Home Interviews INTERVIEW: An Interview with Alex O Rion about his debut album: The Bigger Room
10:42:00
A+ A-

INTERVIEW: An Interview with Alex O Rion about his debut album: The Bigger Room







In depth interview with Alex O’Rion about his debut album "The Bigger Room”


It’s only five months into the year, but 2011 has already marked a revolutionary epoch in the career of Holland’s Alex O’Rion. In that time it’s seen him sign with one of the UK’s foremost DJ agencies, successfully initiate his new radio show/podcast and become head of A&R for Black Hole’s Terminal 4 label. He’s also turned loose the Green and Blue EPs, which form the leading edge of his impressive, wide-scope debut album, “The Bigger Room”.


O’Rion’s unique audio equation first caught the attention of the world’s top-tier of DJs through early audio like “Release the Beast” and “A Box of Fluffy Ducks”. Encouraged from the start by the musically likeminded Richard Durand, he began to lay the foundations for his first long-player and the end result of that building process is released on the 30th of May.


Alex has created 15 tracks to form “The Bigger Room”. Using complex, cutting edge sounds, FX and arrangements, the album is a dynamic longplayer and one that belies his tenderfoot tag. Knowingly multi-toned, O’Rion’s music vibrantly crossbreeds progressive, tech and melodic trance with shades of house, electro and other EDM variants.



The album starts in the progressive foothills with the cool-heeled “Dragons for Breakfast”, the moody, atmosphere-packed “Jabberwocky” and the evocative, chiming, almost fairytale-like “Changing Pace”. “Craters of the Moon”, “Jellyfish”, “Stargeezer”, “Gobsmacked” and “Jumper” start to progressively squeeze on the accelerator pedal. Charting a melodic and then euphoric style curve, it adds harmonic sequences, higher paced tempos and ultimately soaring aerodynamic chords and synths to the album’s sound cache.



For his first album Alex has made a point of collaborating with other artists in various different capacities. While not a mainstay, when vocals emerge on ‘Bigger Room’, they carry heavy impact. “Who I Am Today” (featuring the moody, captivating vocals of Cornelis van Dijk) is purpose-built for radio and hints heavy at crossover potential. “Crystal” meanwhile sees him team up with Richard Durand for a track that plays off tech and house themes, while his remixes of Phunklife’s “Maniac Psycho” and Tempo Giusto’s “Metropolitan” tread even further still down those paths.



“The Bigger Room” is definitely an album that stands out and highlight the talent that is Alex. So it was natural for me to request an interview with him that despite his busy schedule he manage to do it and I believe to offer some really interesting answers that prove that he has a certain stand point in his life and he has an opinion and certain vision of where he wish to lead his career. Within the next lines you will read about his relationship with his brother Richard Durand, he will take us backstage in the recording process of “The Bigger Room” and he will tell us how he feels about being on the Open Air mainstage at the most important and very international open air EDM festival in Germany “Nature One” that takes place from 5th till 7th of August in Germany. So better take a closer look on the artist that is tipped from international dance media like the bible of dance, the UK magazine Mixmag, as the Next Big Thing in EDM.


Interview is written and conducted by Dimitri Kechagias “Flux Bpm on the Move”




alex o rion 1

Dimitri: You are the second child from the same family who is involved in the music industry as dj and music producer. Has your family any connection with electronic dance music or any other forms of arts? Did they encourage you to follow your chosen career path or do they thought that djing and electronic music does not guarantee good income like any other “normal day time” jobs?


Alex: They never really encouraged me to do this, but I would probably act the same as they did. My mother always listened to music all day long and she sings in a choir, but that's about it. I also have a younger brother who's also dj-ing. His name is Martin Glennfeld. ;-)


Dimitri: Is it easy for two brothers to work on the same business particularly in the music business that is very competitive and sometimes corrupts even close relationships?


Alex: Therefore it's great to know that the few people you have to rely on can be trusted. At least, that is in our situation. You're right, some people are in the business for the wrong reason, so it's great to work with someone you can blindly trust and besides that we have the same kind of weird disturbing humor.


Dimitri: Can you describe to us how you get on with Richard and who is the more bossy of the two and who likes to adopt the role of the strict and wise old brother role while you’re in the studio?


Alex: We get along really well and although we're brothers we're pretty different from each other. I'm usually the more easy going type of us, where he's always busy, can't sit still. I'm sure he has some kind of ADHD, but I always enjoy having busy people along side me. ;-))


Dimitri: Why you got the tough decision to get involved with dance music? Do you remember the main reasons for this decision? Do you think was a track or maybe an event that you have attended?


