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 We caught up with Black Hole Recordings new pioneer of 'In Search of Sunrise' as he prepares to deliver his second artist LP 'Wide Awake'...
If you think Richard Durand can produce tracks in his sleep then your not far wrong as he explains in this interview one of his tracks for his forthcoming new artist album 'Wide Awake' was the result of early hour restlessness. Most of us when awoken in the middle of the night usually get a glass of milk, not Richard Durand; he likes to knock up new tracks. New tracks that is, are a plenty on his second artist collection which is due out in a few weeks. It’s an album with high expectations after being chosen by Black Hole Recordings to follow on the ‘In Search of Sunrise’ series after its founder Tiesto left the compilation and the label to venture into pastures new. His debut mix for the series was a stunning delivery of what trance sounds like to Richard Durand and from a producer who has created the likes of ‘NYC’, ‘Silver Key’, ‘Always The Sun’, and remixed the likes of Tiesto and Armin van Buuren it was never bound to be anything but impressive. Is his latest artist album following the trend? From his first single, the album title track ‘Wide Awake’ the signs are very good and after a sneaky i:Vibes preview we had to go catch the thoughts on it from the man himself.
i:Vibes: Congrats on the success with your CD mix for In Search Of Sunrise! Were you surprised with the success and what made this CD so unique?
Richard: I was definitely surprised! I would never have thought that it would be such a success. You always hope for it to be great, but when it gets this kind of response... I can’t describe it! I think that the fact that the album only has tracks on it that have never been released before is what makes it unique.
i:Vibes: Richard, you have completed your second album Wide Awake. How content are you with the finished product?
Richard: It’s always really difficult to evaluate your own record. I’ve been really busy producing all these new tracks, but I haven’t really had the time to actually test them on a live crowd, but if I hear the reactions from people around me I think I’ve done something I can be proud of and should be content with. (And there are a few tracks that really blast the speakers)
i:Vibes: Going into the studio what was your goal with the new album? How was it supposed to musically follow up Always The Sun?
Richard: Well, I paid some extra attention to making it different to the ISOS series. If you release two albums a year, chances are they’ll sound pretty similar, which is why I think I picked up the bass a bit compared to the last album and that could be what makes it stand out.
i:Vibes: How difficult is it to go into the studio and make a second album that is completely different from your freshman offering?
Richard: Luckily I’m not the type to worry about it too much before I start :) I think the trick is to just start and hope you’re done on time and this time (thank god) I pulled it off again, haha.
i:Vibes: Which track was the biggest challenge to get perfect in the studio where you worked the longest time on?
Richard: I think it’s got to be “Wide Awake”. I worked on it while I was really busy, also at the weekends and I was away a lot too so it was hard to finish it in one go.
i:Vibes: The opening track "Burning Piano" is a very melodic piece of music. Why did you choose the name Burning Piano?
Richard: Haha, to be honest I don’t give the names of my tracks that much thought. Sometimes its very obvious what the title should be like when there are vocals involved, but this was just a creative outburst… I wish I could say something deep about it, but I can’t ;)
i:Vibes: Clear Blue Sky is a straightforward melodic trancer with catchy sounds. Do you suspect this to be a peak time burner in the clubs?
Richard: That’s always the question really. Which track will be requested most and will make the biggest impact while you’re playing a set… I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I’ve already tested it, like most records, and it seemed to get a good vibe going, which is what makes it a hit in my eyes!
i:Vibes: What was it like producing Wide Awake with Elle Lawson. What special quality does she spice up the track with?
Richard: I think she has an amazing voice and very unique sound. She’s able to put so much emotion into a song, which is why I am psyched about the final result.
i:Vibes: Airwell is a very diverse track with many special sound features in the track. What was the most difficult thing you had to do to get this track perfect in the studio?
