 The initial discussion at Black Hole Recordings offices started by the water-cooler and ultimately moved into the label’s main meeting room (large music-industry-sized table fitted as standard!). With Tiësto ready to pass over the ‘In Search Of Sunrise’ controls, the question on the table was: who would take over as the new mixer and creative compiler of the series? Many a cup of strong black coffee was drunk and everyone, office-wide was canvassed for their thoughts. The outcome though (rather un-dramatically!) was undivided. From that point, events took a turn for the mischievous…
Black Hole teased & tweeted, they laid false trails and floated elaborate (alright, misleading!) ‘clues’. All of which were designed to keep everyone guessing and maybe even put you off the scent altogether… Until, of course the time was right. It was just around that time that we bumped into them in Miami and (really, bless ‘em!) they dropped the whole exclusive straight into Trance International’s lap! We didn’t even get to buy them a beer. The answer you’re all after is actually a completely organic one, and proves the most intuitive of moves forward for ISOS. Richard Durand seemed to have a substantial presence on the scene back before many of us knew what he looked like, let alone played & produced. One minute he wasn’t there, the next he was everywhere. This was down, to quite some great degree to the aforementioned world’s former no.1 regularly marking him out as the new talent to watch. With almost head-spinning, neck-twisting speed, he came good on Tiësto’s early affirmations. Floor-slaying remixes were followed by highly imaginative singles and then in 2009 an album that kicked speaker-ass and endorsed his entire career to-date. In terms of sheer consistency of quality, he has very few peers. Hearing him guide ISOS into the next decade, imprinting his own intrinsic audio-signature onto the series will be something that every right-thinking trance-head will need to hear. So those now watching and waiting to see what the South African edition of the series will bring, well speculate on (until May anyway). But gambling against Richard carrying it off? We wouldn’t bet against it for all the coffee in Holland. Wanted: 10 Trance International readers ready to receive a copy of In Search of Sunrise: South Africa, signed by Richard Durand.
Qualifications: Opened mindedness and a genuine, deep-rooted love of good trance music!
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