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Music

Alan Fitzpatrick Steps Up With an Hour of Steely Soul-Soothers

"I wanted to do a mix that you can play in the car, or getting ready to go out, even getting back at the end of a night."

Alan Fitzpatrick's career is a testament to the draw of quality. The Southampton producer/DJ barely needs any introduction, yet far from building his reputation out of summer bangers or excessive light shows, he has instead spent the past few years putting out a never-ending slew of top shelf eclectic (and electric) techno. Since 2008 he has put his name to more floor-filling, bass-heavy slammers than you've had dodgy kebabs.

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Alan Fitzpatrick's career is a testament to the draw of quality. The Southampton producer/DJ barely needs any introduction, yet far from building his reputation out of summer bangers or excessive light shows, he has instead spent the past few years putting out a never-ending slew of top shelf eclectic (and electric) techno. Since 2008 he has put his name to more floor-filling, bass-heavy slammers than you've had dodgy kebabs.

THUMP are very fortunate, and so are you, because somehow, in amongst a touring schedule that resembles the United Nations' guest-list, he has found time to get in the mix for us. Now, really and truly, anyone can build a set for a peak time club. It really isn't that difficult. Just stick on Stardust's "Music Sounds Better" on a loop and you're laughing. The real challenge is creating the blend for the space in between. What Alan Fitzpatrick has treated us to in his exclusive mix is just that. Some gooey, soft-focus, plush, techno drops that sit as comfortably alongside your cereal as they do your white wine spritzer.

Keen to check in with him, and find out more about the waves he is continuing to make as a producer and selector, we caught up with Alan during a brief spell of down-time.

Yo Alan, where are you at the moment?
I'm sat in my studio right now but it's all a bit mental at the moment, you can definitely tell the summer's started! Last weekend I had five shows, weekend before that four shows, then three shows this weekend starting in Portugal, then Belgium, then New York for a festival on Sunday. Then it's home for a day before I'm off to Dubai.

Wow. Flying around that much must mess with your head a bit?
I've had some mental times where I've got to border control back in the UK, and they've asked "where have you flown in from?" and I've had to say, "I don't know!" I end up taking a couple of minutes to think and remember, so you get this weird look – "How do you not know where you've flown in from?"

How do you find the time to keep your set fresh between all the traveling?
The second I get on the plane, or I'm in my hotel room, the laptop is open and I'm thinking, "am I going to play this or that?" I'll download some stuff, check out a demo. My sets are always changing. I also find there are people who come to more than one show in a weekend. I don't want them to hear track for track what they heard last time. There's also different times of the day to consider, as well as different types of crowd. In certain countries you can't get away with playing things you can in other places.

You change your sets depending on which country you are in?
Some ravey bits I might play, with a 90s UK tinge, that will work really well in Ibiza or the UK, but if you test that out in places that are more detached from that cultural context, say Tel Aviv, it doesn't work.

You came through with techno, but your sets are much more diverse now. What's informed that shift?
I think I'm braver now. When you're up and coming, you're aiming to target a type of club, promoter or fans, so you are trying to market something with a more specific appeal. The minute you find success you can start broadening your range, without confusing people as much. Then saying that, some people do get away with it. Ben UFO came on to the scene playing anything and everything.

What's popping off in your sets at the moment?
The new Roisin Murphy remix I've done is doing really well so far.

How did that pairing come about?
It stemmed from the success of the Trus'me remix I did – it's one of the biggest tracks I've ever done. I still get messages about it today. It seems to have just killed Ibiza last year. Literally two days ago I had a message from Deetron saying, "I'm still hammering that Trus'me remix."

So that opened some doors?
Well the success of that record reached people like Roisin. She messaged me on Facebook and asked if I wanted to do one of the remixes for her new single. Obviously I said yes. Been a fan of her since the Moloko days. When you get talent like that, or Leftfield who I've just done a remix for and have been a fan of since the 90s, approaching you, you know you're doing something right.

You've been releasing with Drumcode for a few years now. What's the secret to that relationship?
Me and Adam [Beyer] have just become really good mates. It's a family vibe now, so I've got a really good level of creative control. I know that if I want these three tracks in this order, or to go a bit weird with one of them, then that will be fine. The label is massive now, and I think his success is that he doesn't sign a track because he thinks it will sell. If it works on the dance floor, that's all he is bothered about.

But you've also just released your first EP with Hotflush?
Yeah, just released Falling Down, and there's loads more stuff to come with them. I really like the fact that they are ballsy enough to do whatever they want as well. They started with the Skream and Benga, dubstep stuff initially, and now they are quite happy to release that or techno, house, or dub. It's a really nice aspect of the label, because it keeps people interested.

