For Richard Durand, it’s an eternal quest for the perfect sound. Whether on CD, a podcast, an energetic set at a 20,000-strong laser show like Sensation, a 3,000-person dedicated album launch in Poland, or from atop a rooftop party, there is one place Richard Durand especially stands out: he is his own man, playing his own sound.

With his own edits, his own albums, his own remixes and his own productions, he approaches each performance with resolute determination yet ultimate liberation. And as with the eternal quest, there are the eternal questions: Why him? Who is he? Sure, Tiesto has tipped him to do a takeover. And certainly, only Richard Durand can dictate the path that Richard Durand treads. But how is it that Richard Durand has come to this path?

An earnest Richard van Schooneveld first found himself behind the decks as a 21-year-old after playing around with music on the keyboard for some time already. He claims it was natural for him to produce, and that he has always liked making music.

With such compilations as G Spott’s Get Uppa And Dance behind him, Richard Durand has since emerged as a serious producer with much merit. With such a heady record label as Songbird now supporting him, Richard has had to juggle his current sound against the one he is known for: hard and made for dancing. This balance is a test of strength – and Richard is prepared for it.

However, his sound hasn’t really been anchored in trance. It was more that his unique party sound was suited to the tech-trance crowd, and proved victorious at it. Durand comes armed with an impressive cache of remixes including Smack My Bitch Up to Chasing Cars or Make Me Scream, and remixes of Madonna or Michael Jackson under his belt.

ITM sits down and talks frankly with Richard Durand: how he has been granted a crown he never asked for, and how, at the first light of day, where the perfect sound is always dawning, he is in search of the perfect sunrise.

There is talk in the industry and amongst fans: As Tiesto moves to the indie/electro side of music, he has handed you the reins to trance. How do you feel about this?
Everybody sees it like that. It’s more the record label – they thought I would be best. It’s such an honour. It’s not that Tiesto asked me or I asked for it. It just came to me.

Have you felt obligated that you’ve had to take trance somewhere as a result of this?
Trance is a very wide sound. It’s big – made up of so many different sounds. I can play club, commercial, techno – I’m not particularly a trance DJ. I do edits of original tracks and combine them to my own sound. I just perform what I do. I do my own thing. I will play loads of music – bootlegs, mixes, my songs. The audience is used to my old sounds, so I’m keeping it to a bit of both at every set. Before, when I released a song, I was free to do what I wanted to do. Now, I can’t go too hard. I need to have some of it relaxed. So I want to make sure I find mixes that we both want.

What do you hope to bring to the dancefloor with each set?
In New York, they want to hear that song NYC, featuring Jes. Some places, all they want to hear is Lethal Industry. Or in Calgary, they just want to hear only new songs. Each city is a little different. The dance music in Europe is different to a few years ago: house music now is very big. It’s very radio-friendly. But I just perform what I do.

How has it been launching In Search of Sunrise onto the world?
It was really great for the very first party of the album release in Holland. It was absolutely packed. I played a three-hour set for In Search of Sunrise. I had a great time! It was the best thing I could have ever had – it was such an emotional experience.

What are you looking forward to when you bring your tour for In Search of Sunrise to Australia?
If I could live closer, I would play here more often! In Australia, it’s difficult to explain what is different. But it’s always unbelievable to play in Australia – the crowd is always amazing. When I play, it will be more than just the CD or the album. I always like to improvise. My audience won’t know what they’re up for.

Richard Durand’s In Search of Sunrise tour dates are below. There’s still time to score yourself some In Search Of Sunrise ticket and CD packs on inthemix, so get entering in our competition before it’s too late.

Friday 3 September – Rise Nightclub, Perth ADD YOURSELF TO THE ROLL-CALL
Saturday 4 September – Gaelic Theatre, Sydney ADD YOURSELF TO THE ROLL-CALL
Sunday 5 September – HQ, Adelaide ADD YOURSELF TO THE ROLL-CALL
Friday 10 September – Family Nightclub, Brisbane ADD YOURSELF TO THE ROLL-CALL
Saturday 11 September – Palace Theatre, Melbourne ADD YOURSELF TO THE ROLL-CALL