RICHARD Durand found the perfect sunrise, in Goa, India, when he played Sunburn Festival for the fourth year on the trot. It’s a burgeoning scene, where Richard has some serious fans. “They’re really emotional about it, they’re really into it. Sometimes you see people that have driven for two days in a car to see you play for two hours.” Australia is another biggie for Richard. Travelling for 24 hours to play the key five cities there is high on his list of highlights — that and his summer, that took in 22 gigs in the space of six weeks.
Style: “Trance.” Best known for: “A ‘Lethal Industry’ remix I did for Tiësto.” Tune of 2012: “Kyau vs Albert ‘Made Of Sun (Stoneface & Terminal Remix)’.” Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2012: “Shogun.”
At one point, there were 11 flights over the course of four days. Punishing! His latest album ‘Richard versus The World’, a conceptual release, comes out this month. Working with five different continents, five known producers and five unknown, “it’s a whole new idea of releasing an album,” he explains. HELENE STOKES
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If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? “Never to be tired anymore. I can have 24 hours a day, always awake and I can travel when- ever I want.” Should you play to the crowd or for yourself? “Well, if you ask that question to anyone that knows me, it’s not for myself. I always play to the crowd.” What does EDM mean to you? “EDM is everything for me, it’s my fu- ture, it’s my past, it’s my work, it’s my passion.” Should celebrities be DJs? “I can’t say who is going to be a DJ and who is not.” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? “No!” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? “For me a DJ is mixing songs together to make it as one, and you have to mix it and work for it and not put it in a laptop.” Where’s the next dance music capital? “Let’s go back to the old days and make Amsterdam the dance capital of the world.”
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Style: “Rock ‘n’ house.” Best known for: “Setting the dancefloor on fire!” Tune of 2012: “Zedd ‘Spectrum’ feat Matthew Koma.” Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2012: “Knife Party.”
BRAZILIAN duo Felipe Lozinsky and Gustavo Rozenthal make up Felguk, who made the official theme to the Electric Daisy Carnival and have remixed the likes of Madonna, Flo Rida and The Black Eyed Peas. 2012 has seen them spread their wings on the international DJ scene. “It was our first time in Paris. Gorgeous, charming place, with tons of character,” they tell DJ Mag.
Their laptop sets also saw a triumph at Tomorrowland in Belgium. “It was a special set,” they say, “and the vibe was
If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? Guk: “Reading people’s minds. I’m just a very curious guy.” Should you play to the crowd or for yourself? Guk: “For the crowd. That doesn’t mean that you should play hit after hit. Sometimes playing for the crowd is about showing them new stuff.” What does EDM mean to you? Fel: “A way of bringing people together in the same place, creating and spreading a great vibe.” Should celebri- ties be DJs? Fel: “Anyone who feels passionate about music, and wants to start DJing, should try it!” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? Guk: “Never, but Felipe has fallen off the DJ table once. It collapsed when he stood on top of it.” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? Fel: “Yes. Being a DJ is not about how hard it is. Technology is here to help. A DJ is someone who can communicate emotion for the crowd during his set, and take them on a journey.” Where’s the next dance music capital? Guk: “Probably LA.” Fel: “Rio.”
amazing!” Plans for 2013 include more worldwide touring based around a new EP release. “The EDM world always keeps us very motivated, presenting new trends and challenges. It’s a fun job!” DAVID MCCARTHY