Updated: July 27, 2026
Birth Name: Richard van Schooneveld
Date of Birth: 5 April 1976
Age: 50
Origin: Netherlands
Gender: Male
Nationality: Dutch
Occupation: DJ, Record Producer
Genres: Trance, Tech Trance, Progressive Trance, Techno, Electro
Biography & Career:
Richard Durand is a Dutch trance DJ and record producer regarded as one of the most accomplished names in electronic dance music. Real name Richard van Schooneveld, the artist built a reputation on a tough yet emotive sound that fuses trance, techno, progressive, and electro. While the core genre is firmly trance, the music shifts effortlessly between euphoric melody and harder, driving energy, which is exactly what sets this DJ apart from the pack.
The breakthrough arrived in 2007 when Tiësto named Richard Durand his Tip for the Top in DJ Magazine, and a place in the DJ Mag Top 100 soon followed — a poll the Dutchman would go on to enter five times. Acclaimed remixes for Tiësto and Armin van Buuren raised the profile further, and taking the reins of the legendary In Search of Sunrise compilation series cemented a place at trance's top table. A growing discography of original songs and mixes has kept dancefloors busy ever since.
Behind the decks is where the reputation was forged. Famous for technical command — often mixing across four CD decks with live effects — the producer turns each set into a relentless, high-octane journey. A packed tour schedule has taken the show to the world's biggest stages and festivals, from A State of Trance to Creamfields, and a steady run of upcoming events across Europe and Asia keeps the live calendar full.
Across a catalogue of acclaimed albums and countless singles, the Richard Durand sound keeps evolving, with recent collaborations adding fresh emotional depth alongside the trademark power. Away from the studio and the stage, the artist keeps a low profile, and details about a wife or personal life are not publicly confirmed — the spotlight stays on the music, where it has always belonged.
Richard Durand Albums:
Always The Sun (2009)
Wide Awake (2011)
Richard Durand vs The World (2013)
Richard Durand Songs:
Make Me Scream
Slipping Away
Sweep And Repeat
Weep (feat. Skin)
Always The Sun
No Way Home
Into Something
Morning Light
Face Of Chaos
Always You (with Armin van Buuren & Dicosis)