Excellent, and finally, what can we expect from your THUMP exclusive mix?
I think it fits for the opening of the summer. I wanted to do a mix that you can play in the car, or getting ready to go out, even getting back at the end of a night. I don't do a great deal of studio mixes because of time restraints, normally it ends up being something streamed from a club. I think when you do that, it's fine, but it's geared towards whoever is stood in front of you at 3am. On this one I've tried to give people something to listen to at any point.

You can buy Alan Fitzpatrick's Falling Down EP here.

You can also catch him at Found Festival in London on Saturday 13 June.

THUMP are very fortunate, and so are you, because somehow, in amongst a touring schedule that resembles the United Nations' guest-list, he has found time to get in the mix for us. Now, really and truly, anyone can build a set for a peak time club. It really isn't that difficult. Just stick on Stardust's "Music Sounds Better" on a loop and you're laughing. The real challenge is creating the blend for the space in between. What Alan Fitzpatrick has treated us to in his exclusive mix is just that. Some gooey, soft-focus, plush, techno drops that sit as comfortably alongside your cereal as they do your white wine spritzer.

Keen to check in with him, and find out more about the waves he is continuing to make as a producer and selector, we caught up with Alan during a brief spell of down-time.

Yo Alan, where are you at the moment?
I'm sat in my studio right now but it's all a bit mental at the moment, you can definitely tell the summer's started! Last weekend I had five shows, weekend before that four shows, then three shows this weekend starting in Portugal, then Belgium, then New York for a festival on Sunday. Then it's home for a day before I'm off to Dubai.

Wow. Flying around that much must mess with your head a bit?
I've had some mental times where I've got to border control back in the UK, and they've asked "where have you flown in from?" and I've had to say, "I don't know!" I end up taking a couple of minutes to think and remember, so you get this weird look – "How do you not know where you've flown in from?"

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How do you find the time to keep your set fresh between all the traveling?
The second I get on the plane, or I'm in my hotel room, the laptop is open and I'm thinking, "am I going to play this or that?" I'll download some stuff, check out a demo. My sets are always changing. I also find there are people who come to more than one show in a weekend. I don't want them to hear track for track what they heard last time. There's also different times of the day to consider, as well as different types of crowd. In certain countries you can't get away with playing things you can in other places.

You change your sets depending on which country you are in?
Some ravey bits I might play, with a 90s UK tinge, that will work really well in Ibiza or the UK, but if you test that out in places that are more detached from that cultural context, say Tel Aviv, it doesn't work.

You came through with techno, but your sets are much more diverse now. What's informed that shift?
I think I'm braver now. When you're up and coming, you're aiming to target a type of club, promoter or fans, so you are trying to market something with a more specific appeal. The minute you find success you can start broadening your range, without confusing people as much. Then saying that, some people do get away with it. Ben UFO came on to the scene playing anything and everything.

What's popping off in your sets at the moment?
The new Roisin Murphy remix I've done is doing really well so far.

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How did that pairing come about?
It stemmed from the success of the Trus'me remix I did – it's one of the biggest tracks I've ever done. I still get messages about it today. It seems to have just killed Ibiza last year. Literally two days ago I had a message from Deetron saying, "I'm still hammering that Trus'me remix."

Alan Fitzpatrick's career is a testament to the draw of quality. The Southampton producer/DJ barely needs any introduction, yet far from building his reputation out of summer bangers or excessive light shows, he has instead spent the past few years putting out a never-ending slew of top shelf eclectic (and electric) techno. Since 2008 he has put his name to more floor-filling, bass-heavy slammers than you've had dodgy kebabs.

THUMP are very fortunate, and so are you, because somehow, in amongst a touring schedule that resembles the United Nations' guest-list, he has found time to get in the mix for us. Now, really and truly, anyone can build a set for a peak time club. It really isn't that difficult. Just stick on Stardust's "Music Sounds Better" on a loop and you're laughing. The real challenge is creating the blend for the space in between. What Alan Fitzpatrick has treated us to in his exclusive mix is just that. Some gooey, soft-focus, plush, techno drops that sit as comfortably alongside your cereal as they do your white wine spritzer.

Keen to check in with him, and find out more about the waves he is continuing to make as a producer and selector, we caught up with Alan during a brief spell of down-time.

Yo Alan, where are you at the moment?
I'm sat in my studio right now but it's all a bit mental at the moment, you can definitely tell the summer's started! Last weekend I had five shows, weekend before that four shows, then three shows this weekend starting in Portugal, then Belgium, then New York for a festival on Sunday. Then it's home for a day before I'm off to Dubai.

Wow. Flying around that much must mess with your head a bit?
I've had some mental times where I've got to border control back in the UK, and they've asked "where have you flown in from?" and I've had to say, "I don't know!" I end up taking a couple of minutes to think and remember, so you get this weird look – "How do you not know where you've flown in from?"

