Richard, welcome to the DMC world. We pride ourselves in speaking only to the best musicians in the world, and in yourself, the world of trance and techno has truly found a real superstar. Before we start the rollercoaster ride of rhythms and remixes you have brought us, take us back to a young kid lying on his bed… what made you want to get into this business – what music, DJs, clubs influenced you whilst you were growing up?
“When I was twelve I saw a big concert on TV from an artist called Patric Bruel which really impressed me, and from that moment I knew this was something I would like to do as a profession. And what do you know… here I am in a slightly differently form – ha ha! Also, when I was 18 I really got into dance music and went to a lot of the leading clubs in Amsterdam such as iT, Escape and the Roxy. It was here that my love for dance music was truly born.”
You are one of the few DJs who are not able to just sit back and simply play their music and take their money. You are always pushing boundaries, your sets using 4 CD decks and effect units, mixing up samples, incredible tunes and some technical twists along the way is just such a breath of fresh air. We thank you for that. Why is it so important to you as a DJ to go along this path? There are so many hundreds of DJs out there who are so happy just putting 90 minutes of records on and going home…?
“The main reason is that I love what I’m doing. It’s not work for me and I have as much fun as the people I’m playing for. I’m naturally a very energetic person, so it’s impossible for me to stand still behind the decks. Also, I believe that I’m there for the crowd, rather than the crowd being there for me. By this I mean that I see it as my job to give people a great night out, and to do that I believe that you need to do more than just mix records in and out. Every DJ is different, let’s just be happy that not every DJ is the same.”
You have had some massive big up’s from the mighty DJ Tiesto – where did you first meet this incredible DJ?
“I did a remake of his track ‘Lethal Industry’ just for myself and to play in my own DJ sets. Somehow Tiesto got a copy of this track and he liked the mix so much he called me to check-out who the remixers were behind that remix. We met up Amsterdam and talked about the remix, and the rest is history…”
So some big records already under your belt, ‘Make Me Scream’ and ‘Slipping Away’ on the Terminal 4 label, follow-ups ‘Sweap And Repeat’ and ‘Submerge’ and remixes of Tiesto vs BT ‘Break My Fall’ and Fragma ‘Toca’s Miracle’ to name but a few. What do you think has been your best studio moment? Your reworks of The Prodigy’s ‘Smack My Bitch Up’, Audio Bully’s ‘The Things’ and Binary Finary’s ‘1998’ are just so cool also…
“This is a very difficult question for me to answer as every track has had (and still has) its own special moment on the dance floor. I always make my music with the intention to let people dance! But my favourite tracks would probably be Snow Patrol ‘Chasing Cars’, Tiesto ‘Lethal Industry’ and Art of Trance ‘Madagascar’.”
You mix in circles with fellow DJs such as Paul van Dyk, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Judge Jules and Eddie Halliwell. Who do you think is leading the pack at the moment?
“Every DJ has their own highlights. Tiesto has done a lot of firsts such as opening the Olympic Games, Armin did a very good job with being chosen #1 for two years in a row, and Ferry and Jules are also very important in there own way, Ferry with his productions and labels and Jules for his show BBC Radio 1 and ‘Judgement Sunday’ in Ibiza etc.”
You have played at some of the best clubs and festivals the world has seen. Dance Valley, Planet Love, Colourfest, Godskitchen, Gatecrasher, Inside Out…I could go on!! What over the years have been your favourite nights behind the decks?
“The night’s in the northen part of the UK, Scotland and Ireland are my favourite as people go completely mad when they’re on the dance floor! What you notice is that every country has it’s own kind of crowd though.”
What is the best record ever made?
“Underworld ‘Born Slippy'”
What artist would you most like to record with…?
“Michael Jackson (my all time favourite)”
Top 10 tunes in your box at the moment…?
“I play ninety five percent of my own tunes so I think that it’s not so interesting to give a Top 10 of my own records! But I can tell you of course a top 10 of tracks from other producers that I like very much, which isd…
1.Tatana & Andrew Bennett feat. Tiff Lacey ‘Closer’ ((Gareth Emery Remix)
2.Rank 1 ‘L.E.D. There Be Light’
3.Arnej ‘The Ones That Get Away’
4.Shane 54 feat. Carrie Skipper ‘Vampire’ (Gareth Emery’s Garuda Remix)
5.Push ‘Universal Nation’ (James Harcourt Remix)
6.Ferry Corsten ‘Made Of Love’
7.Cressida ‘6AM’ (Kyau & Albert Remix)
8.Andain ‘Beautiful Things’ (Gustav Remix)
9.Deadmau5 ‘Clockwork’ (Cosmic Gate Remix)
10.Super8 & Tab feat. Alyna ‘Delusion'”
Best party in Ibiza you’ve had?
“That can only be Judgement Sunday at Eden. Last year I was a resident DJ and had the time of my life!”
What is the best thing about living in Holland?
“Holland is small, everything is very close by. The people in Holland are easy going and very liberal so a great place to relax. There’s no other country in the world where I would like to live.”
Who should we be looking out for on the Dutch DJ / Artist scene in 2009?
“Alex O Rion on Terminal 4.”
And what’s next from you in 2009?
“Well I’m excited about my first album release in April this year called ‘Papillon’. Blackhole Recordings is my new record company and this will be out through them.”
