Adam Holiday developed a passion for music that can be traced back to his younger years, surrounded by his musical family who helped him harness his ability to become a musician. By the age of only 17, he had secured his first residency and was touring some of Johannesburg’s biggest clubs on the circuit. Since then, he has had releases on 99 Waves, Shoefiti, Solid Grooves, Suma and Enjoy It Productions. He has been dropping serious Tech House bangers in the past years.
1 – How did it all start for you? What brought you to the House music scene?
I was always into music from a very young age and it was my uncle who introduced me to electronic music. He played me CDs by Ministry of Sound, Subliminal Sessions, Miss Moneypenny and I was instantly hooked. I would come home from school and just sit on my computer listening to these CDs over and over then shortly after that got into DJing.
2 – What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your artistic career?
I would have to say when I got my first record signed to a label. I had that goal for so long and when I finally achieved it, it was a major stepping-stone as it spurred me on and I thought if I could get one signed I could get 100 signed.
Then another incisive moment was when Erick Morillo supported one of my tracks ‘I like it When U’ on his SiriusXM Radio show. He is one of the biggest icons in the House music scene so for him to support my music was such an honour.
Also, playing at some of Johannesburg’s iconic clubs like Tempo’s and Roxy’s.
3 – What do you usually start with when preparing for a set?
To be honest, in terms of the music I never prepare for a set, I take all my music with me to my gigs so I can play a wide selection of tracks from slow and deep to pumping peak-hour tracks it’s just depending on what’s required for the gig. I try to get an idea of the vibe of the venue before I play and then when I am at the gig I will work off the crowd. The only thing I really do before a set is have a coffee and sit for a few minutes before in pure silence to clear my mind.
4 – Why remix Wu-Tang of all Hip Hop groups?
I liked the sample used in the Wu-Tang – ‘Gravel Pit’ track, the sample was originally from a track made in 1965 by Antoine Duhamel called ‘Belphegor’s Theme’. The sample has such a mysterious feel and I always thought it would work so well in a house track and I have wanted to make a track with it for a while.
5 – Are you planning on using more Hip Hop classics in future productions?
Possibly, for me when I produce music I take inspiration from wherever it comes from, whether that be from a Hip Hop track or other musical genres. Why not break the boundaries of musical genres and come up with a fresh sound.
6 – If you could eternally be stuck in one year’s music scene, which year would it be?
2002 for sure, that was the year I went to Ibiza for the first time and the House music back then was out of this world! The music was ‘cool’ and every track sounded distinct, tracks like Who Da Funk – Shiny Disco Balls, Layo & Bushwacka – Love Story and Shakedown – At Night (Kid Creme Remix) were destroying the clubs like Pacha and Space. This is when I truly developed my love for house music.
7 – What is something that bugs/irritates you about the House music scene?
I think right now what I am finding is the Tech House scene is a lot of music that is sounding too similar. It sounds like most tracks in the top 100 Tech House of Beatport was made by the same producer. Also, nowadays tracks have a short shelf life they seem to be played for 2 months and then they are forgotten about unless they are tracks that hit the big time like ‘Cola’ by Camelphat or ‘Losing It’ by FISHER.
8 – What is your opinion regarding the difference between old school DJing where everything was restricted to vinyl and modern DJing where most tracks are never put on any physical medium before or after release?
It has its pros and cons before it was a lot harder to get a track signed with a label. Labels would need to put a lot more money forward into a release to get it on vinyl, which made them more selective and had a certain number of releases every year. Nowadays labels can take more chances on the up and coming artists and sign more tracks as their upfront costs for a release are a lot lower.
On the flip side nowadays DJs have the benefits of being able to buy more music as it is cheaper for DJs. Plus taking a flash drive to your gigs is a whole lot easier than a crate of vinyl.
9 – What is one track that never gets old for you no matter how many times you hear it?
Pryda – Pjanoo – such a great track, timeless, I will be playing this to my grandkids for sure!
10 – What is one House track that got popular that you can’t stand?
When you say a track ‘I can’t stand’ there is one that comes straight to mind, it isn’t a House track but the track – ‘Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso – Calling’. I know it went massive, got a lot of support and did really well; unfortunately, it just didn’t do it for me.
11 – If you were not a House DJ/producer, what other electronic music genres would you choose to produce/DJ?
Euphoric trance for sure, the old school vibe that Paul Van Dyk and Tiesto used to play. I still listen to trance a lot and still love the vibe good trance music has.
Check out Adam Holiday on Soundcloud and Spotify below!
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