Alex: I was about 15 years old when I first starting clubbing and at that same time one of my mates got two turntables. Those two things became good hobbies of mine during my puberty. :D


Dimitri: Please list for us the Top 5 persons that have the greatest influence upon your style in music production and the technique that you have adopted in your dj performances.


Alex: I can't think of a name that is really influencing my sound right now, so I'll give you some names of artist I always adored.
1. Dj Dimitri (from Holland)
2. Danny Tenaglia
3. Future Sound Of London
4. Depeche Mode
5. Boards of Canada



alex o rion 2


Dimitri: When and which was your first production ever and now that you are listening to it do you still feel satisfied with it or do you believe that you have done great progress and in which ways?


Alex: Hahah.. I do remember it vaguely. It's really a long time ago and as far as I can recall it's still pretty much the same genre I play out nowadays. But of course it sounds like total crap. Some things are just not meant to be shared with anyone.


Dimitri: Do you still remember your first ever dj gig? Was this a positive life changing experience and was and still is easy to perform in front of a large crowd?



Alex: It was about 10 years ago and it was during a NYE in 2001. I played for about 150 people and I even remember I played 'Sasha - Xpander'. I was pretty nervous, but that always disappeared after a few minutes. Nowadays I'm far from nervous to play for a large amount of people. Of course the first times are pretty nerve wracking. But when you think of it, why would you be nervous when you're doing something you're good at. If they would swap the turntables for a guitar then I would definitely be nervous.




Dimitri: Have you ever performed in an empty club and in contrast in which club and country you played in front of the largest crowd?


Alex: Hahah, well I actually did. That was somewhere around 2003 in a club in Holland called The Q. There we're about 10 to 15 people (mostly friends of mine) and a guy in a wheelchair. They closed a month after that. My largest crowd was when I performed on the mainstage of Euforia Festival in Poland last year. There were about 8000 of mad Polish people. That was really cool.


Dimitri: Can you describe your studio and the equipment software or hardware that you use to produce your fantastic first ever album? Do you have a favorite music composition software and what is so cool about it and you want to recommended to other want to be producers?


Alex: I work with two different setups. A small one at home and a larger one at the Terminal-4 studio. I work with a MAC Pro, Logic Studio and two Mackie HR-824 monitor speakers.


Dimitri: How long do you stay in your studio and each session has as a result a great track or you find that after hours of hard work the track was not good enough to be released and is this something that disappoints you?



Alex: I start out working on all my tracks from home so I can work on them anytime I want to and when the track is almost finished I move to the Terminal-4 studio where I normally just have to make some minor changes to the mix-balance, but then I'm approaching the song in a bit more technological way, cause I want to get the sound as good as possible for the clubs and that usually means that I'm working on it for at least 6 till 10 hours.




Dimitri: Do you have a funny or a serious incident to tell us that happened to you while you were producing the album that you will remember for ever?


Alex: Well, a few weeks before deadline I asked my friends on Facebook and Twitter from which track they would like to hear a new album version. Most people asked for a new version of 'Jellyfish' so I started looking for the original logic project, but that seemed to be corrupt and could no longer be opened. So I started to make the track all from scratch with the mp3 of the original mix as an example. Took me over 2 weeks to finish it, but it was definitely worth it.


Dimitri: Are there any tracks that didn’t manage to get the green light to be included in your album? Was the final track listing you’re personal decision or the record company decided the tracks that sound more appropriate for the album?


Alex: There was actually one track that didn't make it to the album. It had some cool vocoder vocals from 'The Phunklife', but it just missed something and I couldn't find a good spot on the album for it. I might upload it someday on my soundcloud channel. The tracklist and trackselection was all done by myself. It's all about the music at Black Hole and they have always been really relaxed with these kinds of things.



alex o rion 3

Dimitri: Is their an album concept that tights up the various tracks from the album together? Do you like that idea of the albums with a certain concept behind them?


Alex: I wanted to find a balance in buildup and variation. The order also had to improve the transitions between the tracks. Changing Pace comes pretty late on the album and is not an uptempo track for in the clubs, but does work really well for me right after Who I Am Today.


Dimitri: Is it possible to choose from your record collection your 3 all time favorite EDM albums and tell us the reasons why you choose them and if you wish one day to reach their level?


Alex: They're all are pretty old and not trance like, but are definitely favorite albums:
- Future Sound Of London - Lifeforms
- Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi
- DJ-Kicks: Kruder & Dorfmeister [Studio !K7]


Dimitri: Can you give us a short comment about a few track of the album? What it means to you and any other memories during their production process.