Richard: I see what you’re getting at… I made this track ‘en route’ on an airplane ;) So I had all the time in the world to just screw around and obsess over small details :)
i:Vibes: Explode is a very interesting track with Kash. Was this a track where you had the spontaneous idea with how this track would work or did this idea take longer? It is a very unique track!
Richard: I had an idea. The voice and melody doing the same thing were part of that idea and I really like how it turned out. Sometimes it’s more fun to make things sound unnatural. I’m really happy with the outcome and a lot of people have told me that they really like “Explode” so I guess the idea worked out.
i:Vibes: Frozen Dreams has a very uplifting feeling. What was your inspiration behind this track?
Richard: I couldn’t name one thing if I tried. I had been on tour in the US and was still kind of jetlagged when I got home, so in the middle of the night I got so frustrated because I couldn’t get to sleep that I got out of bed, grabbed my laptop and just sat on the couch all night working on the track. It sounds kind of weird if you listen to the track, but that’s the glamorous story behind it, haha.
i:Vibes: There is a lot of emotion in Dryland. How important is bringing a lot of emotion into your music?
Richard: Very... It’s something I try to create in any track. Sometimes it’s a sad emotion and other times it’s a really happy, upbeat, energetic emotion. Music without emotion just doesn’t do it for me.
i:Vibes: You worked together with Christian Burns on Night & day. How did you guys function together on this track? Burns is known from Tiesto tracks and brings his own special edge to each track he is involved with.
Richard: I got in touch with him through Black Hole Rec’s and he was pretty excited to work with me too. Night and Day is the result, a nice, mellow and yet unusual and funky track.
i:Vibes: Robotic has a progressive edge to it. How would you classify the Richard Durand progressive sound best?
Richard: Damn… it’s always so hard to describe my own music. Robotic is really a track that should be played in clubs. I’ve played it and it gets the crowd going even though they don’t know it yet!
i:Vibes: On NY.C, you had the pleasure to work with the lovely singer Jes. How much of a challenge was it getting the music and words perfect for this incredible floor stomper?
Richard: Again, this one was done on my way to a gig. I was doing a set in New York so it kind of makes sense haha. Jes had given me the vocals, but they were to a different melody. The track became what it is now on the plane, which is where I finished it. The best part was that I was able to test it on a live crowd that same night!
i:Vibes: Some more progressive beats with Tigers Apology. Is this just a random name or is there a story behind this?
Richard: No, I just really liked the name and it seemed appropriate, as Mr. Tiger was a hot news topic at the time ;) I wonder if he likes it as much as I do!
i:Vibes: If you could describe the very real and pulsating "Real Deal" track how would you do it in one sentence?
Richard: The best “floor filler” there is! Man, I love that track, haha. It is awesome!
i:Vibes: What were the producing duties on "Crystal" with Alex o Rion? What did each guy give to the track in the studio?
Richard: The cool thing is that we actually spent some time in the studio together a couple of years ago and thought of a melody that ended up setting the foundation for Crystal. We finished the track (again) a few years later ;)
i:Vibes: What is more catchy with Incredible Music, the funky vocal or the enticing music?
Richard: Haha, it’s a good combination right?! I really don’t know how that track became what it is today… It just turned out that way. It’s a bit strange but it seems to hit the spot!
Initially I hadn’t used the vocal in the track as often, but after testing it a couple of times it just sounded so good that I thought I should use the vocals on the foreground rather than as a gimmick.
i:Vibes: You close the track with "Disturbed". Do you think you will surprise listeners or do you think many people might have expected this sound in the whole album?
Richard: I don’t know what people expect. I created the track and figured it might be a bit rough, which is why I wanted it to be the closing track. It’s fun to play around with more styles than you’re used to, especially for an album.
i:Vibes: What do you hope will people remember the most from "Wide Awake"?
Richard: I just hope they have fun with it and maybe that they understand me as a producer a bit better. If there’s only one record that makes them go crazy than I hope that’s the one they remember!
:: Richard Durand will be releasing his new artist album 'Wide Awake' on the 14th March!
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