In Depth with…Alan Fitzpatrick
Photography – Jimmy Mould
Having been prolific on the European Techno circuit for more than a few years now, UK favourite, Alan Fitzpatrick has steadily climbed to the top of the scene. Attributing a mix of rock solid productions and captivating dj sets, Alan further cements his place with the imminent release of Fabric 87 mixed by the man himself. Alan gives EQTV the lowdown on his Fabric mix, releases past and present and how he handles his sprawling touring schedule….
How has your year been so far Alan?
It’s been great! As always with the start of the year it feels like time flies by really fast, and just like that a quarter of the year is gone already, which is a bit of a shock. Of course being busy means the time flies and I’ve certainly been busy finishing my fabric complication and working on new music, as well as doing loads of gigs. I must have clocked up about 25 shows already this year and it’s about to get even busier over the next couple of months.
You have one of the most demanding schedules on the circuit, how do you handle the constant traveling?
I’ve been touring regularly now for at least 5 years so I’m used to it, plus like most things, the more you do it the better at it you become. Also, I have a great team around me who plan my touring in such a way as to make the travel more manageable, but it is true that it can be hard sometimes to not get fed up with constantly being on the move or missing my family, simply home comforts and just having some downtime. In 2015 I played about 125 shows but in general I am trying hard to work a less and enjoy my free time a bit more this year. So I’ve cut back on the touring where I can so that my schedule is better balanced and I feel less burnt out. For example, I’m taking a weekend off every few months and I’m going on holiday for two weeks at the start of April before my fabric tour starts and then again in August. These breaks make a massive difference to how you are able to cope with the physical and emotional demands of the job.
Do you have a favourite place to play in the world?
This might sound a bit corny, but like the saying goes, ‘there is no place like home’. I’m now getting the chance to play a lot more shows all around UK which is great because like most of the people in the crowd I’ve grown up with the similar musical influences so you feel a real connection, which is sometimes missing when you go to other countries. I’d also say that it is still that case that there is a true rave spirit about UK clubbers and that really matters to me. I badly miss the vibe you would get at party’s in the 90’s when everything was more about enjoying the music and partying, rather than fashion or being seen to be seen, which sadly has become increasingly noticeable over the last 5 years or so. A great example of a party that got it right recently was the show I played for Pressure at SWG3 in Glasgow at the end of January. Everyone was so up for it. The vibe in the club was pure energy and it was just going off all night long. For weeks beforehand I was getting messages from people who were massively excited about the party and who wanted to share that excitement with me, and that doesn’t happen very often, certainly not on that scale. My shows in Buenos Aires or New York are like that and also sometimes when I play in Italy, so I’m very lucky to have these great experiences on a regular basis, but it’s just that little bit more special when it’s with people who are from the same country as you are.
Your Fabric 87 mix is about to drop, how did your approach differ from that of your other mixes?
In terms of how I actually recorded the mix it didn’t differ at all. I’ve always made a point of wanting the studio mixes I do to have the same feel as a live recording. That energy and flow is really important to the music and it gets me in the right head space. The fabric mix was recorded in my home studio, using exactly the same DJ set up as I have in a club, and I’m proud to say the mix was recorded in one take.
What was different though was the amount of work that went into finding music. Just to give you an idea of the process, I started collecting music for the mix in October but I had to record the mix at the end of December and the release date is mid April. This made it really challenging to find tracks because a lot of the music I had or that I was being sent at the end of 2015 would be released before April, meaning the mix wouldn’t have sounded so fresh and new for people. So I dug really deep to get as much unreleased music as possible from producer friends and artists or labels that I respect, plus I chose a few exclusive remixes and edits of my own tracks that will only ever appear on the mix. In the end I couldn’t be happier with the result, so it really paid off to go that extra mile.
What tracks, artists and labels have been really doing it for you in your sets recently?
Err… These type of questions always put me on the spot! So apologies to anyone who I’ve not mentioned who I really should have done, I’m going to go for a track by Midland called ‘Blush’ which I think is coming out on his own Graded label in April. Anyone who knows Harry’s music will know it’s got more to do with deep house and disco than the sort of techno I usually play but I’ve been playing ‘Blush’ as a last track in my sets a lot because it’s got these really euphoric strings and a great energy which is perfect for that moment when the lights come on but no one wants to go home. I also want to mention Mike Dehnert who sent me some amazing music for my fabric mix and I’m delighted to say he agreed to come and play live at the launch party in London, which I’m really excited about. Finally, I need to mention the Slam guys. Stuart and Orde have done two tracks recently that have been really massive for me – ‘Make You Move’ and ‘Take You Take’ – both huge bombs.
Your remixing skills have really been on show recently, what has been your most rewarding remix of late?
Yeah, I’ve been pretty humbled by the attention to be honest. The remix I did for Leftfield was a real ‘pinch yourself’ moment for me. I grew up listening to their music and never ever imagined I’d get the chance to work with them but it happened and I’m also talking to Neil Barnes about collaborating with Leftfield on a track for my new album, so that whole process has been really special for me. In a different way the Roisin Murphy remix I did was also very rewarding because she actually got in touch with me about a year previous to say she really liked my music and that she was a fan, which for an artist of her standing to say that about some guy who makes techno was really cool. To then be invited to remix a track from her album was the cherry on the cake.
What releases do you have coming up that you can tell us about?
I’ve actually need quite quiet with the releases this year because the focus has been on the fabric mix but there are a few new tracks of mine on the mix that will be released soon. One is called ‘Where Haus?’ which is going to be released on Dusky’s 17 Steps label and the other is a remix I made of Drewxhill ‘Bullets’ which will be released on Whistleblower, which is a label I run with Reset Robot and Rhymos. The 10th release on my ESD vinyl only label will be a two tracker by myself, released in June and I’m also working on new singles for Drumcode and Hotflush. Oh yeah, I’ve also been asked to do a remix of a absolutely classic track which I’d love to tell you about, but I’m sworn to secrecy on that one, so you’ll just have to wait. Sorry!
Fabric 87 is out 15th April and the launch party kicks off Alan’s tour the following day in London. You can pre-order the mix from here….
