidate the work, Dutch beatsmith had a few words to share about what the development of this EP and the visual component that was created to complement the audio experience:
“I’ve always had the urge to create things. They say the opposite of love is indifference. When I create something, I want people to love or hate it. For it to evoke emotion and not leave them in the middle. I love it when you have to listen to a song a couple of times before you understand it. That’s beautiful. That something that sounds uncommon and strange to you at first, can turn into something absolutely beautiful later.
In the process of this ‘strange’ song becoming familiar, of it growing on you, it creates an opportunity for development… for you to elevate yourself. That is what art is about for me and what I wanted to do with this EP, both musically and visually; to elevate. Broadening peoples perspective.
With our creative company bitbird we worked on a visual concept for this EP, to create visuals that fit perfectly with the music and it’s intention. It all ties together, the artwork, teasers and the video clips. To us the concept is crystal clear in our minds, but not verbalized. It’s our expression of how we envisioned this project. For the viewers and listeners it is open to interpretation.”
Purchase: iTunes
Read More:
San Holo makes Monstercat debut with ‘Victory’
DA Premiere: San Holo – We Rise (Original Mix)
Categories: Music