Hey Richard. How are you?
Fantastic, thanks!

Where abouts in the world are you now?
I’m in at Gatwick Airport in London at the moment, waiting for my flight to Ibiza where I’ll be performing at Judgement Sundays.

What influenced you as a child growing up to make you who you are today?
Both my parents played a big role in my life. They gave me a lot of freedom to do try different stuff. All those different experiences combined made me the man I am today. Besides my parents, a group of really close friends influenced the way I look at the world.

How did you get into the scene?
I started playing the piano when I was twelve and I bought my first keyboard when I was fifteen. People liked the music I made which really motivated me to make more. When I was about 21 I took up producing more seriously. I got pretty lucky; not long after thing I met some people in the dance scene and the rest is history.

What would you say to any budding DJ's who would like to follow in your footsteps?
I know it sounds corny but the most important thing is to believe in yourself, even when people criticize your work. Make sure you don’t take yourself too seriously, making music often starts as a hobby, try to maintain that feeling. And last but not least, remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Be patient and don’t expect international fame overnight. If you’re genuinely talented things will definitely work out in good time.

Which other DJ's do you rate out there as 'ones to watch' at the moment?
I’m definitely keeping a close eye on fellow Dutch dj and producer Alex O’Rion who’s also recently been signed to Terminal-4 and Blackhole Recordings. He’s released some pretty amazing tracks which I use in pretty much all of my sets. Armin, Ferry, Tiesto and I are expecting great things from Alex.

What has been your most favourite/memorable gig you have played?
That’s a hard one. I couldn’t name one specific gig but a performance last year does come to mind! I played in Melbourne during my Trance Energy tour through Australia. The setting was fantastic; beautiful surrounding, a great sound system and 10.000 people having the time of their lives. Halfway through my performance it started getting dark. The more the sun set, the more the atmosphere got better! Definitely unforgettable

What do you like to do in your spare time?
When I have some spare time – which is not very often – I usually spend it with my girlfriend Nicole. Aside from that I love spending time with friends, playing a game of poker or snooker and not to forget: I love having a good lie-in!

Tell us a bit about what your working on in the studio?
I’ve just finished a remix for Julie Thompson. I had some great vocals to work with and I’m really pleased with the end result. I’ve had a chance to give it a test run and I’ve received some great feedback. Hopefully others will like it to.

Will you be testing any new material at 'Eliminate - The summer warm up session' on the 26th?
Definitely! And not only my remixes and some new bootlegs but also a lot of material from my new album ‘Always the Sun’.

Have you any final words for your fans out there?
Thanks for your support and I hope to see you all at the festival!