Sied Van Riel, it would seem, was born to be a DJ. It sounds clichéd, I know, but after fifteen minutes of talking to the Dutch trance DJ – who, in just a few short years, has risen up the ranks, fast approaching the status of his heroes Tiesto and Armin Van Buuren – it’s hard not to be impressed by his determination, passion and dedication.

Always chasing a party, Sied admits he is a perfectionist and that he’s addicted to playing. And if you can forgive him for playing overtime and forgetting everything after a few drinks, then you’re likely to be excited about his upcoming spot on the Airport tour alongside Simon Patterson.

Hey Sied, where are you joining us from at the moment?
I’m in the studio, which is located next to my bedroom.

I read a post on your Twitter from a few hours ago saying ‘interviews for Australia start at 9am in the morning, maybe I should call it a night. NO I shall not!’ So what did the night involve then?
Well, actually I’m late turning in a remix for Dash Berlin. I finished it last night, so now I’m taking a quick look to see if everything is okay. You know, if it’s 100-percent done and I’ve just found out it’s not. I should have stayed up longer last night [laughs].

Can you tell us which Dash Berlin track you’ve remixed?
It’s Dash Berlin featuring DJ Remy, Renegade. It’s actually quite a techy track and I’ve completely renovated it to a bit of a more melodic, deeper track, so I’m pretty curious what the people will think.

You’re obviously quite a perfectionist?
Yeah, I am. Too much of a perfectionist to be honest, to the point where sometimes it annoys the hell out of me.

Now you’re due back in Australia next month for the Airport tour. That’s twice in six months for Australia. Is Australia recognised as a bit of regular stop on the trance circuit or just a good excuse to come back?
I think for me it’s a good excuse to come back. And I think also, it’s definitely one of my favourite countries because I like the people, I like the way they go off at events. My wish always was, after I did Trance Energy and Sensation last year, to come back for a proper club tour, because I’d never played a proper club event in Melbourne or Sydney and I really wanted to do that.

As you mention, the last time was for Sensation Australia over New Years Eve – where you hosted your own ‘In Riel Time’ Arena. How did that event go?
It was pretty wicked to be honest, but to be completely honest I cannot remember everything of the night. It was NYE so I had a few drinks myself as well. I remember playing, and I actually played longer than I was supposed to because of the vibe that was there. I got the guys from Binary Finary to wait about 45 minutes, so that was pretty lame of me, but the vibe was so great.

I heard after my set, that there was a line outside that people had to wait an hour and a half to get in. For me that’s a big, big honour, but for the people it sucks ‘cos you know, they had to wait. But when I heard that I was like, woah!

Sounds like the organisers underestimated your pull. Perhaps they should have put you in the main area?
[Laughs] That’s what I told them afterwards! You know, ‘Maybe we can do this different next year’.

So let’s talk a bit about the upcoming Airport tour. You’re playing alongside Simon Patterson and Trent McDermott. What are your expectations of the tour?
Well, I know Simon really well, and Trent as well. I know Simon’s style is quite different from mine, so the mix is perfect I think. I’ll probably be on before him, so for the night itself, it will be, musically wise, perfect for the people. I can do my thing, up to a certain level then Simon can take over. I’ve played with Trent at the Trance Energy tour and I think he was also in the arena at Sensation last year.

Not that you remember though….
Yeah, I think he was there [laughs]. That’s just me, I forget a lot, especially when I have a few drinks. Anyway, with Trent, I’ve never heard him play before [laughs]. Well actually I probably have heard him play, but I just can’t remember it. So, I expect it to be a good night as I’ve heard a lot of positive things. I think this will go off.

The tour includes two parties in one day – Brisbane and Sydney. Is this something you’re used to? Jet-setting between shows on the same day?
I’ve done it before, but it definitely adds to the excitement. If the day time event goes off, you can a bit of a rest on the plane, then get excited again by the time you land and do another one. For me, it’s all about partying. I’ll do three events a day or six in a weekend, I don’t care, I swear!

Last time I was in Australia is a good example. We flew to Perth straight after Sensation, we got there, had some dinner, couldn’t sleep, went to the party, played. Then the next morning I woke up and I was supposed to stay in Australia for an extra week to chill out, and I woke up and I thought, “I’ve got nothing to do anymore, I’m not playing, I’m going home”. So I booked a new ticket and flew off. I just want to party again, and if there’s no reason to party again, I want to be home in the studio.

What’s the longest you’ve gone without playing?
Well, a week is long. That time in January, I had three weeks off to work on my album and I hated it. I’m in the studio, trying to make music but I’m only thinking, ‘Shit, I have thee weeks off, I don’t want this’. And now again, to be honest, I have one week off because of a tour that got cancelled in Columbia, so this coming weekend I’ll be at home and I’m already like, ‘I don’t want to be here’. So I’m asking all the other DJs that I know, ‘Where are you playing? I’ll fly out, I’ll join you!’

Are you addicted to playing?
Addicted to playing and partying – that’s what I do.

You and Trent McDermott compiled the Airport compilation CD especially for the event. How did you approach that; is it a solid reflection of what people can expect to hear on the tour?
I don’t know, I made that CD five or six weeks ago and a lot of new tracks will be released towards the tour, so not sure if I’ll play everything on the CD. I do have a few exclusive tracks on there, but I never try to play too much of the same stuff over and over again.

Sied Van Riel and Simon Patterson bring Airport to these venues in July.

Friday 2 July – Billboard The Venue, Melbourne
Saturday 3 July – Gaelic Theatre, Sydney
Saturday 10 July – Secret Warehouse, Brisbane [day show]
Saturday 10 July – Rise, Perth
Sunday 11 July – HQ, Adelaide