Hailing from a long line of talented Dutch producers, Alex O’Rion has evolved into one of the most significant artists in the Electronic music scene.

Alex started experimenting with music from the age of 14, being inspired by artists like Sasha, Nick Warren and John Digweed. He started as a producer in the Trance scene but his switch to Progressive House appears to be a very successful one.

His music has been released on quality labels such as Sudbeat, Lost & Found, The Soundgarden, Replug Records and Movement Recordings to name a few.

With his music being supported by the likes of Guy J, Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, Cid Inc, and Eelke Kleijn amongst others, we highly recommend to keep an eye on the talented Dutchman & his forthcoming releases in 2021 and beyond…

Balance Selections 177: Alex O’Rion

Tracklisting:

01. Introduction (AFFKT – End of the Road)
02. ID – ID
03. Lerr – Mornings (RIGOONI Remix)
04. ID – ID
05. ID – ID
06. Budakid & Nordfold – Amado
07. Tim Green – Mobara
08. ID – ID
09. Golan Zocher & Eric Lune – North To South (Kobana Remix)
10. LADS – Vorfreude (Alex O’Rion Remix)
11. Andres Moris – Into The Light
12. ID – ID
13. ID – ID
14. John Cosani – Hericium
15. ID – ID
16. ID – ID

Balance Selections Q+A

Name: Alexander van Schooneveld
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Facebook
Soundcloud
Instagram
Alias/Producer name: Alex O’Rion
Labels affiliated with: Lost & Found, Sudbeat, Replug, The Soundgarden, Anjunabeats

My last 3 releases:

Alex O’Rion – Foul Play EP / LOST & FOUND

Matt Lange – Rift (Alex O’Rion Remix) / ANJUNABEATS

Alex O’Rion – Echium EP / MEANWHILE
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What music did you listen to as a child?

I grew up with all kinds of music, 60′, 70’s, 80’s. My mum had her stereo blasting all day long. Good memories!

When was the first time that you realised that you liked electronic music?

When I was prob about 8 years old my older brother strongly adviced me to stop listening to my mum’s music and start listening to a compilation series called ‘Turn Up The Bass’. They we’re offered on both cassette tapes and CD’s. They contained tracks from Snap – ‘Rhythm is a Dancer’, ‘Pump Up The Jam’, King Bee, Prodigy, and all different sort of new electronic music. After this interview I’m definitely going to listen to some of them.

When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?

It wasn’t the first, but I do have good memories of my brother taking me to a private party where he had to perform his live act. I think I was about 15 or 16 years old and it was at the ‘Marcanti Plaza’ in Amsterdam. It was a super wild party. No idea what my brother was thinking that time, but I loved every minute of it. So, it’s pretty much all his ‘fault’.

Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?

Unfortunately that usually changes a lot over the years. I do know I really enjoy music currently coming from artists such as Simos Tagias, Sebastian Sellares, Jiminy Hop, Kasper Koman, Paul Kardos, and my good mates GMJ and Matter.

What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?

I’m currently really enjoying the new album from AFFKT called The Big Picture, wich is out on Mobilee Records.

What is your current production and DJ set up like?

My production setup has always been very minimal. I like to be able to produce pretty much anywhere I can. This can be in my studio or on the train, in a hotel room or even on the kitchen sink while making dinner. I have two kids so I got to be flexible. I pretty much only work on a small 13 inch laptop, everything ‘in the box’. I don’t even use a midi keyboard or a mouse, hahahah. Just do everything with QWERTY and a touch pad.

What releases do you have on the horizon?

Oh, there’s so much music coming over the next 6 months. I rather not share everything, but I’m currently working on new EP’s for Sudbeat, Replug and The Soundgarden. Also working on remixes for both Kamilo Sanclemente and Kasper Koman.

Where can we hear you perform?

We’ve been working so hard on numerous events and tours, it’s insane. But, everything just keeps on getting cancelled due to new restrictions of that particular country. I just try to stay positive and wait for things to go back to normal.

Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?

I recorded the mix in my studio and I tried to create a nice balance between new unreleased and older tracks. I like to use older tracks that just need to be heard again, though that often means I have to edit them a bit.

My Recommendations

The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:

Hard to just pick one, but Jiminy Hop – Contemplation is a beast!

If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:

I’ve been doing a lot of remixes lately, but this one is rather special. It’s coming out on the label of my DJ agency: Movement Recordings on the 6th of August.

LADS – Vorfreude (Alex O’Rion Remix)