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Features
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Interview with Simon Patterson aka Dogzilla — the most determined man in trance
Reported by josie
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Submitted 19-10-05 19:21
If you’ve ever visited London’s über-hip venue The Cross for monthly trance and electro-house event Serious, you will have already heard Simon Patterson’s brand of enthusiastic tech-trance. Signed to Serious artist management, this twenty-four year old is just starting to make a real name for himself.
Simon began playing out in 2000, and was included in the February 2004 issue of Mixmag magazine as a DJ to watch. He is well known in production circles as one half of Dogzilla, along with Richie Kayvan. Driving digital synths take Dogzilla’s productions out of the kittens and fairies end of the genre and firmly into the top drawer of tech-trance. The self-titled ‘Dogzilla’ and ‘Your Eyes’ on Maelstrom were massive, no-nonsense tracks, but the duo are best known for their grinding Pure Filth remix of electro house stormer ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ from Ernesto vs Bastion. Their latest track — ‘Without You’, is a stunning, unusual, rock-influenced track complete with male vocal. Debuted by trance superstars Paul van Dyk and Matt Hardwick, it has been driving blasé trance crowds into sing-along frenzies.
With a solo production career on the horizon, and his eyes firmly on some top notch line-ups for 2006, Simon is certainly one to watch. I’d quite like to know someone famous, so I got in quick and got the lowdown on one of the most determined young men in dance.
Congratulations on just getting married.
Aw thanks! Yeah we met five years ago, got married in July this year. I met her at Peach when I first came over from Belfast. I’d met her before a few times and she’d just come back from working in Ibiza. I got into the club and a very drunk, tanned, blonde vision came staggering towards me and pounced! The rest, as they say, is history. She’s amazing. So supportive, and completely separate from music, which helps keep my feet on the ground and helps me focus.
What did you do before you started DJing?
I came from Belfast to London when I was about 17 because I wanted to get into music... and it took me ages. I started out working in Segaworld — believe it or not — being a ride attendant on one of those rides for six months. Then I went to work in duty free at the airport being a sunglasses representative which was a fun job! Then I met Italian producer Dino Lenny at Peach who ran a label, and I just asked him for a job. Eventually he gave me a job with him as A&R assistant, then I did A&R for the Ministry of Sound Incentive label. When I was there I met Seb Fontaine by chance, he’d just joined Radio 1 and he wanted someone to listen to all his records because he'd got too many, and one day at Radio 1 I met Jules, who asked me to do the same for him. They didn't like me working for each other, so I had to make a choice. Seb's music was great, but Jules’ music was where my heart was... from the age of 16 I’d always listened to Jules in Ireland. So then working for Jules opened up new doors within Serious, but I got my residency at the Cross because some guy didn’t turn up and I was asked to play... and it just went from there.
Do you think you’ll ever move back home?
No way. London’s the place to be to make it. If you make it in London you’ll make it anywhere. There’s no way I’d move back. God... maybe when I retire or something, chill out in the country!
Dogzilla tracks don’t sound like anyone else. When you started out did you have a clear idea of what you’d be producing?
No definitely not, it’s just a sound that's progressed over the years. The first track ‘Dogzilla’ was the start of the act. We hadn’t worked together before so it was a kind of new vibe trying to get to know what each other liked and what each of our influences were. Richie’s background is firmly in rock, which is a massive part of Dogzilla, I used to listen to rock until I was about sixteen so it helps that we’re both on the same page. We both love deep stuff, and the sound has kind of progressed over the years. When we start something new we don't sit down and play records to each other to get ideas, we just sit down and make a track and see where it takes us.
What are your musical influences?
I like techy stuff, it’s got to be clean, tight, and and the drums have to be rocking. I’m really into the production of psy-trance at the moment — Astrix is unbelievable. The way he drops things in and out of his tracks, the cleanness of his sounds, and his bass lines are ripping. I like things driving, dark but I also love the musical side of things like deep chord progressions. Deep stuff really makes me tick.
‘Without you’ is a pretty unique track, how did it come about?
‘Without You’ came about one night when we’d been working on trying to get a new single done. Richie played this chord progression and we both looked at each other and knew that was it. I was so excited I was literally running up and down the corridor! We wrote some lyrics, and it went from there. ‘Without You’ took a long time to get right, but we’re so pleased with the outcome and the fact that so many people love it. It was so different from what we'd done before. ‘Your Eyes’ was so banging... and then to bring out ‘Without You’, we thought people were going to be like, “what the f*ck are these guys on?” I’m sure some people still did!
