Patrick Topping is having quite a year already. At the end of March, the celebrated Geordie DJ/producer/label owner and his wife Hayley recently welcomed their first-born Acie James.
The pregnancy, announced publicly last autumn, came off the back of this biggest summer of Patrick's career. Patrick was riding high at the time, having just completed a successful first season as host of the Club Room at Hï Ibiza on Monday nights.
This summer, he's back, baby in tow. But that's not all he has lined up in 2024 that will surely keep him on his feet and lacking sleep in more ways than one. As fate would have it, another soon-to-be first-time dad has facilitated another exciting development.
FISHER's fast-approaching paternity leave has opened up a four-week vacancy at the start of his Wednesday night residency. Naturally, Hï Ibiza has looked in-house to a safe pair of hands.
From 5 to 26 June, Trick looks after The Theatre, while Vintage Culture continues as planned in room two. We met with Patrick at the scene where this all plays out, to get the inside scoop on both his professional and personal life, and find out what everyone can expect from Trick.
Hi Patrick, this will be your second summer at Hï Ibiza looking after the Club Room on Monday nights. What were your highlights from last year?
"Last year was amazing. It was unbelievable, honestly. I felt like my full career was building up that residency because it's such a special club. To have a residency here is a huge honour, you know? Not everyone gets a chance to be a resident at Hï Ibiza.
Every single week, I was really excited for it. I've been DJing and touring for around 11 years, so sometimes things can get a bit routine, but coming here was always a buzz. Even though it's repeating the same room, it still felt electric every week.
It didn't let up at all, and the closing party was just outrageous."
"I felt so at home in the DJ booth. It reminded me of when I was coming up and years ago when I used to have a residency at Digital in Newcastle. I felt confident in playing and not worrying about what’s the crowd going to think.
There was a connection there where I felt freedom to just try stuff."
What can partygoers expect this year?
"Well, it's kind of like don't change something if it isn't broken. I've been telling everyone after last year that that's the best-sounding room I've ever played anywhere. That is a big statement, but honestly, it's got the power and the clarity. I swear to god, it's unbelievable.
What's going to be different, though, is I have a lot of new music."
"Since November, I've been making music on the road a lot more, and I've been making the most music I've ever made. I feel like I've got so much to play here, and I think I'm going to be making music throughout the summer
I hope to be trying to make new music at least once a week to try out. I'm excited for that."
From an expectant father to a new father
Aside from Mondays, you’re also deputising for FISHER when he goes on paternity leave. When did you find out that he was taking time off for the baby?
"It was quite a last-minute thing, to be honest. This all came about in the last few weeks. Mondays were already confirmed again, and then there was talk of covering FISHER. It was like, do you want to do it? And I was like, 'Of course, I want to do it!'
I've never played in The Theatre before, and I'd absolutely love that. I'll do as many as you want!"
Will there be any difference musically between those parties when you're taking over with Trick on a Wednesday?
"Maybe. Because I've never played in The Theatre before, I might adapt my sound a bit when I get in there and see what the vibe's like. I'm gonna go into it trying to just do the same thing, to be honest, but we'll see what happens.
I was booking quite a lot of Trick artists for the Monday and people who I would like to see at Trick in general. It’s a good opportunity to book DJs, who I wouldn't necessarily have at Trick. I'm so buzzing about the line-ups. They’re amazing."
Are the DJs that you've booked for Monday people that you've worked with before or just talent that you believe in?
"It's a mixture of both. There's quite a few names who played last year and those who played at Trick parties elsewhere. Then there's some new faces, who I’ve never booked before. It's a mix.
The line-up has got loads of really cool names and it's got massive names as well. People like John Summit, who is absolutely huge. Then you've got more niche kinds of people from the UK. People like Danny Bond. And then loads of people in between.
But then the line-up we've just dropped for the Wednesdays is just huge names. It's massive."
His evolving sound
Your sound has evolved quite dramatically since the days of tracks like Forget and Voicemail. Do you ever plan on going back to making more music fitting to that classic Patrick Topping sound?