Alex:
01. Introduction: Funnily enough the first track on the album I produced at the very end. I was looking for a short 30 second intro with some progressing sounds but as usual things got out of control and I ended up making a complete track. Coincidentally it turned out to be one of my personal favorites.

02. Dragons For Breakfast: With Dragons For Breakfast, a title that was inspired by the tracks “bad ass” bassline, I was looking for something sturdy and chunky. I’m especially pleased with the way some of the sounds appear to be slightly off key. This gives the track an overall roughness. Not one for big audiences, but for true enthusiasts.

04. The Jabberwocky: Most times a tune sticks around in your head for a while and then just slowly fades away. But this wasn’t the case with ‘Everyone In The World Is Doing Something Without Me’ from Future Sound of London. The melody stuck and that’s why I felt compelled to use it in ‘The Jabberwocky’. Why Jabberwocky? The night I finished the track I sat down and watched ‘Alice In Wonderland’.

05. Craters of the Moon: I was actually working on a completely different track when, just for fun, I just played a few piano notes. After hitting the first few notes I instantly knew the foundation for a new track was laid. I sent Richard the track, he fell in love with it right away and I was offered a spot on ISOS9. What an honor!

07. Inside The Music Box (album version): It might sound kind of strange but with this track I always get the feeling I’m stuck in some kind of weird music box. The tune is very melodic and new elements keep on appearing. I actually released it a while back on one of my earlier Bigger Room EP’s but I gave it a good extra polish before putting it on my album.

09. Changing Pace: I wrote this track a few years ago and I always loved the melody, so I decided to do a complete remake of the track so I could put it on my album. Why Changing Pace? The track changes to a completely different groove after the break. (For the producers amongst us, from 1/16, to 1/24 and back to 1/16)

15. Metropolitan (Alex O'Rion Remix): I did a remix for Tempo Giusto, but somehow the full release constantly got delayed. At the end it seemed like the track would never see the light of day. And if it wasn't for one of my best mates Bas, who kept nagging on for months and months, it probably never would have. I'm really greatful for his persistance as the track turned out be one of my most popular tracks to date and gave me a load of exposure.


Dimitri: We are living in the age of social networks and constant communication of people via facebook or twitter that some even consider as the main reasons behind the revolution in Egypt and other countries as well. Do you believe that those social utilities have a real meaning and substance for you as an artist or do you see the whole phenomenon as being really overhyped and overblown?


Alex: I think it's a great way to get in contact with your fans and people can also get in contact with me very easily. Calling it overhyped seems pretty naive after seeing what happened in Egypt.



alex o rion 4


Dimitri: Summer is around the corner and we are glad to see that you will perform in Germany on one of the biggest summer open air festivals in Europe the legendary Nature One. Are you excited to play there and in which other places you will perform this summer?


Alex: For sure I'm excited about that. I visited this great event a number of times so I was really excited to play there and on mainstage as well. I'm also really looking forward to Ultra Music Festival in Russia.


Dimitri: Are there any other activities you like doing except producing and listening music? Any favorite hobbies to pass your time??


Alex: I like to do sports! FIFA on Playstation or watching tennis on TV. But, I also spend about three mornings in the gym as well. Besides that I also like to hang out with my mates.


Dimitri: Please give us your message to all the people who will read this interview and particularly the main reason that you think that they should buy your fantastic album.


Alex: Well, after reading this long interview you probably need to sit back and relax for a while. Probably a good moment to take a listen to my album. Nah, that's up to you! But I do like to thank everyone that has supported me so far and consequently have given me the opportunity to produce my album. That put aside, I'm really looking forward to seeing you this Summer!


Many thanks to Alex for answering this interview.


Many thanks to Jeroen at Black Hole offices for his fantastic assistance to organize this lovely interview and of course to Mark at Black Hole for his support in my radio shows


Do not miss Alex at Nature One in Germany: www.nature-one.de


alex o rion bigger room


The Bigger Room tracklisting:
01. Introduction
02. Dragons For Breakfast
03. Phunklife - Maniac Psycho (Alex O'Rion Prog Mix)
04. The Jabberwocky (Original Mix)
05. Craters of the Moon
06. Jellyfish (Alex O'Rion's Bigger Room Remix)
07. Inside The Music Box (album version)
08. Who I Am Today
09. Changing Pace
10. Gobsmacked
11. Stargeezer (Alex O'Rion's Bigger Room Remix)
12. Rise Up Again (Alex O'Rion's Bigger Room Remix)
13. Crystal (vs Richard Durand)
14. Jumper
15. Tempo Giusto - Metropolitan (Alex O'Rion's O'Rion Remix)


If you wish to buy and support this great release please visit:


The CD is, amongst others, available on:



The digital download is, amongst others, available on: