Back on the road: Dutch musician San Holo releases new album, goes on tour

Nov. 12—Sander van Dijck loves to make music and travel.

When the pandemic hit, the 30-year-old spent a lot of time by himself in the Netherlands.

"Traveling is my favorite part of what I do," he says. "I really got used to connecting with people in different cities and countries. The pandemic forced me to stay stuck in my room."

While traveling was out of the equation, van Dijck decided to keep making music.

Van Dijck is also known by his stage name, San Holo. He released the album, "bb u ok?" and is touring in support of it. His tour will make a stop at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, at the Historic El Rey Theater in Downtown Albuquerque.

The musician took a different route in his new music.

Aside from not being able to see anyone, he went back to his roots playing guitar.

"I started playing guitar when I was 13, and I graduated as a guitar player from school," he says. "I soon got bored of it and I started with electronic dance music. This is when I left guitar out of the picture. With this album, I began to incorporate guitar back into music again. It's become my thing now. I pull out a guitar during my DJ set now. It's my unique selling point."

During his time at home, van Dijck learned a lot about himself.

"One of the biggest things I realized is that I'm always chasing after something," he says. "That's where my happiness came from. In the pandemic, there was nowhere to go. I realized the importance of being happy with the here and now. I can look forward to the next chapter, but I've got to remain present in what's happening in my life today."

With his North American tour in full swing, van Dijck's time for making music as been significantly decreased.

"The tour and promotion takes up a lot of time," he says. "I'm touring with 12 people on my bus, and I have to be there to deal with the day-to-day challenges. I can't wait to have time to work on new music."

For this tour, van Dijck is incorporating many of his older tracks into the set.

"This gives the fans some time to reminisce with the songs," he says. "I remixed the songs myself, and the old songs are presented in a new way. I've been doing this for more than a decade, and I truly enjoy the entire experience."

San Holo

WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16

WHERE: Historic El Rey Theater, 622 Central SW

HOW MUCH: $30-$65, plus fees at holdmyticket.com