"Yeah, for sure. My sound definitely has evolved, but at the same time, it hasn't strayed too away from that. It's just started to have other elements in addition - new sounds supplementing that style. I still play those Hot Creations ones, Forget and Voicemail, quite often. They've aged well."
"Even though I have moved beyond the confines of House and Techno into stuff like Disco or Hard House, the odd Makina song or a Pop edit, it is still rooted in House, Techno and Tech House. But now there's little extra bits all around it, which I didn't used to do.
I've been trying to experiment, but then I'm at this point now where I've started actually making productions like that old stuff again. I have a new collaboration with Green Velvet coming this summer.
I've just dropped one which feels a bit like Forget, and I've got other stuff coming like that as well."
"But I've also got Hard Techno, Hard House, and stuff like that coming. I'm enjoying being eclectic. but not getting too carried away. I like doing loads of different stuff because I feel like I couldn't just do the same thing for 11 years. I need to evolve to keep us excited.
You need to make new memories, that's the way I see it."
Helping nurture the next generation of talent
You've helped bring through the likes of Ewan McVicar, Ben Hemsley, Hannah Laing and Schak. Who's next? Can you tell us a few artists that you believe are going to be future superstars?
"Yeah, so there's quite a few people coming through.
There's Danny Bond, who I mentioned before. If you're from Leeds or the Midlands area you know Danny, because he's really well known there and can sell out like the O2 in Leeds. He’s started to branch out beyond that around the UK and Ireland. I discovered him two years ago.
A friend introduced me to him, and he’s become my new favourite DJ. I've been finding loads of his tunes. It's a gold mine I was unaware of. He's an amazing producer as well, and I really feel like this is gonna be the year where he can step out and go up to the next level."
"He's had a release on Trick last year and he has another one coming with us this summer.
There is a young lad from Teesside called Lewis Taylor. He's class. He's been doing a few bits on the label and he's played loads of his stuff. I like that he makes proper House, Deep House, Ghetto House, Hard House. Really fast stuff. I like the way he holds himself, as well."
"Then also there's a lass called Raphi, who's featured on one of my songs last year. She has her own track that came out on Friday on the label. She's blown up as well."
Being a part of DJ Mag's world's number one club
What makes the club so special, and why do you think it deserves its crown as the World’s Number-One Club?
"There are loads of factors, aren’t there?
I think the sound in that room is the best sound I've ever heard. And then there’s the production. To change the production every night the way they do it is really cool. I’ve just seen what they were doing with The Martinez Brothers in there and it looked sick.
Every night of the week, the team transforms the club, which is pretty special."
"The club itself is a labyrinth. It's what you want. It feels exciting. It feels like you are on holiday. It's got that buzz about it. Then there’s the residents. I'm buzzing to be part of it. Its got some of the biggest DJs in the world.
It keeps getting voted the number one club in the world, so that also adds a level of excitement for people. TNL develop it every year. The team just keeps making it better and better. In my mind, it definitely lives up to that accolade."
We're going to go beyond music now. How are you finding parenthood? Will the little man be one of those babies with the giant headphones on stage?
"Yes! He certainly will. He's coming to Trick festival in Newcastle. We've already got the ear defenders and we're going to take him there early doors. When the music starts, we’ll probably leave. But I just want to get a photo to show him ‘This was you at Trick.'
It's been amazing, to be honest. It's been the best thing to happen to us. I knew it would be good but it's blown away my expectations and it just gets better. He's 11 weeks old now. The first two weeks are just like survival, but it's getting easier and easier.
He's coming out to Ibiza as well for a bit. I'm so excited."
Will you, Hayley, FISHER and Chloe be going on parent dates after their baby arrives?
"Yeah, hopefully. I would love to do that. I'm so happy for them."
Patrick Topping presents Trick starts tomorrow, 5 June, and runs for a further three weeks until 26 June. Tickets for all four parties are on sale now and available below, along with the 14 FISHER parties.
ADDITIONAL WORDS | by Stephen Hunt
