Exclusive Interview: Sander van Doorn opens up about his “Deeper, darker” alias, Purple Haze

First off, how excited are you to be a major part of North America’s biggest electronic music weekend?

“I am super excited! It’s not going to be my first EDC, but it’s going to be my first EDC under my new alter-ego Purple Haze. The previous shows I did were absolutely insane, the crowd goes completely crazy, and it’s just really good. You know the temperature is pretty hot out there, but it cools down in night so that’s a good thing. I’m just super excited about playing at the Dreamstate Stage.”

You’re track “Mant Array” is released under DOORN Records, what makes this track different from those you’ve released in the past?

“Every single track I produce is in front of a blank screen; whatever comes to mind. This track I had a very melodic type in my head, which felt like it needed a guitar feel to it. I produced it in Australia where I also did my first Purple Haze tour, so I was really into the whole musical vibe. I produced the track with a little Purple Haze elements to it, but the bass was very much Sander van Doorn.”

Tell me about the “Deeper, darker, different side to Sander van Doorn”, your alter ego, Purple Haze?

“It’s definitely a deep, darker side. The music is a little more euphoric and there’s a lot more storytelling. That’s why with Purple Haze shows, I’m only doing big festivals because it really makes more sense musically combined with the whole production elements to it. It’s all about start to finish and building a story around it. Playing more melodic music, playing more energetic music, and really building a storyline. So, it’s definitely different from what I was doing before.”

You just released “Neiloj”, where did you inspiration for this original stem from?

“It really was the first track where I felt it had the Purple Haze sounds around it. “Neiloj” is actually my wife’s name spelt backwards. She really stimulated me to do something with this whole Purple Haze thing. She pushed me to go to the studio and produce a lot of Purple Haze tracks and that’s where I really felt like home in the studio producing. So, of course, the first track is special to me and that’s why I called it “Neiloj”.

What about your upcoming single, “Contrast”, out July 10th on DOORN?

“It’s going to be the second release under Purple Haze, and I’m super excited about that one as well. It’s a lot more based on the bass line and drive compared to “Neiloj” which is a little more melodic bass. It’s also really about storytelling, and there’s a big contrast between the buildup and the drop; it has a big shift in the drop. So, that’s why I called it Contrast. ”

Any upcoming projects you’d like to share with our fans?

“The biggest upcoming project is my new artist album actually. This is going to be my 3rd studio album, my 1st under Purple Haze. So, it’s going to be around 13 tracks. Super excited. It’s going to be released over in September, I’m not going to release too many tracks from it so it is going to be a brand new record whenever it comes out.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pvVwl7DFYg