Getting Riel with Sied van Riel

 INTERVIEW 

SIED VAN RIEL

The Riel Deal: He is being tipped by Tiësto as “the hottest producer around” and by DJ Magazine as “the next big thing to hit trance”. One of Armin van Buuren’s favourite producers of 2008 and according to Ferry Corsten one of THE new Trance Guys. He won the “best new face”Award at the Trance Awards 2008 in London and has spun across the globe on events such as Trance Energy and Gatecrasher,Godskitchen and many many more. A few years ago he didn’t own a single piece of studio equipment… Now he’s odds-on favourite to become EDM’s next big breakout and the latest graduate to join trance music’s elite ‘Van Clan’.

He is Sied van Riel...

Hi, Sied it is an absolute pleasure to be given the chance to interview you. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview.  How are you doing?

The pleasure is all mine !

I'm doing very well thank you, just working in the studio as this interview came in. Working on an uplifting record at the moment, but it was time for a well-deserved break.

1.  Before we start can you tell us a little more about yourself, on a non-musical front? Where did you grow up and where do you currently reside?

Born in Rotterdam The Netherlands, but quickly moved to a city called Spijkenisse. I refer to it as Spike City as that's easier to pronounce for the rest of the world. I actually still live in the same hood I grew up in. Not seeing myself move out of this place any time soon. Love it here as it is nice and quiet. I wouldn't be able to live in a big city surrounding. I'd go cray cray. 

2. For all your South African fans who might not know, can you tell us how did you find yourself following a career in music and specifically EDM?

It all came naturally. I was into dancing since I was like 7. I used to playback in front of the class. A big "sound mixer" as it was called back then was playing tracks from Michael Jackson or Prince and I used to playback and dance every Friday afternoon. The class was forced to watch me go crazy. I grew up with my grandmother and she pushed me into dj-ing actually. Besides providing me with a safe haven and made sure I finished school she also bought me a mixer and turntables when I was 12. From there on out it all went up and down and finally, I started productions in 2006 which boosted my DJ career.

3. The music industry is a hard one to crack when did you receive your big break and what were some of the challenges you had to overcome and are still trying to overcome?

I got my big break when a close friend of mine heard one of my tracks and wanted to release it. "Fearless" was my first production and Miika Kuisma who owned "Subtraxx" back then gave me the chance to push it out there. Tiesto picked it up and soon after that, I got the chance to open up for him during his ISOS tours. Then Armin picked up a bunch of my releases and asked me to remix one of his tracks. After that, it all went so fast. I've only recently found my comfort zone again. I went downhill for a year or 2. Personal drama + not knowing what to do next in the studio drove me crazy. This is also the reason why production where a bit all over the place. But I'm back and ready to rock n roll again for riel.

4.  What is the one thing you love about producing and the one thing you love about DJing?

For both, doing my own thing and seeing the results on the dance floor. There is no greater feeling that I've encountered yet then to see people going off when you're playing tracks from others or own productions. And with that, you share the passion of music of so many others. Unbelievable.

5. You are currently working on your debut artist album what can fans expect from the album?

It will be 100% SVR and 100% trance. For the rest, y'all just have to wait haha.

6. 2012 is almost over what 3 tracks have been a staple in your “DJ Bag” this year why?

There have been a lot of great tracks. I always find it difficult to chose when asked a question like this.

"Ram pres. Gecko - Departure" has been in my sets since I first played it at ASOT 550 in LA. It will be released soon

"Tritonal ft Jenry R - Something New (Rafael Frost remix) Is also a favourite of mine

And one from myself. Cause when I made this I finally had the feeling that I was back on the right track again.. "Tunnel Vision"

7. Having played in South Africa before what is your opinion of the EDM scene here in South Africa compared to the rest of the world?

You all have a very good crowd over there. They went nuts. I've never played Jo'burg before so I'm not sure what to expect there this time, but Durban was sick and so was Pretoria.

I'm really looking forward to round 2.

8. You have been to South Africa before; apart from the playing here what are you most looking forward to about visiting the country again? Is there anything you not looking forward to?

Last time I went to pet some Lions and stuff. I would love to do that again when I'm there, but I'm not sure if I have time. We shall see. I don't have any negative experiences so there's nothing that I don't look forward to. What I do not like is waiting so there… Wish I was there already.

9. It is no secret that the 26 and 27 of October (event dates) is Halloween weekend, soooo are we going to see some crazy outfits behind the decks and what can we expect from your set?

Nah, I do not celebrate Halloween at all. It's not a big thing in Holland and I look funny enough in the dj booth as it is when I'm playing. haha. I shall dress like I always do.  I've got a t-shirt and shoe obsession. I always try to find exclusive stuff for events. It's not always do-able tho.

10. We’ve heard you are quite a food lover, if we had to invite ourselves over for dinner what would you cook for us?

Yeah but this is probably cause I tweet about it too much haha. I did that a few years back as well. Mentioned "burger king" a bit too much even tho I wasn't really eating it and from that moment on everybody thought I ate it every day. I'm still not used to this social media stuff. People do not always know that I'm joking around. When Arnej was at my place for 5 days I made him some proper food every day. The man still needs to grow even though he's already 18ft 6ft 3ft tall. I've studied cooking so yeah I like to cook. It's also a form of creativity. Not sure what I'd make you, but probably one of my signature dishes. Indonesian or Pancakes du Riel.

11.  It’s obvious you are a tattoo lover, we sure each one has a different meaning, but out of all your tats which one is most special to you?

Actually, I'm not really fond of what I have on my body anymore. Not all of them, but I wanna cover most of them up, but I simply do not have the time to do it yet. I've been planning to get  2 sleeves for 2 years now. I hardly speak about my tattoos and their meanings. Even though I am a very open person when it comes to my life there are certain "territories" I do not speak about.

12.  Lastly, what does trance mean to Sied van Riel for Riel?

It becomes a way of living. I don't know what it is with this music and the scene, but I'm addicted to it and that's a good thing. Thankfully I (can) share this with millions of people worldwide and they share it with me. Awesomeness.

Sied van Riel, it was great getting Riel with you. We are looking forward to seeing you in South Africa :) 

Thanks for doing this with me and see you all in a few weeks! 

 You can catch Sied van Riel playing alongside Alex Morph on the 26th October in Durban at Origin and the 27th October in Johannesburg at Truth !!

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