2014 has been a massive year for Patrick Topping. The Newcastle-born DJ and producer started making his own music when he was 19 and in a mere 6 years has gone from learning the ins and outs of music production and honing his skills behind the decks, to playing weekly at DC10 and becoming one of the most talked about artists on the white isle and elsewhere.
Topping’s February release Get Beasty shot straight to the peak of the Beatport chart and Forget, the first track on his most recently released Hot Creations EP Boxed Off not only did the same but instantly became one of the most searched for tracks in Ibiza of the 2014 season. To top all that off (see what I did there?), Patrick ended the summer on a high note by winning two gongs at the DJ Awards for ‘Best Newcomer DJ’ and Track of the Season in the form of smash hit, Forget.
Since the end of the party season in Ibiza, Patrick Topping has gone on to play at Paradise’s party for the Amsterdam Music Event (ADE) and has just released a collaboration entitled Voicemail with Chicago-based stalwart Green Velvet. To see out his great year, Topping is set to play multiple UK and European dates and a special one-off show in Florida in Deceber alongside labelmate Lee Foss. Exciting prospects ahead!
Spotlight caught up with Patrick to discuss his first residency in Ibiza and his most successful year so far…
Last year you made your Ibiza debut at DC10 for Paradise, how did it feel to return to Ibiza with a residency in such a short space of time?
"It was absolutely amazing to find out about the residency, I was quietly hoping I would be invited back to play maybe once again, so when Jamie told me about being a resident this summer I was so buzzing!"
Many people are calling you the best newcomer on the scene this year, owing your success to ‘Forget’ and ‘Get Beasty’ in the Beatport charts and your Paradise residency. Do you measure your success by these milestones as well?
"There’s no doubt that having a residency at DC10, which I regard as my favorite club in the world, and having the Beatport successes have massively boosted my profile. It does feel quite strange that those have all happened within a year."
Even your Hot Creations release ‘Forget’ has been one of the most Shazamed tracks on the island this year… that’s mental.
"Yeah that was amazing, I didn’t really expect that either."
It’s been such a successful season for you even won a couple of green kryptonite’s at this years DJ Awards. What did you win? How did it feel?
"That was such a wicked evening, I think that’s my favorite night ever! I’m still buzzing from that ceremony when I think about it, a proper surreal occasion. The first one was for Newcomer DJ and that was a public vote, so that’s really nice to know I’ve had that backing. Also it’s great to be recognized for my DJing, as I’ve released quite a bit of music since my debut EP and a lot of people maybe know me mostly through my productions as a result, so to win an award for my DJing is really cool.
Not only that, but to win Track Of The Season for ‘Forget’ is just bizarre and ridiculously mint at the same time. If someone would have told me that a few years ago when I was running around the island with 42 of my mates on a daft lads holiday, I would have said ‘fuck off no way!’ Haha. It’s so class to think that Forget has been the soundtrack to so many holidays and memories for people this summer."
Do these achievements put pressure on you?
"Kind of I suppose, as people might be expecting big things from me. But I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing and try to make enough time to make music and hopefully people continue to feel it."
You originally gained experience and popularity by playing at your own party, Motion in Newcastle. How would you say playing at your own parties has helped you get to where you are now?
"Well they certainly have helped me become a better a DJ and put me in a good position for when the gigs started to come in after my first EP. Off the back of starting Motion, I started to get gigs all over Newcastle and even had a couple weekly residencies and I believe it was those that really helped improve me technically and also made me get used to the pressure of playing to audiences. So when the point came where I started getting professional gigs I was ready."
Roots are important, but one of the main focuses of your career development in the last few years seems to have been Ibiza. How has the island influenced you creatively?
"So much, I mean it was my first trip to the clubs of Ibiza in 2008 that inspired me to want to even become a DJ. Then the subsequent year on year lads holidays played a key role in shaping the style of dance music I’m into. Those holidays seeing the likes of Sven [Väth] in Cocoon and Luciano at the old Ushuaia, helped move my tastes to more underground."
Given that your music career really began to take flight when Jamie Jones discovered your productions, would you say that learning to produce music is the key to becoming successful as a DJ in today’s industry?
"Yeah for sure. If you look at most of the DJs you see who break through now, most of them become successful off the back of productions."
Aside from DJs that have played at Paradise over the season, which artists are an influence and inspiration to you?
"My favourite sets of the summer were both by Black Coffee at Circo Loco! At the opening party he stole the show in my eyes. I had never heard anything like it! I still don’t even know what you would call it - it was just unreal! Then when I was back over in August with loads of my mates, I had been banging on to them about how mint he was at the opening and they had to come and see him. Most hadn’t heard of him, but a few came with me to see him and he took the roof off again. We want to book him to Motion now actually!"
PHOTO | Patrick Topping playing Jamie Jones' Paradise party at DC10 this year. Notice Green Velvet/Cajmere in the back.
You’ve also played for Paradise at the Amsterdam Dance Event, amongst a pretty epic line-up. Now that you’re a fully-fledged member of the Hot Creations crew with an Ibiza residency under your belt, do you feel at liberty to be more experimental in your production and DJing?
"I have always liked to play lots of different styles in my sets, nothing too mad like drum and bass or something, but maybe a few electro-ish tracks, some techno, big vocals, euphoric tracks, not just constantly pounding all the time. Recently I’ve started playing a few darker tracks too, but I’ve loved that stuff for ages. Sven Väth is one of my favorite DJs, so I love that sound he plays."
You started paving the way to a successful music career pretty late compared to many rising stars on the scene today and found success in a relatively short space of time. What advice would you give to budding DJs and artists that start learning later on?
"I don’t think it was that late really, considering I started making music when I was 19, or maybe that is old now I dunno maybe compared to some of the new EDM kids! But I don’t think you can ever be too old really, if you love it and it’s your passion and you really want it, then go for it."
Where do you plan to go from here? What’s the next step for you?
"I’ll be back in Ibiza next summer, but for now it’s just about playing as many new places as possible and continuing to release music. I’ve got a remix for Matthias Tanzmann’s ‘Moon Harbour’ coming out before the end of the year and my collaboration with Green Velvet has just dropped, so I’m really excited to see how that does. I’ve got more music coming out on Hot Creations too, which I’m very happy about. Also another tour of Australia coming up and I’m heading back over to America a few times too."
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WORDS | Janson Goldberg PHOTOGRAPHY | James Chapman (header), Tasya Menaker (DC10)
