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Dutch Sander Kuiper a.k.a. DJ Sander Bottaio is a true techno lover. The word energetic often applies to his sets as well. We met quite some years ago and attended many parties and some festivals together. In 2015 I asked him about his first gig. “The VJ thought that my set was the best of the evening.”
“I played my first gig when I was about seventeen. It was a friend’s party in a horse stable. In those days I played hardcore. I wasn’t nervous at all because everyone there was a friend. A small mistake wasn’t a matter of life and death, because everyone knew that I had just started playing.”
Shooting club
“In the following period, I mostly played at several friends’ parties. On one occasion, we played at a shooting club because the father of a friend, who was a member, arranged that we could use the cafeteria. Often, we played in the garden shed of one of my friends. It was quite big so very suitable for an intimate party. Every time took a lot of effort, because I always brought my own gear that included amplifiers, speakers, lighting and turntables. Many times, I had just installed everything again and the next party came up.”
Techno gig
Timecodes
“I had brought my own turntables with timecodes. I’d just started playing with Traktor and wanted to preserve that old, nice vinyl feeling. I still prefer vinyl to play with. Unfortunately, there aren’t many new releases on vinyl anymore and in the end, digital is more convenient. These days I play with controllers but sometimes I reach out to my turntables with timecodes.”
Compliment
“The set went very well. I had prepared myself a little but not a lot. Generally, I play ‘on the flow’. I wait and see what happens. The VJ who was beaming behind me, told me later that in his opinion my set was the best of the evening. I took that as a huge compliment.”
Good turntables
“I never had a mentor. I’m completely self-taught. When I was about sixteen, I started playing hardcore. I started out with belt drive turntables with a rotate pitch. Later, I bought my own turntables and a mixer. This took a a summer of hard work and saving every penny, because they had to be of good quality, of course.” (laughs)
Obscure techno
“I learned most by standing next to the DJ booth often and observe how other DJs play. Also, I listened a countless number of sets by other artists. Generally, I can really appreciate sets by Dave Clarke, especially the older ones. I don’t really have heroes. If someone plays well, I’m happy. Admittedly, the Drumcode sound very much appeals to me, but I also play fat, raw, underground techno. This can be extremely obscure techno, of the kind that the audience doesn’t really know what to do with it.”
“I’m a few years down the DJ-road now. The past year, I ‘ve played at several online radio stations where I had a minimum of two shows per week. Besides this, I won a few DJ contests and since a short while I’m resident at De Feestvennootschap. This is a young organization that hosts nice parties on Sunday afternoons at The Lighthouse in IJburg, Amsterdam.”
This article is originally published on DJMag.nl in July 2015.
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