Before Dogzilla — ‘Dogzilla’ did you write anything that was really awful?
Yes I did loads of stuff! No one’s ever going to hear them. Seriously no way! ‘Dogzilla’ was the first track that I thought, “yeah, that’s wicked.” Actually we did a track called ‘Andantino’ that was signed to a Dutch label, I don’t actually know if it ever got released. That was all right, quite catchy, but when it came to Dogzilla stuff we’d learned a lot and moved on. Richie is the most talented person I’ve worked with, that obviously helps!
How will your solo tracks be different?
It’s going to have all the elements of stuff that I buzz off when I DJ. I want to make crazy, off the wall sh*t that makes people go nuts! I’ve spent so much time on Dogzilla that I need to start doing my own thing now.
Have you already got plans for future solo tracks?
I have one pretty much done. It’s called ‘F-16’ and samples a fighter jet taking off. It’s mad sh*t! I have another one in the making which I hope will be done end of October. I’ve got to finish a collaboration with Mike Koglin as well and I’m planning to get in with John Askew at some point too.
Who do you like being on a line-up with?
I don’t mind, although playing with Eddie Halliwell and Greg Downey always ends up in a mess so that’s always a good night.
Which clubs do you like playing in best?
Inside Out in Glasgow — that’s a good night! That place is outstanding. It’s like a football match — crowd chanting and going mental. I played there last weekend on my birthday, I pulled the fader down for about a minute — had the whole club chanting “here we... here we... here we fucking go.” I whacked Antimatter — ‘Absolute Control’ in... game over! The whole place erupted. Screaming, throwing things, climbing up up the security fence, total chaos. I love that sh*t! I perform much better when I have people that love it. Godskitchen rocks too and obviously the Cross, and Judgement Sunday this year always had an amazing atmosphere. Another highlight would be the Rotterdam Street Parade, 500 thousand people and I played with John Askew on a condom float! Lots of girls throwing out thousands of condoms — bizzare but amazing. People hanging from bus stops, dangling out of windows and climbing up lamp posts. I love playing places that don’t take themselves too seriously.
Do you take it seriously or do the beers flow?
I take it seriously in the sense that I put so much effort into what I do, but I love a few drinks. Few iced vodkas, lemonade and touch of lime is the future! Greg Downey’s the biggest drinker I know, he can drink for days and he’s never drunk. He had two of my Iced Vodkas and he was rinsed! A lot of preparation goes into DJing, the week is non-stop so when it comes to playing it’s a sort of release for me.
Do you ever play back in Ireland?
Yeah I’ve played at the Coach, I’ve played in Galway a few times, and next year I want to be playing at Lush. Playing in Belfast is amazing, it’s like Scotland… it’s hedonistic. They don’t get DJs very often and when they do get DJs that play great music, they just go mad. Scotland, Wales and Ireland are just like football matches... England I’ve yet to be anywhere where I’ve had that — people just absolutely roaring, screaming. That’s what it is, just screaming.
You’re obviously very single-minded.
Totally. I know what I want, I know where I’m going and I know how I’m going to get there. I’m determined to get there one hundred percent.
And where is that?
I want to be the biggest and the best I can possibly be. As long as I’m pushing on, then I’m happy. I need to constantly know that I’m moving forward.
What have you got your eye on next year?
Next year I want to be playing at every single festival. I want to be playing at Creamfields, Godskitchen, all the individual Godskitchen events around the country, I want to be doing Dance Valley, Mysteryland, Rotterdam again. I just want to constantly branch out. All these places I’ve already put down on a piece of paper and given to Charlie and said “I want to be playing all of these next year.” I should be playing at them. Really it’s so important — this has been a good year for me in the sense that I’ve played everywhere I wanted to play in the UK, but it’s not been a good year because I didn’t get any festivals apart from Holland. Fingers crossed I’m going to be playing TrancEnergy in February which would be amazing. These are the gigs that I need to be doing, because until I’m doing them I won’t be seen as moving up the ladder.
It’s got to help that you’re managed by Serious.
Definitely but Serious is the only place that I’d want to be. Because I work for Jules it’s great that I haven’t had my career built off the back of that — it’s good that’s separate, obviously he’s been supportive of me and Dogzilla which has helped.
Do you think that you’re going to outgrow Serious at the Cross one day?
