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Molek FMMC Asia Chat: Richard Durand
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How many DJs have you heard of that’s been recommended by Tiesto? We’re pretty sure there aren’t that many but we have someone! Hailing from Amsterdam and starting his career as a DJ and record producer since 2005, we present, Richard Durand. He’s released two albums and a number of singles and he’s currently working on a couple of interesting projects. JUICE was fortunate to have a quick chat with him to ask about these projects and his likes and dislikes about his job aspect.
Tell us about yourself; how did you start producing and how has fame affected your life
I played the piano from an early age, and later on when I started clubbing I fell in love with dance music and my two main passions came together into one. As for fame, I don’t really think about it really, as I still do the same things with the friends that I did before my success.
What plans do you have for this year?
I have two big album projects this year. The first is the 10th edition of ‘In Search Of Sunrise’ compilation series which will be released at the end of May. Secondly I have my ‘Richard Durand vs The World’ artist album which is an ongoing project up to it’s release in September.
Have you achieved all your goals?
I hope I’m not finished achieving things yet – I’m still young, haha!
Is Trance the best way to describe your music?
Broadly speaking my sound is trance, although there are strong influences of techno and electro in the sounds that I produce and play in my DJ sets.
When you’re not producing of being a DJ – what do you do during your spare time (if you have any…)?
I seem to have very little spare time these days, but I always look forward to catching up with my friends at home and playing pool!
What made you pursue this music genre? Would you venture out to any other?
I love the energy of EDM – it’s a global sound that makes people dance wherever you are. I could make other kinds of music, but EDM is my real passion.
What do you love and hate about your job?
I love the fact that my hobby and passion is also my job, and that I’m as free as a bird! The only real negative is that often friends and family have to wait due to my hectic tour schedule.
Do you have any new material? Any collaborations?
Yes, lots! My next single release lifted from the ‘Richard Durand vs The World’ album concept is a collaboration track with ‘Bobina’, plus I have a rework of Evanescence ‘My Immortal’ currently doing the rounds in DJ playlists.
Was it difficult for you to start your career? What were the challenges like?
I think I was quite lucky with the start of career as things just seemed to fall into place; it was a combination of making the right music and being in the right place at the right time to meet people. The main challenges come later on when you need to start properly planning your career!
What was it like to work with Julie Thompson when you guys were in India?
Amazing! Julie is a very professional artist and also a great person to hang around with on tour. The shows we did out there worked out very well.
What do you think of India?
I love India! The culture is so different yet the people so warm and friendly. The clubs there are great too – the fans are very passionate about their EDM.
Five things you can’t live without?
Friends
Home in Amsterdam
Laptop
iPhone
My health
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
It’s hard to predict as things have moved so fast for me this past few years. All I can say is that I’m enjoying the jounrey, wherever it takes me!
Did you come up with the ‘vs. The World’ idea? What’s the process of the project like?
We created the ‘vs The World’ album concept together with Black Hole Recordings. It’s a new approach to an album for me having already released two solo albums. For the ‘vs The World’ album we open up the project for collaborations with producers one continent at a time; anybody can take my track template online and submit their collaboration effort for consideration while the competition is open for that territory. It’s a concept that’s really got people inspired and talking a lot, and the end result will be an EDM album with truly global influences – I’m really looking forward to see how the album shapes itself over the months ahead prior to the final release in September.
There you have it, folks. Doesn’t he sound like a nice guy? Down to earth and all-round, chill? His music is pretty cool too. You can check his songs out here and whadoyaknow, he’ll be making his way to KL pretty soon too! 28 April to be exact, for Music Conference Asia. For more information on that, check out the website.