How do you find the time to keep your set fresh between all the traveling?
The second I get on the plane, or I'm in my hotel room, the laptop is open and I'm thinking, "am I going to play this or that?" I'll download some stuff, check out a demo. My sets are always changing. I also find there are people who come to more than one show in a weekend. I don't want them to hear track for track what they heard last time. There's also different times of the day to consider, as well as different types of crowd. In certain countries you can't get away with playing things you can in other places.

You change your sets depending on which country you are in?
Some ravey bits I might play, with a 90s UK tinge, that will work really well in Ibiza or the UK, but if you test that out in places that are more detached from that cultural context, say Tel Aviv, it doesn't work.

You came through with techno, but your sets are much more diverse now. What's informed that shift?
I think I'm braver now. When you're up and coming, you're aiming to target a type of club, promoter or fans, so you are trying to market something with a more specific appeal. The minute you find success you can start broadening your range, without confusing people as much. Then saying that, some people do get away with it. Ben UFO came on to the scene playing anything and everything.

What's popping off in your sets at the moment?
The new Roisin Murphy remix I've done is doing really well so far.

How did that pairing come about?
It stemmed from the success of the Trus'me remix I did – it's one of the biggest tracks I've ever done. I still get messages about it today. It seems to have just killed Ibiza last year. Literally two days ago I had a message from Deetron saying, "I'm still hammering that Trus'me remix."

So that opened some doors?
Well the success of that record reached people like Roisin. She messaged me on Facebook and asked if I wanted to do one of the remixes for her new single. Obviously I said yes. Been a fan of her since the Moloko days. When you get talent like that, or Leftfield who I've just done a remix for and have been a fan of since the 90s, approaching you, you know you're doing something right.

You've been releasing with Drumcode for a few years now. What's the secret to that relationship?
Me and Adam [Beyer] have just become really good mates. It's a family vibe now, so I've got a really good level of creative control. I know that if I want these three tracks in this order, or to go a bit weird with one of them, then that will be fine. The label is massive now, and I think his success is that he doesn't sign a track because he thinks it will sell. If it works on the dance floor, that's all he is bothered about.

But you've also just released your first EP with Hotflush?
Yeah, just released Falling Down, and there's loads more stuff to come with them. I really like the fact that they are ballsy enough to do whatever they want as well. They started with the Skream and Benga, dubstep stuff initially, and now they are quite happy to release that or techno, house, or dub. It's a really nice aspect of the label, because it keeps people interested.

Excellent, and finally, what can we expect from your THUMP exclusive mix?
I think it fits for the opening of the summer. I wanted to do a mix that you can play in the car, or getting ready to go out, even getting back at the end of a night. I don't do a great deal of studio mixes because of time restraints, normally it ends up being something streamed from a club. I think when you do that, it's fine, but it's geared towards whoever is stood in front of you at 3am. On this one I've tried to give people something to listen to at any point.

You can buy Alan Fitzpatrick's Falling Down EP here.

You can also catch him at Found Festival in London on Saturday 13 June.

So that opened some doors?
Well the success of that record reached people like Roisin. She messaged me on Facebook and asked if I wanted to do one of the remixes for her new single. Obviously I said yes. Been a fan of her since the Moloko days. When you get talent like that, or Leftfield who I've just done a remix for and have been a fan of since the 90s, approaching you, you know you're doing something right.

You've been releasing with Drumcode for a few years now. What's the secret to that relationship?
Me and Adam [Beyer] have just become really good mates. It's a family vibe now, so I've got a really good level of creative control. I know that if I want these three tracks in this order, or to go a bit weird with one of them, then that will be fine. The label is massive now, and I think his success is that he doesn't sign a track because he thinks it will sell. If it works on the dance floor, that's all he is bothered about.

But you've also just released your first EP with Hotflush?
Yeah, just released Falling Down, and there's loads more stuff to come with them. I really like the fact that they are ballsy enough to do whatever they want as well. They started with the Skream and Benga, dubstep stuff initially, and now they are quite happy to release that or techno, house, or dub. It's a really nice aspect of the label, because it keeps people interested.

Excellent, and finally, what can we expect from your THUMP exclusive mix?
I think it fits for the opening of the summer. I wanted to do a mix that you can play in the car, or getting ready to go out, even getting back at the end of a night. I don't do a great deal of studio mixes because of time restraints, normally it ends up being something streamed from a club. I think when you do that, it's fine, but it's geared towards whoever is stood in front of you at 3am. On this one I've tried to give people something to listen to at any point.

You can buy Alan Fitzpatrick's Falling Down EP here.

You can also catch him at Found Festival in London on Saturday 13 June.