You know what, I’ve already said that next year it might be better to play every other month, because playing in London in general I just find really flat. I see the same people every time and I just find the London scene is too cool for its own good. Serious is a great night, I really enjoy it there, but if you go somewhere like Inside Out up north the whole atmosphere... that’s the way clubbing should be. It’s not about wearing the best clothes, standing there looking cool, being too cool to dance. I mean Trancegeneration is different, and Wildchild is great, but there’s some places I just do not like.
When we came to see you play at Seriousworld I remember you throwing an absolute huff about the equipment?
Ha ha, I wasn’t in a huff, just p*ssed off and disappointed! If people come and see me play, I want to perform to the best of my ability. It’s very disheartening to turn up and realize that you can’t do what you want to do. I’d rather not play if it's not right. In my head I’m going in there and I know how I’m going to play. I got to Seriousworld, I played for two records, and the delay from the dancefloor... you could not mix. I don't know how anyone mixed, I really don’t, maybe they sorted it out when we left, maybe they didn’t. Who knows, but I’m not going to stand there and perform like that. When people have come to see me play, I want people to leave thinking, “God, that was good,” not “God that guy is sh*t.”
I’ve heard you be quite scathing about some other, even quite big-name DJs...
Not scathing at all! When it comes to mixing, which is one of the most important things to me, there’s not very many people I listen to and think “that’s amazing.” Paul van Dyk’s good, Armin’s great, Halliwell’s amazing, Greg Downey I rate highly too, and John O’Callaghan is another person who’s doing it. But to be honest, I don’t really get to see that many DJs play. I’m sure there are loads of people out there who rip. Everyone’s just playing the same sort of trance. All the DJs play the same music, how do you tell the difference between one DJ and another? In fairness the music isn’t around like it used to be so it’s difficult to be so on it and fresh at all times.
Are you a badboy made good or did you always know you’d get there?
I know exactly where I’m going with my life... I’m on it... I’m focused. I know where I’m going and I’m going to do it. If you want something that badly you’re going to get it, that’s it, there’s no magical science behind this. If you’re hungry enough you’ll get it, and I want to do all these things.
www.seriousworld.com
Simon’s new website is coming soon at www.simon-patterson.com
‘Without You’ is released on Maelstrom on 31st October.
Photos courtesy of Simon Patterson and Serious.
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Other Features By josie:
It's the Generation game featuring Agnelli & Nelson, The Thrillseekers and Lange
Peach at Heaven: Reviewed
The Gallery at Turnmills: Reviewed
The International Indoor Festival at SeOne: reviewed
The double ender: interview with trance legends Darren Tate and Mike Koglin
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Comments:
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From: theviceroy on 19th Oct 2005 20:05.47
Top guy who played a blinder down at Vaccine in August, great interview Josie!!
From: Greg Downey on 19th Oct 2005 22:59.59
Oul Patters is the dogs balls and leaves a trail of destruction everywhere he goes, up there with the best. Over and out...
From: super_star on 20th Oct 2005 09:41.56
i wish i had this much drive... who know what I'd achieve !?!
Gotta love 'without you' as well - cracking track
From: Bagel on 20th Oct 2005 09:57.05
Am A big fan of the DOgzilla sound....great stuff! 
From: BottleofWater on 20th Oct 2005 10:03.44
Simon comes across very focused and driven, and good luck to him, he's a cracking DJ/producer.
From: Dubster on 20th Oct 2005 10:15.47
Your Eyes and Without You are up there with the best trance tunes of the last couple of years. His Dj-ing is top notch.
Jules is in a fortunate position having this guy in his corner.
From: Darz on 20th Oct 2005 13:05.12
Simon rocks it everytime!
From: TM on 20th Oct 2005 13:24.30
I met Simon when he played in Galway with Jules on Paddy's night.Was a good night!! And it was a pleasure to meet a dj that is so down to earth.
P.S. Congrats on the wedding!!
From: Lys on 20th Oct 2005 15:44.26
Seen Patto a few times. Blows everyone out of the water each time. Mixing and tune selection tighter than a nuns quim. Good luck to him.
From: FatboyFat on 20th Oct 2005 17:47.22
Seen him at Judgement Sunday this year. Very impressed.
From: Alan-Banks on 20th Oct 2005 17:48.26
Yep great stuff from him. really enjoy Dogzilla stuff. Good to see he knows where he is going
From: markiss on 21st Oct 2005 09:33.34
Simon Patterson rawks! Played the best trance sets twice at Slinky i've heard in years. Sound bloke too
From: guyster on 23rd Oct 2005 17:22.42
Nice one Simon.
From: Red5 on 31st Oct 2005 17:40.18
Huge fan of the Dogzilla sound, and looking forward to seeing Simon play very soon.
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